Systematic Approach to the Stabilization of Multitransistor Circuits

This paper proposes a systematic approach for the elimination of spurious oscillations in circuits with multiple active elements. The procedure is based on detecting the sensitive parts (nodes or branches) of the complex circuit at which we can have a strong control of the dynamics responsible for the instability. To do so, stability analyses based on pole-zero identification are performed at multiple observation ports. Once sensitive locations are detected, stabilization is achieved by adding series or shunt stabilization networks at the suitable node or branch. Standard techniques from linear control theory (pole placement strategies) are used to automatically calculate the values of the stabilization elements ensuring circuit stability. Here, the methodology is applied to the stabilization of a two-stage Ku-band high-power amplifier for active antenna space applications.