Title :
Precise and simple DC-electrothermal characterization of MMIC power amplifiers
Author :
Torregrosa-Penalva, Germán ; Asensio-López, Alberto ; Blanco-Del-Campo, Alvaro ; Ortega-Gonzalez, Francisco Javier
Author_Institution :
Departamento de Fisica y Arquitectura de Computadores, Univ. Miguel Hernandez, Alicante, Spain
Abstract :
A new indirect electrical method for the thermal characterization of microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers is presented. Unlike other methods previously proposed, the suggested procedure is easy to apply on power amplifiers with complex structures, formed by the combination of several amplifying stages on the same die. The new technique is specially indicated for MMICs formed by FET devices and mounted with epoxy attachment. The procedure uses the thermal coupling response between multiple amplifying stages to characterize the thermal behavior of the complete MMIC structure. It is a non-invasive method and requires the amplifier to operate under normal working conditions. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the precision and usefulness of this new procedure. The technique was applied to a commercial X-band MMIC power amplifier under different bias, temperature and mounting conditions.
Keywords :
MMIC power amplifiers; field effect transistor circuits; integrated circuit measurement; integrated circuit modelling; temperature measurement; MMIC power amplifiers; X-band MMIC; amplifying stages thermal coupling response; epoxy attachment mounted FET devices; microwave monolithic integrated circuits; power amplifier DC-electrothermal characterization; thermal characterization; Employee welfare; FETs; MMICs; Microwave amplifiers; Microwave devices; Microwave theory and techniques; Power amplifiers; Predictive models; Temperature measurement; Temperature sensors;
Conference_Titel :
Semiconductor Thermal Measurement and Management Symposium, 2003. Ninteenth Annual IEEE
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7793-1
DOI :
10.1109/STHERM.2003.1194347
