7.5-14-GHz CE HBT MMIC linear power amplifier

A common-emitter (CE) AlGaAs-GaAs HBT MMIC amplifier was made to operate in X-band. 1-W CW output power was achieved in saturated power operation from 7.5 to 12 GHz. In class A linear power operation, it provides 26-dBm CW power. The amplifier shows low two-tone intermodulation distortion: better than -20 dBc IM/sub 3/ at 1-dB compression point throughout the 7.5-14-GHz bandwidth. The low third-order intermodulation distortion is a direct result of the excellent linear power performance of the CE AlGaAs-GaAs HBT. The combination of good efficiency, low third-order intermodulation distortion, and broad bandwidth in this MMIC amplifier clearly demonstrates the potential of the CE HBT in communication transmitter applications.<
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