32.5 E-band (71-to-86GHz) GaN Power Amplifier with 4.37W Output Power and 18.5% PAE for 5G Backhaul

Wireless data traffic has experienced explosive growth in recent years, primarily due to the commercialization of 5G networks. To keep up with this demand, telecom providers are shifting to E-band (71 to 76GHz, 81 to 86GHz), supporting peak data-rates exceeding 10Gb/s and offering coverage of over 10km. The E-band low spectrum costs and high bandwidth availability also make it a popular choice for 5G backhaul [1]. Whereas the FCC/ETSI specifies the equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) for E-band at 85dBm (55dBW), the current industry EIRP remains below 70dBm. With antenna gain reaching the upper threshold of 50dBi, a notable deficit in transmitted power exists to fully exploit the potential of the E-band. Despite efforts to enhance transmitted power by combining multiple amplifiers on a single chip [2, 3], silicon technologies, known for high integration, fall short in meeting these high-power requisites. Conversely, power amplifiers (PAs) designed using compound-semiconductor technologies, like Gallium-Nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), deliver Watt-level output power, even within the W-band (75 to 100GHz) [4, 5].