Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., California Univ., Davis, CA
Abstract :
We present the RF characterization of silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor (SiGe HBT) power amplifiers (PA) under load mismatched conditions. Experimental results demonstrate a strong dependence of a PA´s RF performance on the phase of mismatched antenna loads. For a load mismatch of voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR) of 10:1, the 1-dB compressed RF output power (P1 dB), transducer gain (GT), output third-order intercept point, and power-added efficiency differ by 7.5 dBm, 8.1 dB, 8.3 dBm, and 15%, respectively, between the optimal and worst phase conditions, for an SiGe HBT PA biased at VCC=3.3 V, collector current ICE =400 mA, and frequency of 1.88 GHz. At the optimal phase condition up to VSWR of 10:1, the SiGe HBT PA maintains its linearity, RF output power, gain, and efficiency close to that at a VSWR of 1:1. At all the nonoptimal phases, the deterioration in the RF performance increases with the magnitude of load mismatches. The nonlinear characteristic of a PA under load mismatches is due to amplitude and phase-distortion mechanisms
Keywords :
UHF power amplifiers; bipolar integrated circuits; 1.88 GHz; 3.3 V; 400 mA; HBT power amplifiers; RF characterization; SiGe; heterojunction bipolar transistor; load mismatch; mismatched antenna loads; phase-distortion; voltage standing-wave ratio; Germanium silicon alloys; Heterojunction bipolar transistors; Loaded antennas; Power amplifiers; Power generation; Radio frequency; Radiofrequency amplifiers; Silicon germanium; Transducers; Voltage; Antenna; SiGe HBT; distortion; linearity; load; mismatch; phase; power amplifier (PA); voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR); wireless;