Millimeter-wave power amplifiers & transmitters

This review paper covers the basic principles, architectures, and representative results related to millimeter-wave silicon power amplifiers and transmitters. Effects of technology on the performance metrics of linear and switching power amplifiers as the frequency increases to the mm-wave regime are demonstrated. Methods that can enhance the output power, namely various power combining schemes as well as transistor stacking, along with practical considerations at mm-wave frequencies are covered. Finally, mm-wave transmitter architectures and associated design tradeoffs are discussed.