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GaN devices for communication applications: evolution of amplifier architectures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 April 2010

Ulf Schmid ,
Rolf Reber ,
Sébastien Chartier ,
Kristina Widmer ,
Martin Oppermann ,
Wolfgang Heinrich ,
Chafik Meliani ,
Rüdiger Quay  and
Stephan Maroldt
Ulf Schmid*
Affiliation:
EADS – T/R Modules and MMICs, Woerthstrasse 85, 89077 Ulm, Germany.
Rolf Reber
Affiliation:
EADS – T/R Modules and MMICs, Woerthstrasse 85, 89077 Ulm, Germany.
Sébastien Chartier
Affiliation:
EADS – T/R Modules and MMICs, Woerthstrasse 85, 89077 Ulm, Germany.
Kristina Widmer
Affiliation:
EADS – T/R Modules and MMICs, Woerthstrasse 85, 89077 Ulm, Germany.
Martin Oppermann
Affiliation:
EADS – T/R Modules and MMICs, Woerthstrasse 85, 89077 Ulm, Germany.
Wolfgang Heinrich
Affiliation:
Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), Gustav-Kirchhoff-Straße 4, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
Chafik Meliani
Affiliation:
Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), Gustav-Kirchhoff-Straße 4, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
Rüdiger Quay
Affiliation:
Fraunhofer Institute Applied Solid-State Physics (FhG-IAF), Tullastrasse 72, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany.
Stephan Maroldt
Affiliation:
Fraunhofer Institute Applied Solid-State Physics (FhG-IAF), Tullastrasse 72, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany.
*
Corresponding author: U. Schmid Email: ulf.schmid@eads.com
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Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of power amplifiers using high-power gallium nitride (GaN) high electronic mobility transistor (HEMT) powerbars and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). The first amplifier is a class AB implementation for worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) applications with emphasis on a low temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) packaging solution. The second amplifier is a class S power amplifier using a high power GaN HEMT MMIC. For a 450 MHz continuous wave (CW) signal, the measured output power is 5.8 W and drain efficiency is 18.5%. Based on time domain simulations, loss mechanisms are identified and optimization steps are discussed.

Keywords

Power amplifier (PA)Gallium nitride (GaN)Switch mode amplifierDelta sigma modulator (DSM)
Type
Original Article
Information
International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies , Volume 2 , Issue 1 , February 2010 , pp. 85 - 93
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the European Microwave Association 2010

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References

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