A Simple and Efficient Procedure for Identifying the Compressing Stage in Two-Stage Amplifiers

Abstract

We propose a fast and simple method to accurately determine the compressing stage in a two-stage amplifier system based on reverse intermodulation and hot S-parameter measurements. The method uses no specialized hardware and needs little reconfiguration, simplifying the measurements. We demonstrate its validity over a broad range of amplifiers designed in various semiconductor technologies. This method is a very useful tool in understanding or debugging amplifier designs.