Efficient output power configuration in a K-band power amplifier using a split-gate layout

Powell, Aquila, Quaglia, Roberto ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3228-301X, Azad, Ehsan, Powell, Jeff and Cripps, Stece ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2258-951X 2025. Efficient output power configuration in a K-band power amplifier using a split-gate layout. International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies 10.1017/S1759078725101682

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Abstract

A multi-finger radio frequency (RF) transistor has been divided into multiple gate sections which can be biased independently. This provides a system designer the ability to dynamically reconfigure the output power and power gain of the device while maintaining good power efficiency and without changing the input drive power. By selectively switching the gate biases below pinch-off to effectively reduce the device’s active periphery, the maximum current of the device can be tuned to “follow” a reduced drain bias voltage, so that the optimum impedance at lower power remains similar to the one at full power, and a fixed matching network can be used to accommodate all power modes. The concept has been tested in a large signal load–pull characterization campaign on a test cell and implemented in a K-band power amplifier (PA) prototype. Measurements on the PA confirm the effectiveness of the method, achieving 30% efficiency at around 4.8–4.9 dB of output power tunability when maintaining a constant input power.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Engineering
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	1759-0787
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	19 June 2025
Date of Acceptance:	12 May 2025
Last Modified:	20 Jun 2025 11:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/179192

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