A High-Efficiency, Small-Size GaN Doherty Amplifier

for LTE Micro-Cell and Active Antenna System Applications

Peter Xia, Milos Jankovic

TriQuint Semiconductor, 500 W Renner Road, Richardson, TX , 75080, USA

E-mail address: peter.xia@tqs.com

Abstract In this paper a high-efficiency, small-size GaN
Doherty amplifier for LTE micro-cell base station and active
antenna systems base station application is presented. It is
implemented with a TriQuint Semiconductor wideband discrete
GaN RF power transistor, theT1G6001528-Q3. Doherty
amplifier performance is in the LTE standard frequency range
2.62 GHz ~2.69 GHz; average output power=38.5dBm; the peak
saturated output power is >46dBm; drain efficiency is >55%;
gain is >15dB; 2 carrier 2x10 MHz; 8dB PAR LTE signal
waveform with Netlogic standard DPD; ACPR is better than -
50dBc; Doherty amplifier size 30mm x 70mm.
Index Terms GaN, Doherty Amplifier, LTE, Micro-Cell,
Active Antenna System, Base Station.
I. INTRODUCTION
In todays communications networks, achieving higher data
rates and spectrum efficiency are always motivations for
developing new technology. In order to meet the increasingly
more stringent requirements of high data rate and high
spectrum efficiency demanded by wireless
telecommunications subscribers, the 4G wireless system
including Long Term Evolution (LTE) have been developed to
take advantage of some new technology. For example:
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing ( OFDM ) and
Multiple Input Multiple Output ( MIMO ) , which have
properties of higher data rates and higher spectral efficiency in
20 MHz signal bandwidth; downlink data rates of 100
megabits per second ( Mbps ) and an uplink data rate of 50
Mbps can be achieved. LTE modulation signal bandwidth is
10 MHz for one carrier and 20MHz for two carriers. In order
to provide a high data rate while consuming less power, small
size base stations such as a micro-cell base stations or an
active antenna system base station will be utilized more
frequently in LTE-based networks than in W-CDMA (3G)
networks. In this type of small-size wireless base station, high-
efficiency and small-sized RF power amplifiers are necessary
to provide the performance required as cost-effectively as
possible.
Due to higher efficiency at a 6~10dB back-off range and
better linearity with a digital pre-distortion ( DPD ) system,
Doherty amplifier configurations are popularly used in
wireless base station RF power amplifiers [1]~[2]. Although
there are now some new advanced technology being
developed for wireless base-station RF power amplifiers
[3]~[4], high power and high efficiency RF amplifier
configuration utilizing a Doherty amplifier configuration still
is the most common wireless base station technology in mass
production.
A gallium nitride (GaN) RF power transistor, due to its high
efficiency and high power density, has characteristics
supporting the needs of next-generation RF power device
applications [5]~[7] and was therefore the technology of
choice for implementing this amplifier design.
II. RF GAN POWER DEVICE
The active device employed in the reported Doherty Power
Amplifier is TriQuint Semiconductor T1G6001528-Q3
packaged high electron mobility transistor (HEMT). It is a
wideband discrete GaN on SiC HEMT, which operates at 28V
and be able to support DC to 6 GHz frequency requirements.
The device is built with TriQuints production 0.25m GaN
on SiC process, which features advances field plate techniques
to maximize power and efficiency at high drain bias operating
conditions. This optimization can potentially lower systems
costs in terms of simple amplifier line-ups and lower thermal
management costs.
The T1G6001528-Q3 uses a discrete die with 5 mm of total
gate periphery. It is constructed based on four, 1.25mm unit
HEMT cells, as shown in Fig. 1. The die placement and bond
wire profiles are optimized for broadband performance.
Fig. 1. T1G6001528-Q3 GaN transistor 1.25mm unit cell
The packaged device utilized in this amplifier typically
provides 18W of output power (P3dB) and linear gain higher
than 10dB at 6 GHz. Maximum PAE is greater than 50%
across the whole band. At 2.6 GHz frequency, its saturated
power is about 25W; gain is approximately 16dB; the
Vgs-3.7V Carrier
amplifier
maximum saturated efficiency is approximately 75%.
Vds
out
in
Fig. 2 T1G6001528-Q3 package
Vgs=-5V Peaking
amplifier 28V
Vds
T1G6001528-Q3 package is show as Fig.2, the device
dimension except input / output lead is 5mm x 6mm. The
performance of this small device comes from its high power
density. The small form factor of the transistor is a key factor
that enables development of a smaller-scale Doherty amplifier.
The T1G6001528-Q3 provided this performance: Vd=28V,
Idq=100mA, at pulse waveform PW=50uS, duty=10%, its
load-pull data at 2.65GHz is measured as following in Fig. 3.
The reported Doherty amplifier is designed based on this load-
pull data.
Fig. 3 T1G6001528-Q3 load-pull data
III. DOHERTY AMPLIFIER CONFIGURATION
A symmetric Doherty amplifier is a very popular RF high
power, high efficiency amplifier configuration for
contemporary wireless base stations. The amplifier
demonstrated in this paper is designed using two
T1G6001528-Q3 discrete packaged HEMTs, and the whole
Doherty amplifier size is 30mm x 70mm as shown as Fig. 4.
The small size is very necessary for micro-cell base stations or
active antenna systems base stations where space is at a
minimum.
Bias
Idq=100mA T1G6001528-Q3 28V
RF
RF
Bias
T1G6001528-Q3
Fig. 4 30mm x 70mm Doherty Amplifier Board
The amplifier PCB material is Taconic RF35B, with a
thickness (H) of 16.6mm, and a dielectric constant (r) of
3.66.
There is a 3dB hybrid at the input area, which is used to
split the input signal into a carrier amplifier (the up path) and a
peaking amplifier (the down path). The carrier amplifier is
biased in class AB at Idq=100mA; the peaking amplifier is
biased in class C mode. Since the carrier amplifier and
peaking amplifier operate in different modes, their output
impedances are not identical, so their output matching
circuitry is slightly different.
When designing a Doherty amplifier, the ideal situation is
to design load impedance at Zopt equal to the maximum Psat
point, and design load impedance at 2*Zopt equal to the
maximum efficiency point. But because the T1G6001528-Q3
is a wideband general purpose device, it is not specifically
designed for 2.65 GHz Doherty purposes; its maximum
efficiency is not at a 2:1 VSWR circle of the maximum
saturated power. When we designed this Doherty amplifier,
we had to compromise the load impedance at Zopt and 2 *
Zopt. This means the load impedance at Zopt is not at the
maximum saturated power point and the load impedance at 2 *
Zopt is not at the maximum efficiency point.
IV. DOHERTY AMPLIFIER PERFORMANCE
The Doherty amplifier utilizing the T1G6001528-Q3 (as
documented in Fig 3) has been measured with several kinds of
signal waveforms to characterize its performance for base
station applications.
Fig.5 shows its AM/AM and AM/PM curve, which is a
critical parameter for DPD correction performance. In a
typical normal LDMOS device Doherty amplifier, phase
always drops when input power increases, which will reduce
DPD correction performance. But in this amplifier utilizing
the T1G6001528-Q3, phase variation of input power is totally
different, which will be a benefit for DPD correction.
 Fig.6 shows its PAR and efficiency variation with output WCDMA

