Power Amplifiers

EERF6395
RF/Microwave Systems Engineering
Dr. R. E. Lehmann
 Applications
• Transmitters
– Communications
• Radio (pt-pt, radio/TV, LMDS…)
• Cell phone
• WLANs, Bluetooth…
• Satellite
– Radar (military, commercial)
• Narrowband
• Complements the receiver as a T/R function
– Electronic warfare
• Wideband jammers
Inside a Cell Phone

Source: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/inside-cell-phone.htm
 Transmit/Receive Module
(T/R Module)
Driver Amp Power Amp

Tx
Antenna

Circulator
Rx
Phase
Shifter Switch
LNA Limiter
 X-band T/R Module

Source: http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/transmitreceivemodules.cfm
High Power Amplifiers

20 W Multi-channel CDMA Personal

Communications amplifier. (Empower
RF Systems)

250 W UHF Power amplifier for

broadcast applications. (Empower
RF Systems)
Linear Beam Tubes
• In a linear beam tube, the electron beam travels
in the same direction as the magnetic field.

Klystron tube amplifier

Traveling-wave Tube Amplifier,

up to 100’s of watts. Typically used
in instrumentation.

Source: http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/tubes.cfm
 Crossed Field Tubes
• Typical bandwidth < 10%
• Efficiency can be as high as 70%
• Pulsed output power: KW - MW

Magnetron Tube for a microwave

oven (f = 2.45 GHz, Po ~ 1000W)

Amplitron L-4756A crossed field amplifier



Source: http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/tubes.cfm
http://www.radartutorial.eu/08.transmitters/tx11.en.html
 Power Amp Device Technology
• Semiconductor material
– Silicon (Si)
– Silicon Carbide* (SiC)
– Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)
– Gallium Nitride* (GaN)
• Devices
– Field Effect Transistor (FET)
– Lateral Double-diffused MOSFET (LDMOS)
– Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT)
– High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT)
• Pseudomorphic HEMT (pHEMT)

* Wide bandgap semiconductors Wg > 1.7 eV)

 Power Amplifier
Simplified Single-ended Design

Input Interstage Output

Matching Matching Matching
Network Network Network

S11* S11 S22 S22* S11* S11 S22 Гopt

• Output stage is designed for:

• maximum output power
• maximum efficiency
• combination of power and efficiency
• Note: Гopt is NOT = to S22*
• Input stages is designed for optimum return loss (conjugate match)
• Types of PA design approach
a) Load-line design
b) Load-pull technique
c) Non-linear analysis
 Balanced Power Amplifier
Input (Pin) 50-Ω Load
Po

50-Ω Load Output (~Po + 3dB)

Po

3-dB 3-dB
Coupler Coupler

Advantages: Disadvantages:
• Excellent I/O return loss • Large size compared to single-ended
• Approx. 3dB more Pout & OIP3 • Twice as much DC power required
• Less sensitivity to source & load • Higher cost
 Power Amp Biasing
+V +V
(drain supply) (drain supply)

-V
(gate supply)
Self-bias configuration:
Dual-bias configuration:
• Single supply
• More precise bias conditions
• Often difficult to adjust current
• Easier to adjust for optimal performance
• Lower cost to implement in system
• Requires two independent supplies

Issues:
• Bias networks must be low-loss to maintain high PAE
• FET Gate rectification occurs at high RF drive levels resulting in
potential re-biasing of the transistor
• Drain or collector voltage should be < Vbr/2
 Key PA Specs
• Frequency and Bandwidth
• Output power (Po)
– P1dB
– Psat
• Power-added efficiency (PAE)
• Gain
– Linear
– Gain at Psat
• Bias voltage/current
– Higher bias voltage capability
lower current for same PAE
– High bias voltage/lower current results in lower I2R losses in
a system
Power-added Efficiency (PAE)

Pout − Pin
PAE = η PA =
PDC

where: Pout = RF output power (in W or mW)

Pin = RF input power (in W or mW)
PDC = DC input power (V x I) (in W or mW)
 PAE Example
PDC = VD x ID

