High efficiency digitally linearized GaN based power amplifier for 3G applications

Author

Bensmida, Souheil ; Hammi, Oualid ; Ghannouchi, Fadhel M.

Author_Institution

Univ. of Calgary, Calgary

fYear

2008

fDate

22-24 Jan. 2008

Firstpage

419

Lastpage

422

Abstract

In this paper, a high efficiency GaN based power amplifier is designed using multi-harmonics load pull measurements. A load matching network that independently controls the load impedance at the fundamental, second and third harmonic frequencies is used for straightforward implementation. The continuously driven single-ended deep class AB biased power amplifier achieves a peak power added efficiency of 68% at saturation. It is found that the designed power amplifier exhibit highly non linear characteristics with 7 dB gain compression at saturation. Digital predistortion based linearizer is used to improve the linearity performance of the power amplifier under a WCDMA excitation (PAPR=9.8 dB). At a 10 dB output power back-off, 21% power added efficiency was measured along with 53 dBc adjacent channel leakage ratio.

Keywords

3G mobile communication; broadband networks; code division multiple access; harmonic analysis; impedance matching; nonlinear distortion; power amplifiers; 3G application; GaN; WCDMA excitation; adjacent channel leakage ratio; digital linearized GaN based power amplifier; digital predistortion; load impedance control; load matching network; multiharmonics load pull measurement; Frequency; Gain; Gallium nitride; High power amplifiers; Impedance; Linearity; Multiaccess communication; Power amplifiers; Power measurement; Predistortion; Digital predistorter; GaN; load-pull; power amplifier;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Radio and Wireless Symposium, 2008 IEEE

Conference_Location

Orlando, FL

Print_ISBN

978-1-4244-1462-8

Electronic_ISBN

978-1-4244-1463-5

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/RWS.2008.4463518

Filename

4463518