Broadband GaN-Based Switch-Mode Core MMICs with 20 W Output Power Operating at UHF

A high power broadband switch-mode core MMIC has been developed for an application in digital switch-mode power amplifiers, e.g., class S, for mobile communications. The three-stage design can be flexibly used at any frequency operating in UHF band up to a maximum digital bit rate of 3 Gbps, equal to a square wave frequency of 1.5 GHz. At 0.9 Gbps a maximum broadband output power of 20.5 W was measured at a drain efficiency of 76% and a power added efficiency of 70%. Controlled by a digital signal with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 3.5 V, a large signal gain of 25.3 dB was achieved.