Design of a high-gain FET amplifier operating at 4.4-5.0 GHz

Described here is the design and the electrical performance of a MESFET amplifier featuring an output power of 1 W with a gain of 34 dB over the frequency range from 4.4 to 5.0 GHz. The key elements that allowed the achievement of this performance were: high-gain power MESFET's, a circuit design technique based on power characterization of the MESFET's, and a low-parasitics integrated microstrip construction. The amplifier is intended to replace a medium power TWT in a telecommunication system. When compared with a typical 1-W TWT this solid-state amplifier not only requires a much simpler power supply, is lighter and has perhaps higher reliability, but also has some better electrical performances; this should result in better system performance.