A Compact 6–12 GHz MMIC Power Amplifier

This work presents the design and characterization of a MMIC power amplifier (PA) operating over 6–12 GHz. A three-stage low-pass input matching network and output matching network that incorporates the supply structure into the match enables a compact area of only 2 mm by 1.2 mm. The fabricated PA is measured in CW to have 35 dBm saturated output power with a PAE ranging from 35% to 45% over the octave band. CW measurements with varying supply voltage demonstrate efficiency enhancement at output power back-off. Modulated performance over the entire RF band is also reported.