A package-integratable six-port reflectometer for power devices

High frequency power devices require specific loading conditions to provide maximum output power, operate efficiently and avoid self-destruction. In applications with unknown or time varying loading conditions it is therefore desirable to monitor, in-situ, the loading conditions offered to the PA. This work proposes an ultra-compact six-port package-integratable reflectometer. The resulting structure is implemented on a 9.4×4 mm
²
substrate that can fit into an SOT1110A package. The performance of the realized hardware is validated by an active load-pull system, which synthesizes impedances covering the entire Smith chart.