An Ultra-Wideband GaN PA MMIC With High-Efficiency

Abstract

In this work, a three-stage ultra-wideband and high-efficiency monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifier (PA) from 17 to 41 GHz has been designed and realized. The available bandwidth, efficiency, output power, and drain voltage of the transistor have been thoroughly considered during the PA design. Additionally, the gate peripheries of the driving stage ratio are set as 1:1.5 to prevent premature saturation of the driving stage. Pulse measurements show that the PA has a saturated output power greater than 1.2 W across 83% of the fractional bandwidth (FBW). The power gain is over 15 dB with less than 1 dB variation, and it reaches a peak output power and PAE of 32.5 dBm and 33%, respectively. This PA presents notable wideband performance and advantages in comparison with other PAs in previous works.