Analysis and Design of Broadband Outphasing Power Amplifier Based on Complex Combining Impedance

Though Outphasing power amplifiers (OPAs) can maintain high efficiency over a large dynamic range, their bandwidth should be further extended to satisfy the wireless communication systems. This paper presents a complex combining method for designing wideband OPAs. Complex combining impedance is adopted to compensate the frequency dispersion of the active load modulation in the OPA, leading to an extended bandwidth. It is illustrated for the first time that the load modulation trajectories of the OPA can be corrected over a wide bandwidth by elaborately designing the complex combining impedance. Furthermore, a comprehensive theoretical analysis is conducted on the transmission-line based combiner to derive the complex load impedance needed at different frequency points, recovering the back-off efficiency of a broadband OPA. As a proof of concept, a broadband OPA operating over 1.7-2.2 GHz is designed and fabricated. The experimental results show the fabricated OPA delivers a maximum output power of 43.1-44.3 dBm with a drain efficiency of 63.4%-78.4%. Meanwhile, a 6-dB back-off drain efficiency of 45.5%-70.4% can also be achieved by the fabricated OPA.