20W Linearized Q-band Solid State Power Amplifier for Satellite Communication Application

This paper presents the test results of the Solid State Power Amplifier (SSPA) for satellite communication application developed in Thales Alenia Space under a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) operating in the frequency range from 37.5 to 42.5 GHz. The SSPA delivering more than 20W in saturation is equipped with a linearizer that allows to achieve a Noise to Power Ratio (NPR) better 16dBc at 3dB of Output Back-off (OBO). The use of SSPA on modern High Throughput Satellites (HTS) is a low cost alternative to Q-band TWTA, considering that the cost saving is more than three times by using solid state technology. The 20W output power has been achieved by combining in waveguide 8 4W power amplifier MMIC's (D01GH-GaN on silicon) by OMMIC foundry. A 2W MMIC driver amplifier has been also specifically design and fabricated with the same process. At the knowledge of the authors this is the first SSPA in Q-band of such class realized in Europe for space applications.