A very high efficiency silicon bipolar transistor

Abstract

The potential of a high-performance low-cost silicon bipolar technology for high-efficiency low-voltage RF power amplifiers was explored. To this end, a unit power cell was developed by optimizing layout design, collector thickness and doping level. On-wafer load-pull measurements were performed which showed an excellent power-added efficiency of 83% at 1.8 GHz under a supply voltage of 2.7 V. Additionally, a 1-W output power and a 74% PAE were achieved by a multi-cell packaged device with on-board testing.