Doherty techniques for 5G RF and mm-wave power amplifiers

Abstract

5G poses severe challenges to PA design. In the first place, output power and efficiency are of prime importance because of battery lifetime. The tradeoff between linear output power and efficiency is typically challenged by the high PAPR due to QAM modulation and/or OFDM techniques. But this important trade-off is challenged even more in 5G due to the high bandwidth requirements. Furthermore, the shift to higher frequencies, where more unused spectrum is available, also puts a burden on the overall PA architecture.