High-frequency nonlinear amplifier model for the efficient evaluation of inband distortion under nonlinear load-pull conditions

Abstract

Designing complex analog systems needs different abstraction levels to reduce the overall complexity. The required level of abstraction depends on the accuracy and the purpose of the model. High-frequency amplifier models can vary from simple transfer functions for efficient bit-error-rate analysis up to detailed transistor level descriptions for accurate load-pull prediction. This paper introduces a nonlinear black-box model for high-frequency amplifiers. It extends the linear S-parameter representation to enable both efficient system-level simulations and load-pull prediction. Both are demonstrated on the measurements of a high-frequency amplifier excited using a WLAN - OFDM modulation.