Ku-band monolithic 7-watt power amplifier using AlGaAs/GaAs 0.25- mu m T-gate heterostructure FET technology

Two advanced Ku-band MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) power amplifiers have demonstrated state-of-the-art performance at upper Ku-band. One design delivers 7.2 W CW (continuous wave) and 9.3 W pulse at 25% power-added efficiency (PAE). The other design delivers 32% PAE at 2.7 W CW. Electromagnetic simulator (Sonnet EM) analysis contributed to the successful design of both circuits. A narrow 3-W, 30%-efficient, Ku-band MMIC is ready for phased-array radar T/R (transmit/receive) module applications. Power combining two of the 7-W MMICs has delivered 15.7 W (pulsed) in a small, simple 13-mm*18-mm assembly.<
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