High Efficiency InP Millimeter-Wave Oscillators and Amplifiers

High efficiency operation is very important for obtaining good RF power along wi th high reliability. The development of improved millimeter-wave InP diode designs at Varian has permitted a range of reliable high efficiency CW oscillators to be made available with record power performance from 30 GHz to 100 GHz. Also very important for millimeter-wave applications has been the demonstration of high efficiency and high power in the stabilized amplifier mode at frequencies above 30 GHz. Both narrow and broadband, linear amplifiers have been built with good RF performance up to 100 GHz. Typical oscillator efficiencies at 56 GHz are 5% to 10% with cw powers of 250 mW to 380 mw. At 94 GHz efficiencies range from 3% to 4.5% with CW powers of 50 mW to 110 mW. In the stabilized amplifier mode power added efficiencies are above 8% with CW powers of 500 mW at mid-Ka-band. In a 44 GHz amplifier 250 mW of CW power with a power added efficiency over 7% has been obtained.