Power Amplifier Design Flow Using GaN Large Signal Models in AWR

Join Kasyap Patel of Wolfspeed for a live webinar on September 20th as we discuss GaN on SiC MMIC solutions to thermal concerns for next generation radar systems during continuous wave (CW) operation.

The purpose of the RF PA is to increase the power of the RF input signal. This is achieved by applying the signal to the gate. This article compares some of the common amplifier classes, starting with the most-linear but least-efficient Class A to the still-linear (due to the ideal transistor) but more-efficient Class F and inverse-F.

Gallium nitride is the undisputed technology for achieving high-efficiency operation in high-frequency applications, such as those at X-band (8–12 GHz). But device selection for X-band applications doesn’t end with choosing the material technology, because turning the bulk material characteristics into high-performance GaN on SiC devices is quite another matter.