Abstract
This paper presents a 52-58 GHz power amplifier (PA) with constant output power across the entire band. A new topology based on the impedance transformation of transmission lines was adopted as the inter-stage matching network. Compared with the conventional 2-section LC matching topology, our approach reduced the matching loss by 1.5 dB at 54 GHz. Such topology made the design capable of operating at a frequency close to 80% of the unit-current-gain cut-off frequency (fT) specified by the device technology. Additionally, stacked-FET was adopted as the power stage for the output power enhancement in a broadband sense. Implemented in the commercially available 0.15-μm GaAs pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (pHEMT) process, the 2-stage PA demonstrated a small-signal gain of 14.7 dB, a saturated output power (Psat) of 18.6 dBm, and a maximum power-added-efficiency (PAE) of 18.2% at 54 GHz.
Original language | English |
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Journal | IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers |
DOIs | |
State | Accepted/In press - 2020 |
Keywords
- Power amplifier
- pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor.
- stacked-FET
- transmission lines
- unit-current-gain cut-off frequency