A Broadband GaN-MMIC power amplifier for L to X Bands

Abstract

A broadband GaN monolithic power amplifier covering the L to X bands is presented as is required for various applications in measurement set-ups and multi-band systems. It is based on 8 transistor cells with 4 times 50 mm gate width each following the distributed amplifier concept. The amplifier achieves 10 dB broadband small-signal gain and a 3 dB cut-off frequency of 11 GHz. The circuit delivers between 1.4 and 2.2 W over the bandwidth from 2 GHz up to 10 GHz. At the maximum output power a PAE higher than 20% is achieved.