Performance
power, which is measured at 2.65GHz, the WCDMA signal 1C

WCDMA
,
10.2dB
PAR
at
0.01%CCDF

60 20
waveform with PAR @ 0. 01% CCDF = 10.2dB.
58 19
Fig. 7 shows its high power performance over the standard
56 Eff Psat 18
LTE frequency range of approximately 2.62GHz to 2.69GHz, Eff

Psat ( dBm) & Eff ( % )

54 17
which is measured with a WCDMA signal waveform, the Gain
52 16

Gain ( dB )
data is tested at 38dBm average output power, the saturated
50 15
power is calculated using an average output power plus PAR. Gain
48 14
It can be seen from Fig.7 that in a standard LTE frequency
46 13
range (2620 MHz~2690 MHz), when average output power at
44 12
38dBm, its efficiency is higher than 55%. Psat
42 11
In contemporary base station designs, the RF power
40 10
amplifier output need varies when the number of phones 2620 2630 2640 2650 2660 2670 2680 2690
calling users within a given geographic area varies. This Frequency ( MHz )

requirement is called traffic control. In order to let base

stations always operate at high efficiency, generally the
variation of output power is implemented through adjusting Fig. 7 Psat , Eff, Gain variation over frequency range
RF power amplifier working voltages. So that the base station

2.65GHz AM/AM & AM/PM T1G6001528 Doherty Eff and Pout @7.5dB OBO vs Drain Voltage
17 130 1C-WCDMA , 10.2dB PAR at 0.01%CCDF
40 60
16 128
39.5 59

