Design procedure for integrated microwave GaAs stacked-FET high-power amplifiers

Design procedure for integrated microwave GaAs stacked-FET high-power amplifiers

van der Bent, G.
de Hek, P.
van Vliet, F.E.

2019

The application of stacked-FETs in power ampli fiers allows for a supply voltage higher than supported by the breakdown voltage of a single transistor. Potential benefits of the increased supply voltage are reduced supply currents and a lower matching ratio at the output of the amplifier. Furthermore, an increased output power per chip area is obtained due to the reduction in passive structures resulting in more area-efficient power combining. In this paper, the procedure for the design of integrated microwave stacked-FET is discussed. Several options for the correct distribution of RF voltage and current swings are investigated and the relationship between the number of stacked transistors and bandwidth is addressed. The procedure is demonstrated by the design of an S-band GaAs stacked-FET containing three transistors. This stacked-FET is applied in an S-band HPA that has a PAE of more than 40% at an output power of 20 W, which is more than twice the output power of any previously reported GaAs stacked-FET HPA.

Microwave-integrated circuits
Nonlinear circuits
Power-integrated circuits
Radio frequency (RF) signals
Transmitters
Design
Gallium arsenide
III-V semiconductors
Microwave amplifiers
Semiconducting gallium
Design procedure
High power amplifier
Passive structures
Potential benefits
Single transistors
Stacked transistors
Supply currents
Supply voltages
Power amplifiers

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:8c8af387-39e0-46e3-9e98-129e718e3f74

955110

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

0018-9480

IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 67 (67), 3716-3731

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