Broadband power amplifier design at mm wave band

• Main Author: Luan, Zixuan
• Other Authors: Arokiaswami Alphones
• Format: Thesis-Master by Coursework
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Engineering; Radio frequency; Non-uniform distributed power amplifier
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/175491
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The advent of 5G technology alongside the persistent relevance of 2G, 3G, and 4G networks underscores a growing need for communication systems in broadband frequency. Highly integrated broadband phased arrays have become pivotal for a spectrum of applications, from radar to secure military communications and electronic warfare, where the power amplifier (PA) is the core component. The biggest challenge is balancing transistor speed with large voltage swing operation. A comprehensive literature review establishes the theoretical foundation, highlighting the methodology for NPDAs to achieve optimal power gain distribution by adjusting transistor sizes accordingly. Then, the Advanced Design System (ADS) is used for simulation, to illustrate a detailed design and analysis process, beginning with the uniform distributed amplifier structures before transitioning to more advanced non-uniform configurations. Those simulation results validate the superiority of the non-uniform structure over conventional uniform designs, presenting enhanced performance metrics such as improved S-parameters, Power Added Efficiency (PAE), and output power (P_out). Notably, the designed NDPA shows a stable power gain exceeding 14 dB, peaking at around 15 dB near 12 GHz, while maintaining return loss (S1,1) below -15 dB throughout the operational bandwidth, with a deep decrease to almost -40 dB at 8 GHz.