15 Gain 126
39 58
38.5 57
Gain(dB)

Phase( )

Efficiency (%)
14 124 38 56
Pout (dBm)

AM/AM
37.5 55
13 122
37 54
12 120 36.5 53
Phase AM/PM
36 52
11 118
35.5 51

10 116
35 50
13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 24 26 28 30 32
Drain Voltage (V)
Pin( dBm)

Fig. 8 Eff and Pout variation with drain voltage

Fig. 5 AM/AM and AM/PM

Always operates at the highest efficiency, base station RF

T1G6001528 Doherty Output PAR and Efficiency vs. Pout
1C-WCDMA , 10.2dB PAR at 0.01%CCDF power amplifiers are required to provide stable efficiency
15 60 when working voltages change. Fig. 8 shows the drain
56 voltage range of 24V ~ 32V, with the same WCDMA
13 52 waveform, and the same PAR (7.5dB), the efficiency and
48 average output power varies with the voltage.
Output_PAR(dB)

Efficiency ( % )

11 44 To satisfy the requirements of high-efficiency base station

40 operations, most RF power amplifiers need to operate with
9 36 digital pre-distortion (DPD) to obtain linear performance,
32 which is represent with ACPR in RF power amplifiers. So for
7 28 todays base station RF power amplifiers, the performance of
24 DPD correction is very important. In order to verify this
5 20 Doherty amplifiers DPD correction effect , the system
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
utilized in this paper was tested with a Netlogic standard DPD
Pout (dBm )
system, in a two carrier LTE (20 MHz signal bandwidth)
environment, with PAR @ 0.01% CCDF = 8dB. The
measured ACPR performance at 2.65GHz is shown Fig 9, at
Fig. 6 PAR and efficiency variation with output power
38.5dBm Pout. After DPD is applied, the ACPR is better than ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
-50dBc.
The authors would like to express their appreciation for the
assistance and support of TriQuint Semiconductors Defense
T1G6001528 Doherty Linearity Products and Foundry Services business unit, which provided
2C 0110 10MHz LTE, 8dB PAR at 0.01%CCDF, 2650MHz
-20 65 load pull fixtures, gallium nitride transistors and additional
Before DPD resources for the initial assessment of this project, as well as
-25 60
Mr. Jeff Gengler who provided DPD testing.
-30 55

-35 50
ACPR (dBc)

Eff ( % )
-40 Eff 45 REFERENCES
-45 40
After DPD [1] Steve C Cripps, RF Power Amplifier for Wireless
-50 35 Communication, Norwood, MA, Artech House, 1999.
-55 30
[2] Frederick H. Raab, et al., Power Amplifier and Transmitter for
RF and Microwave, IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech.,
-60 25 Vol. 50 pp. 814-826, March 2002
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 [3] D. Kimball, et al., High Efficiency WCDMA Envelope
Pout (dBm) Tracking Base-Station Amplifier Implemented with GaAs
HVHBTs, 2008 IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symposium
Digest.
Fig. 9 ACPR performance with DPD
[4] I, Kim, et al., Envelope Injection Consideration of High Power
Hybrid EER Transmitter for IEEE 802.16 Mobile WiMAX
Application, 2008 IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symposium
Digest .
V. CONCLUSION [5] H. Deguchi, et al., A 33W GaN HEMT Doherty Amplifier with
55% Drain Efficiency for 2.6GHz Base Stations, 2010 IEEE
A 2.6 GHz GaN Doherty amplifier has been demonstrated. MTT-S Int. Microwave Symposium Digest.
At 38.5dBm average output power, in a standard LTE [6] H. Sano, et al., A 40W GaN HEMT Doherty Power Amplifier
frequency range of 2.62 GHz ~ 2.69 GHz, drain efficiency is with 48% Efficiency for WiMAX Application, 2007 IEEE
greater than 55%; gain is greater than 15dB. For a two carrier Compound Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Symposium
20 MHz bandwidth 8dB PAR LTE signal, ACPR after DPD is Digest.
[7] N. Yoshimura, et al., A 2.5-2.7GHz Broadband 40W GaN
better than -50dBc. The Doherty amplifier dimension is 30mm HEMT Doherty amplifier with higher than 45% drain efficiency
x 70mm. The combination of high efficiency and small size for multi-band applications, 2012 IEEE Topical Conference on
made possible utilizing gallium nitride transistors in a base Power Amplifiers for Wireless and Radio Applications.
station amplifier is very useful for LTE micro-cell base
stations as well as active antenna array system designs.