RF Power Amplifier Research Articles

Signal Reconstruction Deep Residual Neural Network-Based Bandwidth Augmented Methods for DPD Linearization

In this letter, a signal reconstruction deep residual neural network (SRDRNN)-based bandwidth augmented method for digital predistortion (DPD) linearization of a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) is proposed. The SRDRNN is utilized to interpolate the samples from the analog-to-digital (ADC) converter in the DPD feedback path of the RF PA so as to increase its bandwidth. The experimental results illustrate that the SRDRNN can accurately produce the out-of-band spectrum regrowth of the equivalent baseband signal for a PA. It can also be directly applied to another PA with the same type. Finally, the effectiveness of SRDRNN-based bandwidth augmented method is verified with DPD linearization experiment. Both of the feedback signals reconstructed by the SRDRNN for the training PA and the test PA exhibit an excellent linearization performance.

Parallel Delta-Sigma Modulator-Based Digital Predistortion of Wideband RF Power Amplifiers

In this article, we propose a new robust and highly efficient digital predistortion (DPD) concept for the linearization of wideband RF power amplifiers (PAs). The proposed approach is based on the combination of a parallelized delta-sigma modulator (DSM) and a forward model of the PA. This concept applies multi-rate techniques on a DSM that incorporates the forward PA model in its feedback loop to perform the required signal predistortion. Such a technique eliminates the need of reverse modeling and its associated problems. The multi-rate approach relaxes enormously the clock speed requirement of the DPD, which allows handling high signal bandwidths at feasible sampling rates. Moreover, enhanced performance can be achieved without the need of increasing the order of the modulator which reduces the sensitivity of the system to gain variations and phase distortions caused by the nonlinear PA characteristics. Three time-interleaved parallel DPD (P-DPD) variants are described and introduced, all of them have been shown to offer increased accuracy, and consequently better linearization performance compared to the DSM-based DPD state-of-the-art. The proposed architectures are tested and assessed using extensive real-world RF measurements at the 3.6 GHz band utilizing wideband 100 MHz 5G New Radio (NR) transmit waveforms, evidencing excellent transmit signal quality.

Integration studies of RF solid-state generators in the electrical system of NBTF experiments and ITER HNB

SPIDER operation, started in 2018, pointed out performance-limiting issues caused by the technology employed in RF generators, based on tetrode free-running oscillators. One of these limits, namely the onset of frequency instabilities, prevented operation at the full rated power of 200 kW. In addition, tetrodes require high voltage to operate, which translates to risk of flashovers and the necessity to perform conditioning procedures, limiting the overall reliability. These disadvantages, combined with the positive experience gained in the meanwhile on smaller facilities with solid state amplifiers, led to the proposal of a complete re-design of the radiofrequency power supplies. This paper describes the modelling activities used to define specifications and design criteria of the solid-state amplifiers for SPIDER and MITICA, which can be directly transposed to the ITER HNB units when their functionality is proven. We detail the topology of the generators, consisting of class D amplifier modules combined to achieve the required 200 kW, which design is mainly driven by the necessity to deliver nominal power to the ion source, mitigate the risk of obsolescence, and improve the reliability through modularity. Due to the non-standard application, we gave particular focus to the integration of generators in the RF systems of SPIDER and MITICA. Numerical analyses were performed to verify the impact of harmonic distortion on transmission line and RF load components, to address the effect of mutual coupling between RF circuits on the generator output modulation, and to assess the magnitude of common mode currents in the electric system. These studies, as well as the experience gained from SPIDER operation, helped to define dedicated circuit design provisions and control strategies, which are currently being implemented in the detailed design and construction phase of the new RF amplifiers.

Time-walk and jitter correction in SNSPDs at high count rates

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are a leading detector type for time correlated single photon counting, especially in the near-infrared. When operated at high count rates, SNSPDs exhibit increased timing jitter caused by internal device properties and features of the RF amplification chain. Variations in RF pulse height and shape lead to variations in the latency of timing measurements. To compensate for this, we demonstrate a calibration method that correlates delays in detection events with the time elapsed between pulses. The increase in jitter at high rates can be largely canceled in software by applying corrections derived from the calibration process. We demonstrate our method with a single-pixel tungsten silicide SNSPD and show it decreases high count rate jitter. The technique is especially effective at removing a long tail that appears in the instrument response function at high count rates. At a count rate of 11.4 MCounts/s, we reduce the full width at 1% maximum level (FW1%M) by 45%. The method, therefore, enables certain quantum communication protocols that are rate-limited by the FW1%M metric to operate almost twice as fast.

