A Broadband High-Efficiency Continuous Class-AB Power Amplifier for Millimeter-Wave 5G and SATCOM Phased-Array Transmitters

A broadband and compact harmonic-tuned power amplifier (PA) is presented for 5G and mobile satellite communication (SATCOM). A noninverting 1:1 transformer is the core of the output matching and provides an embedded second harmonic trap in a compact layout. The proposed PA is fabricated by the BiCMOS SiGe-8XP technology. At P1dB, an output power of 11 dBm and a collector efficiency of more than 30% from 30 to 39 GHz are achieved. The PA has a single-ended topology with electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, which is well suited for deployment in the output stage of the multichannel beamformer transmitter (TX) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMICs). Detailed analysis, design methodology, and experimental results are presented.