Pulsed NVNA measurements for dynamic characterization of RF PAs

Due to the ever increasing design complexity and bandwidth requirements, it has become increasingly more challenging to achieve an accurate large-signal characterization of modern Radio Frequency (RF) Power Amplifiers (PAs). This paper deals with such challenges presenting a handset PA characterization method using pulsed Continuous Wave (CW) RF excitation signals. It is shown how such measurements and quasi-static X-parameters, can be used to identify long term memory effects present in a commercially available power amplifier.