A CMOS Inverter-Like Class-D/E Power Amplifier with No RF-Choke and No Dead-Time Requirement

Abstract

This paper presents a CMOS inverter-like Class-D/E switching power amplifier (PA). The proposed amplifier operates in-between Class-E and Class-DE PAs. For proper operation of a Class-E PA, an RF choke (RFC) with large inductance value and high self-resonant frequency is necessary. A Class-DE PA does not require an RFC but requires a dead-time between OFF-ON transitions of the two switches. The proposed PA uses two complementary switches and requires neither an RFC nor a dead-time for its operation. For the same supply voltage and the load resistance, the voltage stress on each switching device in the proposed PA is less than the voltage stress in a Class-E PA. Design and simulation results of a prototype PA at 2.45 GHz with +20 dBm output power are presented.