High efficiency 10 W GaN-HEMT power amplifier with optimum input stabilization

In this paper, design of a wideband high efficiency GaN-HEMT power amplifier operating in 1.9–2.9 GHz is presented. The amplifier is stabilized optimally for mean gain degradation over the frequency range by following a two-step process. Source- and load-pull simulations are applied to determine the optimum impedances for the transistor. Besides, harmonic load impedances are also considered to ensure high efficiency. The proposed amplifier is fabricated and evaluated for performance with both small-signal and large-signal measurement. Measurement results shows good agreement to simulation. The amplifier exhibits small-signal gain of 13–16 dB in the desired bandwidth. Large-signal measurement with an input power level of 24.5 dBm indicates that the designed amplifier meets the output power requirement and attains power-added efficiency (PAE) from 37–69% in the desired bandwidth.