Dual-Bias Power Amplifier Designs for WLAN Applications

This paper presents the power amplifier (PA) design for IEEE 802.11g WLAN applications by using InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) with the dual bias network as the linearizer to improve the output power capability and linearity. The final designed PA utilizes 3.3 V supply voltage producing the maximum power-aided-efficiency (PAE) in 42.8% with 25.5 dBm output power and 18 dB in gain for a 2.4 GHz single-tone stimulus. The measured performances under WLAN modulation signal excitation are 23 dBm output power and 31.5% of PAE with the adjacent-power-ratio (ACPR) less then -20 dBc, satisfying the specifications of the standard