A 5.2-GHz silicon bipolar power amplifier for IEEE 802.11a and HIPERLAN2 wireless LANs

Abstract

A monolithic 5.2-GHz linear power amplifier for IEEE802.11a and HIPERLAN2 wireless local area networks was integrated using a low-cost 46-GHz-f/sub T/ silicon bipolar process. At a 3-V supply voltage, the circuit exhibits a 25-dBm saturated output power, 26% maximum power-added efficiency, and 23.5-dBm output 1-dB compression point. The small-signal gain is 24 dB. Thanks to a linearizing bias network, the power amplifier is able to comply with the stringent error vector magnitude requirements of the standard up to a 19-dBm output power level. The device also features a power control function with a high dynamic range of 40 dB.