In this paper, we present a high-efficiency transmitter based on an integrated circuit (IC) supply modulator implemented in the same 0.15μm gallium nitride (GaN)-on-SiC RF process as the power amplifier (PA) monolithic microwave IC. The X-band 10-W two-stage PA is designed for stable operation with minimal drain capacitance, which enables fast supply modulation. The multilevel supply modulator provides eight voltage levels with 3-bit digital control [(power digital-to-analog converter (pDAC)], achieving a state-of-the-art slew rate of 5 kV/μs. Characterization of the dynamic R ON of the GaN switches allows the development of an efficiency model for the pDAC and an investigation of the effects of the pDAC internal resistance on the PA performance, resulting in a comprehensive efficiency model for the supply-modulated PA. The flexible compact transmitter consisting of the PA and pDAC ICs shows high efficiency in backoff for a variety of signals, both for radar and communications. Measured results for amplitude- A nd frequency-modulated radar pulses show a composite power-added efficiency (CPAE) of 44% with a peak power of 10 W at 9.57 GHz, with simultaneous spectral confinement and 52-dB improvement of the first time sidelobe. For a 20-MHz high peak-to-average ratio LTE signal, the CPAE increases from 11% to 32% compared to a fixed supply voltage transmitter, while linearity under dynamic supply operation is maintained through digital predistortion.
Cappello T., Florian C., Niessen D., Paganelli R.P., Schafer S., Popovic Z. (2019). Efficient X-band transmitter with integrated GaN power amplifier and supply modulator. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, 67(4), 1601-1614 [10.1109/TMTT.2019.2898188].
Efficient X-band transmitter with integrated GaN power amplifier and supply modulator
Florian C.;Paganelli R. P.;
2019
Abstract
In this paper, we present a high-efficiency transmitter based on an integrated circuit (IC) supply modulator implemented in the same 0.15μm gallium nitride (GaN)-on-SiC RF process as the power amplifier (PA) monolithic microwave IC. The X-band 10-W two-stage PA is designed for stable operation with minimal drain capacitance, which enables fast supply modulation. The multilevel supply modulator provides eight voltage levels with 3-bit digital control [(power digital-to-analog converter (pDAC)], achieving a state-of-the-art slew rate of 5 kV/μs. Characterization of the dynamic R ON of the GaN switches allows the development of an efficiency model for the pDAC and an investigation of the effects of the pDAC internal resistance on the PA performance, resulting in a comprehensive efficiency model for the supply-modulated PA. The flexible compact transmitter consisting of the PA and pDAC ICs shows high efficiency in backoff for a variety of signals, both for radar and communications. Measured results for amplitude- A nd frequency-modulated radar pulses show a composite power-added efficiency (CPAE) of 44% with a peak power of 10 W at 9.57 GHz, with simultaneous spectral confinement and 52-dB improvement of the first time sidelobe. For a 20-MHz high peak-to-average ratio LTE signal, the CPAE increases from 11% to 32% compared to a fixed supply voltage transmitter, while linearity under dynamic supply operation is maintained through digital predistortion.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
