C-band GaAs FET power amplifiers with 70-W output power and 50% PAE for satellite communication use

This paper describes a successfully developed high-power and high-efficiency C-band GaAs FET amplifier for satellite communication systems. To realize high efficiency in a high-power amplifier, an HFET well-designed for high-power applications is developed, and precise design for an amplifier is car...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE journal of solid-state circuits 2005-10, Vol.40 (10), p.2054-2060
Main Authors: Wakejima, A., Asano, T., Hirano, T., Funabashi, M., Matsunaga, K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amplifiers
Applied sciences
Circuit properties
Circuits
Design
Design engineering
Design. Technologies. Operation analysis. Testing
Drains
Efficiency
Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits
Electronic circuits
Electronics
Exact sciences and technology
FETs
Gallium arsenide
Gallium arsenides
HEMTs
High power amplifiers
Integrated circuits
Mathematical models
MODFETs
Other multijunction devices. Power transistors. Thyristors
Power amplifiers
Power generation
Pulse amplifiers
Pulse measurements
Satellite communication
Satellite communications
Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
Transistors
Volt-ampere characteristics
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Summary:This paper describes a successfully developed high-power and high-efficiency C-band GaAs FET amplifier for satellite communication systems. To realize high efficiency in a high-power amplifier, an HFET well-designed for high-power applications is developed, and precise design for an amplifier is carried out. The HFET employed achieves reduction in a gate leakage current while maintaining a high maximum drain current. For precise design of an amplifier, large-signal FET model parameters are extracted using pulsed I-V and S-parameter measurements. Based on this model, second harmonic impedances as well as fundamental impedances are determined for obtaining high efficiency and input- and output-matching circuits which are assembled in a compact package are designed to achieve a high-efficiency internally matched amplifier. As a result, the amplifier delivers a high saturated output power of 70 W and a high power-added efficiency of 51%. These characteristics are the record power performance in C-band in terms of simultaneous achievement of high power and high efficiency. A low third order intermodulation distortion of -35 dBc is also obtained at a drain voltage of 10 V.
ISSN:0018-9200
1558-173X
DOI:10.1109/JSSC.2005.854596