RF Pin RF Pout

Pin = 16 dBm (40mW)

Pout = 37 dBm (5000mW)
VD = 7V
ID = 2000 mA

Pout − Pin 5000 − 40

PAE = η PA = = = 35.4%
PDC (7)(2000)
 Cascaded Power Amps
PDC1 PDC2

RF Pin RF Pout

Summary
Power (dBm) 15 27 37 37
Gain (dB) 12 10 22
VD (V) 8 8 8
ID (mA) 300 1200 1500
PDC (mW) 2400 9600 12000
PAE (%) 19.5 47.0 41.5
 Balanced PA Calculations

Input (Pin) 50-Ω Load

Po
Pin=15dBm

50-Ω Load Output (Po=24dBm)

Po

3-dB 3-dB
Coupler Coupler

Gain (dB) -0.5 10 -0.5

Pout (dBm) 11.5 21.5 24.0
 Balanced PA Calculations
• For balanced power amp calculations,
the balanced topology can be treated
as a single-ended cascade:

Input Output
Coupler Coupler

Gain (dB) -0.5 10 -0.5

Pout (dBm) * 11.5 24.5 24.0

*Pout for this amplifier represents both amps combined; thus 3dB more than one amp.
 Pout vs Pin Curve

Saturation (Psat)

P1dB
Compression
Pout
(dBm)

Linear (small-signal)

Pin
(dBm)
 Classes of Operation
• Class A – Linear operation
– Linear = “Small-signal”
– Max efficiency = Pout/PDC = 50%
• Class B
– Biased at pinch off
– RF signal turns on device for ½ cycle
– Max efficiency = Pout/PDC = 78.5%
• Class AB
– Most common operating condition for power
amplifiers designed for maximum power or efficiency
• Class C
– Switching amplifier
 High Efficiency Operation
• Classes E, F, …
– Optimize harmonic terminations to increase
power-added efficiency
– At the output of the transistor impedance
matching networks are designed so that:
• Even harmonics are short circuited
• Odd harmonics are open circuited
 IEEE MICROWAVE AND WIRELESS COMPONENTS LETTERS,
VOL. 12, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2002 421

Effects of Output Harmonic Termination on PAE and

Output Power of AlGaN/GaN HEMT Power Amplifier
Y. Chung, Student Member, IEEE, C. Y. Hang, Student Member, IEEE, S. Cai, Y. Chen, W. Lee, C. P.
Wen, Life Fellow, IEEE, K. L. Wang, Fellow, IEEE, and T. Itoh, Fellow, IEEE

Abstract—This letter experimentally investigates and discusses

the effects of output harmonic termination on power added
efficiency (PAE) and output power of an AlGaN/GaN high
electron mobility transistor (HEMT) power amplifier (PA). The
AlGaN/GaN HEMT PA with gate periphery of 1 mm was built and
tested at L-band. Large-signal measurements and comparisons of
the PAE and output power were carried out at different dc bias
conditions from 50% of saturated drain current (Idss) to 1% of Idss
for the PA with and without output harmonic termination.
For class-AB operation at 25% of Idss, an increase of about
10% in peak PAE and 1 dBm in output power were observed in
saturated output power range. Improvements of up to 9% in PAE
and 1.2 dBm in output power were achieved over the measured
dc bias conditions provided the output harmonics are properly
terminated.
Source: www.triquint.com
 TGA 2923 10W Packaged Amp
S-parameter response

Source: www.triquint.com
 TGA2923 Pout vs Pin

Source: www.triquint.com
 TGA2923 PAE

Source: www.triquint.com
 TGA2923 Id vs Pin

Source: www.triquint.com
 Thermal Data

Source: www.triquint.com
Source: www.triquint.com
 TGA4043 Performance Summary

Source: www.triquint.com
 TGA4043 Frequency Response

Source: www.triquint.com
 TGA4043 P1dB Response

Source: www.triquint.com
 TGA4043 Pout vs Pin

Source: www.triquint.com
 TGA4043 PAE vs Pin

Source: www.triquint.com