Miniaturized multistage power amplifiers for the 10.95- to 12.75 GHz communications satellite band

The authors describe the design and performance of three prototype power amplifiers that use a combination of MMICs (monolithic microwave integrated circuits) and quasi-monolithic circuits. These amplifiers are intended for use in a satellite multibeam phased-array antenna. The amplifiers are designed to maximize DC-to-RF conversion efficiency and linearity while satisfying additional requirements for output power and minimum size. The four-stage, 30 dB gain modules deliver an output power of 2 W at 2 dB compression, with an efficiency of 25% and a two-tone, carrier-to-third-order intermodulation distortion level of 16 dB.<>