Special tests on the first unit of the solid-state RF amplifiers for the ITER HNB and the NBTF experiments

Radio Frequency Solid-State Amplifiers (RFSSA) will replace the oscillators supplying SPIDER, MITICA and the ITER HNB RF ion sources. In order to verify the operation of the amplifiers on a significant load for the application and to identify possible integration problems in advance, special tests on a Resonant Dummy Load (RDL) able to mimic the ion source characteristics were foreseen. This paper will present the RDL conceptual design and the special tests that will demonstrate the design and operation of the RFSSA first unit in normal and abnormal conditions, and its integration to mitigate risks before on-site commissioning.

Design-Aware Parasitic-Aware Simulation Based Automation and Optimization of Highly Linear RF CMOS Power Amplifiers

In this paper, a parasitic-design-aware simulation-based design tool is proposed for highly linear RF power amplifiers. The main aim of the proposed tool is to speed up the design process of RF power amplifiers. In addition, it provides accurate final designs taking into consideration the effect of parasitic components of both active and passive devices. The proposed tool relies on the knowledge of designing highly linear RF power amplifiers. Both the optimization steps and design methodology are presented in this paper. The proposed tool is verified by designing a highly linear RF power amplifier at three different frequencies (7 GHz, 10 GHz, and 13 GHz) using 65 nm technology node. The results show that an OP1 dB higher than 18 dBm, gain/S21 higher than 7 dB, and OIP3 higher than 24 dBm at 6 dB back-off power can be obtained.

Deep Reinforcement Learning on FPGA for Self-Healing Cryogenic Power Amplifier Control

Wireless sensing and communication for space exploration in areas inaccessible to human often suffer from severe performance degradation due to the cryogenic effects on the transmitters’ circuits. To survive extreme temperatures, programmable radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers (PA) can be built into the transmitter, and intelligent PA controllers need to be integrated into the system to interact with the environment and restore the PA’s functionalities. This problem can be modeled as the controller acts (control the PA) in an environment to maximize the reward (signal quality), and it is most suitable to use reinforcement learning as a solution. This paper presents a cryogenic and energy-efficient reinforcement learning (RL) module on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) that can directly program the PA. By characterizing a self-healing PA in a liquid nitrogen environment, we generated an RF signal data set and built an interactive RL environment to model the PA’s behaviors across its configurations and cryogenic temperatures down to −197°C. We developed a deep RL model with a high generalization capability introduced by the neural networks to control the PA and restore its performance. The RL model with fixed-point training and inference is implemented on FPGA to survive the cryogenic conditions and carry out fast and low-power training and inference for PA control. All functionalities of the programmed FPGA operate correctly in the cryogenic testing environment.

Switch-Mode MOSFETs for Class A Radio Frequency Amplification

Vertical double diffused MOSFETs (“VDMOSFETs”) developed for switching power supplies were successfully used in high voltage, high frequency linear amplifier circuits. These high voltage power switches are surprisingly useful for linear RF power amplifiers and transmitters. In most of their intended applications such as in switching power supplies or switched digital amplifiers, VDMOSFETs are pulsed by a high voltage and the pulsed output is heavily filtered. This avoids the linear region of the VDMOSFET, which normally limits the efficiency to a theoretical maximum of 25%. However, in a search of MOSFETs for high voltage linear amplification using Class A bias without heavy use of filtering, these low-cost switching MOSFETs were found to work best, if limited to radio frequencies above 1.5 MHz. Conditions, and in particular, very low impedance driving of the MOSFET gate, were discovered that gave efficiencies of 70%, rivaling that of non-linear pulse techniques such as Class C or Class D operation. The beneficial effect of linear operation combined with high efficiency at a high voltage is suggested to arise from Miller capacitance. This was only seen at radio frequencies and with the larger current, higher gate capacitance devices. Switching MOSFETs as described here should be considered alongside dedicated RF MOSFETs such as the more expensive LD (lateral diffused) MOSFET when working with RF power.

