High-efficiency class-E power amplifier using field-plated GaN HEMTs

This paper presents class-E microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers at 2.0 GHz, which is based on field-plated GaN HEMT technology. The 2-stage power amplifier consists of a class-F driver stage and a class-E power stage. The circuit schematic, layout and fabrication are described. The amplifier achieves an output power of 37.5dBm into a 50H load, a power added efficiency (PAE) of 50%, and a gain of 18.2dB. A power density of 5.6W/mm is achieved.