A Multi-stage 19.2-dBm, 30.4%-PAE D-band Power Amplifier in a 250-nm InP HBT Process

In this paper, we demonstrate results for 2 and 3-stage power amplifiers in 250-nm InP HBT technology that offer the highest combination of peak power added efficiency (PAE) and saturated output power (Psat) published to date. The 2- and 3-stage designs achieve a PAE of 30.4% and 23.8% and Psat of 19.2 dBm and 17.1 dBm, respectively. Both designs offer high gain with up to 14.7 dB of gain for the 2-stage and 18.5 dB for the 3-stage as well as compact area for high-density applications such as phased arrays.