A multichannel pulse power supply for pulsed RF amplifiers

A novel 50 V, 40 x 80 A multichannel pulse power supply, consisting of 40 numbers of 50 V, 80 A pulsed output channels for biasing pulsed RF amplifiers, is presented in this manuscript. It employs an FPGA based control and protection unit for generating drive pulses of each pulsed output channel as well as for their protection. This control unit has capability to vary the pulse width of drive pulses of pulsed output channels from 150 µs to 2 ms and frequency from 1 Hz to 50 Hz. The PSpice simulation of individual 50 V, 80 A pulsed output channel has been carried out and simulations results are also presented. Efforts have been put to minimize the inductance in the power paths of all the pulsed output channels and maintain synchronism among them. All the output channels have been simultaneously tested on dummy resistive load at 80 A peak current, 2 ms pulse width and 50 Hz switching frequency. The rise time and fall times of output pulses are observed as < 10 µs and pulse droop is observed as < 1%. The jitter between different output pulses is observed as 60 ns.

DC-10 GHz broadband linear power amplifier for 5G applications using 180 nm CMOS technology

This article suggests a broadband linear power amplifier (PA) for DC-10 GHz for Fifth-generation (5G) and multi-standard applications using 180 nm CMOS technology. The suggested radio frequency power amplifier is appropriate for wideband LTE, IoT, WSN, multi-standard, and 5G radio frequency transmitters. T-coil peaking and bridged-shunt-series peaking amplifiers are used for bandwidth extension and gain flatness. Also, the interstage matching inductors between common source and common gate transistors are applied to improve radio frequency achievement. The suggested PA consists of four stages as follows; input stage, two stages using the T-coil peaking technique, and the last stage utilizing bridged-shunt-series peaking topology. The input stage is a complementary current reuse (CCR) common gate with active shunt feedback (SFB) architecture. It is utilized to extend the matching of RF input impedance with agreeable linearity and power gain at little power consumption. The second stage works in class-C operation to enhance the efficiency and reduce DC power consumed whereas the class-AB mode is utilized in the third and fourth stages to improve the output power. The suggested PA obtains a peak constant power equal to 14.25 dBm, a maximum Power-Added-Efficiency (PAE) of 16 %, and a peak gain equal to 22 dB. The proposed power amplifier dissipates a DC power of 80 mW. The die size of the proposed power amplifier equals 1mm2, whereas the total chip size includes the pads is 1.62mm2.

Temperature-Independent Current Dispersion in 0.15 μm AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for 5G Applications.

Thanks to high-current densities and cutoff frequencies, short-channel length AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are a promising technology solution for implementing RF power amplifiers in 5G front-end modules. These devices, however, might suffer from current collapse due to trapping effects, leading to compressed output power. Here, we investigate the trap dynamic response in 0.15 μm GaN HEMTs by means of pulsed I-V characterization and drain current transients (DCTs). Pulsed I-V curves reveal an almost absent gate-lag but significant current collapse when pulsing both gate and drain voltages. The thermally activated Arrhenius process (with EA ≈ 0.55 eV) observed during DCT measurements after a short trap-filling pulse (i.e., 1 μs) indicates that current collapse is induced by deep trap states associated with iron (Fe) doping present in the buffer. Interestingly, analogous DCT characterization carried out after a long trap-filling pulse (i.e., 100 s) revealed yet another process with time constants of about 1-2 s and which was approximately independent of temperature. We reproduced the experimentally observed results with two-dimensional device simulations by modeling the T-independent process as the charging of the interface between the passivation and the AlGaN barrier following electron injection from the gate.

