A highly efficient 1-Watt broadband class-J SiGe power amplifier at 700MHz

In this paper, the design and measurement results of a highly efficient 1-Watt broadband class J SiGe power amplifier (PA) at 700 MHz are reported. Comparisons between a class J PA and a traditional class AB/B PA have been made, first through theoretical analysis in terms of load network, efficiency and bandwidth behavior, and secondly by bench measurement data. A single-ended power cell is designed and fabricated in the 0.35 μm IBM 5PAe SiGe BiCMOS technology with through-wafer-vias (TWVs). Watt-level output power with greater than 50% efficiency is achieved on bench across a wide bandwidth of 500 MHz to 900 MHz for the class J PA (i.e., >;57% bandwidth at the center frequency of 700 MHz). Psat of 30.9 dBm with 62% collector efficiency (CE) at 700 MHz is measured while the highest efficiency of 68.9% occurs at 650 MHz using a 4.2 V supply. Load network of this class J PA is realized with lumped passive components on a FR4 printed circuit board (PCB). A narrow-band class AB PA counterpart is also designed and fabricated for comparison. The data suggests that the broadband class J SiGe PA can be promising for future multi-band wireless applications.