Wideband class AB RF power amplifier using CMOS compatible SOI-MESFET device on 150nm technology

In this paper, a wideband class AB power amplifier (PA) centered around 400MHz with 200MHz bandwidth, featuring a CMOS compatible MESFET on a 150 nm SOI technology is presented. It is the first board level demonstration of a SOI-MESFET based RF PA. SOI-MESFETs are an ideal candidate for integrated RF PAs due to their enhanced voltage capability and high cut-off frequency. The MESFET used in this design had a peak f
_T
of 22 GHz and a soft-breakdown of 5V; however, different MESFETs on the same process have achieved a breakdown voltage up to 12V and peak f
_T
up to 40 GHz. Comparatively, the standard CMOS transistors on this process have a maximum steady-state voltage of 1.95V. A peak PAE of 48% has been measured while delivering 17dBm of power to a 50 load. Also, a calibrated TOM3 model has been developed for simulation purposes.