Fabrication and optimization of bi-quad antenna and energy-efficient balanced RF power amplifier for 5G-LTE multi-carrier applications

Wireless technology is presently one of the most actively researched fields of digital communication systems. Wireless communication technologies are insufficient without an understanding of antenna design and operation. A wide range of radio frequency equipment, including microwave antennas, microwave ovens, cordless telephones, and medical devices, utilize the 2.4 GHz band. In this article, a parabolic mesh dish was used to build and improve a bi-quad antenna with a central working frequency of 2.445 GHz. The bi-quad antenna was put in a parabolic mesh dish to optimize wave propagation. The findings show that the antenna obtained a signal strength range of 70% to 80%, increasing the directivity of WLAN coverage. The bi-quad antenna feed was placed in the center of a mesh dish, which assists in focusing radio waves onto the antenna. The bi-quad antenna outperformed the omnidirectional antenna, which had a signal strength of 56%. The results of each antenna test were separately simulated in MATLAB. The combined impact of bi-quad and parabolic was then duplicated using mathematical models, resulting in a unique waveform propagation pattern known as para-quad, which improved performance. A balanced RF power amplifier was conceived and built in this study. A 2.620 - 2.690GHz frequency range on a large signal Si-LDMOS transistor model achieves 53% PAE, 41dBm power output, and 14 dB gain at the P1dB saturation point.

Load-Modulated Balanced Amplifier: From First Invention to Recent Development

The RF power amplifier (PA) is a unit in wireless transmitters that strengthens the signal to combat losses in transmission by converting dc electric power to the added RF output power. Over the past decades, with the rapid development of wireless communications, high-efficiency PA design has become one of the most popular topics in both academic research and industrial development as the PA consumes a high portion of the transmitter energy, and thus its power efficiency directly impacts the system performance. In addition, because the PA is the main source of distortion generated by the transmitter, linearity is another concern in PA design, particularly in wideband systems <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[1]</xref> .

A Maximum Efficiency-86% Hybrid Power Modulator for 5G New Radio(NR) Applications

A hybrid power modulator is presented for the radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers of 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) new radio (NR) applications. A hybrid power modulator utilizing a two-level switching converter and a broadband and high-efficiency linear amplifier is presented. A further improvement in the efficiency of the circuit is achieved by using an optimized supply voltage of the two-level switching converters of 4.5 V. In this way, the overall efficiency is improved by more than 5% compared to using a 5 V supply voltage. The linear amplifier consists of four stages. In order to improve bandwidth and circuit stability, a compensation circuit is added to the linear amplifier that eliminates the poles of the main amplifier by introducing additional zeros, indirectly pushing the pole distribution out of the bandwidth. Using this approach, the linear amplifier achieves a 3-dB bandwidth of 180 MHz and an efficiency of 51%. The hybrid power modulator achieves a maximum output power of 2.4 W and an efficiency of 86% when tracking a 100 MHz 5G-NR signal under a 4 Ω load in a 180 nm CMOS package.

Three-Level Hybrid Envelope Tracking Supply Modulator with High-Bandwidth Wide-Output-Swing

Envelope tracking is a dynamic supply modulation technique, which is mainly used to improve the efficiency of radio frequency power amplifier. For 5G NR mobile devices, this paper presents an envelope tracking supply modulator which is composed of a three-level switching converter and linear amplifier (LA) in parallel. The hysteresis control method is adopted in the supply modulator to improve the bandwidth of the switching converter and the loop response speed. At the same time, a rail-to-rail input-output class AB linear amplifier is designed to achieve a wide output swing and a super source follower is proposed to reduce the output impedance of LA. Designed with the 180 nm CMOS technology, the supply modulator operated at 5G NR 100 MHz envelope signal. The output power of the modulator reaches 1.5 W for a 6 Ω load resistor and the output swing is 4.3 V at 5.0 V supply, and the maximum efficiency reaches 85%.

Continual Learning Digital Predistortion of RF Power Amplifier for 6G AI-Empowered Wireless Communication

Artificial intelligence (AI) provides opportunities to enable high-efficiency wireless communication to dynamically adapt to the local environments and user demands. In this article, a continual learning digital predistortion (DPD) algorithm is proposed to linearize radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) in 6G AI-empowered wireless communication. It is achieved by employing the ability of knowledge retention and knowledge transfer to merge the new PA operating state into the previous model, which makes the model more intelligent when dealing with multiple states. In addition, an augmented self-sensing model is proposed to accurately capture the common characteristics and key dynamic characteristics among different PA operating states to improve the knowledge transfer ability during the continual learning process. The experiments were carried out on a Doherty PA with dynamic configurations associated with power, bandwidth, and signal type. The experimental results have shown that the proposed technique can continuously learn when faced with unpredicted new PA operating states and so as to linearize all known states. The proposed DPD method performs with very low complexity in the long term, which is very suitable for the emerging AI-empowered dynamic scenario.

