C-Band 30 W High PAE Power Amplifier MMIC with Second Harmonic Suppression for Radar Network Application

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Microwave Engineering

Background:

• Radar networks require power amplifiers (PAs) with high efficiency and superior second harmonic suppression (SHS).
• Gallium Nitride (GaN) High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) offer advantages for high-power microwave applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a C-band 30 W Power Amplifier (PA) Microwave Monolithic Integrated Circuit (MMIC) for radar networks.
• To achieve simultaneous high power added efficiency (PAE) and high SHS using advanced design techniques.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 0.25 μm GaN HEMT process for PA MMIC fabrication.
• Employed a two-stage amplifier structure for high power gain.
• Incorporated a specific output-matching network topology for SHS and harmonic control technology with large-signal model load pull simulations to optimize efficiency.

Main Results:

• Achieved output power exceeding 45 dBm in the 5-6 GHz frequency range.
• Demonstrated Power Added Efficiency (PAE) greater than 57% and Second Harmonic Suppression (SHS) exceeding 45 dBc.
• Obtained a power gain greater than 24 dB under 100 μs pulse width and 10% duty cycle conditions.

Conclusions:

• The developed GaN HEMT PA MMIC successfully meets radar network requirements for high efficiency and high SHS.
• The design provides a compact solution (3.3 × 3.1 mm²) with excellent performance metrics.
• This work contributes to advancements in high-performance microwave power amplifiers for radar systems.