Development of novel design methodologies for the efficiency enhancement of RF power amplifiers in wireless communications

Wright, Peter 2010. Development of novel design methodologies for the efficiency enhancement of RF power amplifiers in wireless communications. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.

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Abstract

The research work presented in this thesis sets out to investigate improvements to the power amplifier design cycle through the use of recently developed radio-frequency waveform measurement and characterisation systems. One key objective of this work is to improve the overall efficiency of the modern wireless communication system by focusing on the radio-frequency power amplifier stage. More specifically, the direct utilisation of waveform-engineering techniques in the development of methodologies for the design and realisation of efficiency enhanced radio-frequency power amplifiers was targeted. In developing these power amplifier design methodologies, work has also led to significant advancements into the possibilities of 'first-pass-design' success. Through the direct import of captured waveform data into a computer-aided design environment, along with efficiency-optimised multi-harmonic and intermediate-frequency impedance information, a stable and highly efficient power amplifier has been realised. This direct implementation of waveform measurements completely by-passes any involvement with potentially unreliable nonlinear device models. Hence this has eliminated the need for multiple iterations of matching networks, resulting in a dramatically more time-efficient design process. Waveform-engineering-based designs completed in this research have been demonstrated with both very high-efficiency (70-80%), narrowband modes of operation, as well as a high-efficiency (60-70%) broadband mode covering almost an octave bandwidth. All designs throughout have been realised as prototype power amplifiers.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Engineering
Subjects:	T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
ISBN:	9781303223686
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	10 Jan 2018 05:35
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/55144

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