Digital Predistortion of RF Power Amplifiers With Decomposed Vector Rotation-Based Recurrent Neural Networks

In this article, we present a novel decomposed vector rotation (DVR)-based recurrent neural network behavioral model for digital predistortion (DPD) of radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers (PAs) in wideband scenarios. By representing memory terms of DVR with recurrent states and redesigning the piecewise modeling, we propose a novel recurrent DVR scheme. To ensure stable operation and enhanced modeling accuracy, we integrate the recurrent DVR into the gated learning mechanism of the modified Just Another NETwork (JANET). Experimental results confirm that the proposed DVR-JANET model provides much improved linearization performance with significantly reduced model complexity compared with the recent existing models.

A Uniform Neural Network Digital Predistortion Model of RF Power Amplifiers for Scalable Applications

In this article, a uniform neural network (NN) digital predistortion (DPD) model of radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers (PAs) is proposed for dynamic applications, which is suitable for RF PAs under various operating conditions without updating the coefficients. With the development of communication systems, it is difficult for the DPD to track the nonlinearity of the PA as the operating condition varies frequently. As one of the most promising achievements in recent years, the NN has shown excellent generalization ability, which is applicable to the DPD for scalable applications. In this situation, a uniform neural network model (UNNM), whose structure is a two-stage network, is proposed for scalable output power, scalable bandwidth, or simultaneous scalable power and bandwidth. The experiments are carried out on two sub-6 GHz broadband GaN Doherty PAs (DPAs). The experimental results show that the proposed model can achieve comparable performance without coefficient update in the scalable output power range of about 5 dB and the bandwidth range of 100 MHz, which outperforms the conventional fixed model with better than 3 dB power range and 40 MHz bandwidth range.

Analysis and fabrication of a small-scale radio-frequency balun for magnetic resonance imaging amplifier.

In this study, the authors report the design and fabrication of a small mixed-integrated balun for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The device was designed by using the positive anti-symmetric coupling method, which applies the lump surface-mount technology capacitors as well as mirror-symmetric coupling strips that were etched on the top and bottom layers of a printed circuit board. The capacitors reduced the length of the coupling strips and compensated for imbalances in the phase and gain due to errors in the fabrication process. The structure and equivalent even-odd circuit model of the device was modeled and examined using commercial software to optimize the design parameters. Following this, the device was fabricated and its performance was assessed through measurements using a network analyzer. The results showed that imbalances in the gain and phase were lower than 0.1 dB and 1°, respectively, and the insertion loss and the input voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR) were lower than 0.4 dB and -25 dB, respectively. More importantly, the device was small, with dimensions of 50 × 60 × 1.5mm. This makes it suitable for MRI applications involving highly integrated miniaturized systems. The proposed device was integrated into a 3.0T radio-frequency power amplifier (RFPA) and reduced the dimensions of its power modules by 20% compared with the traditional balun. Finally, the RFPA module was used in an 3.0T MRI system for imaging experiments, and the results showed that the balun can help obtain high-quality scanning images.

A Manifold Regularization Approach for Low Sampling Rate Digital Predistortion With Band-Limited Feedback

Digital predistortion (DPD) is an effective linearization technique for RF power amplifiers (PAs), but conventional full sampling (FS) DPD systems use ADCs with three to five times signal bandwidth, and high-speed ADCs are expensive and power-hungry. In this article, we develop a novel band-limited DPD for reducing feedback sampling rate and acquisition bandwidth based on a general framework for semisupervised learning called manifold regularization (MR), which utilizes the geometry of unlabeled data to construct regularization terms for mitigating the overfitting problem. Considering the properties of DPD, we design a basis MR term and introduce it into the classical MR to obtain the extended MR (ExMR) method. To validate the proposed ExMR DPD method, experiments were conducted on two different RF PAs operating at 2.4 and 39 GHz, respectively. The test results demonstrate that the proposed ExMR DPD can linearize the RF PA with a 40-MHz acquisition bandwidth at 100-MHz input. The proposed method significantly reduces the cost and power consumption of the DPD system in comparison with the conventional FS DPD method, which provides a promising solution for broadband communication systems.