A 1-Watt, 8-14-GHz HBT amplifier with <45% peak power-added efficiency

摘要

Four 0.25-W gallium arsenide heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) were combined in a single-stage hybrid microstrip amplifier. An output power of <1 W was achieved over the 8.5-13.5-GHz band with <35% power-added efficiency (PAE). The peak PAE was 45.4% at 12.5 GHz. This result was repeated on a second unit that was subsequently tuned for improved performance at the upper end of the band. The PAE at 14 GHz increased to <43% with 1-W output while, at 8 GHz, it remained at approximately 30%.