A Wideband Linear GaN-on-SiC Power Amplifier using Harmonic-Tuning Technique for 5G NewRadio FR2 Applications

A highly linear power amplifier (PA) utilizing stacked-FET configuration and harmonic-tuning technique targeting for millimeter-wave applications is presented in this work. Fabricated using standard 150-nm GaN/SiC device technology, a small-signal gain of 23.7 dB, a peak power-added-efficiency (PAE) of 37.7%, and a saturated output power (P
sat
) of 30.8 dBm was evaluated with continuous-wave (CW) excitation at 38 GHz, respectively. With the characterization using a standard 200 MHz 64-quadrature-amplitude-modulation (QAM) 5G new-ratio (NR) signal, the fabricated PA exhibited an error-vector-magnitude (EVM) of -27.9 dB with an average PAE of 21.4% while delivering an average output power of 25.1 dBm at 38 GHz. The experimental results have evidenced that the design technique is capable of achieving wide harmonic-tuning range for millimeter-wave amplifiers requiring high linearity and enhancement in overall efficiency.