24.6 An Instantaneously Broadband Ultra-Compact Highly Linear PA with Compensated Distributed-Balun Output Network Achieving >17.8dBm P1dB and >36.6% PAEP1dB over 24 to 40GHz and Continuously Supporting 64-/256-QAM 5G NR Signals over 24 to 42GHz

5G communication promises 10× to 100× data-rate increase to radically change future wireless connectivity. Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) bands can potentially deliver extreme data rates and capacity compared to 10w-GHz bands. The 3GPP 5G NR standard specifies n257 band (26.50 to 29.50GHz), n258 band (24.25 to 27.50GHz), and n260 band (37.00 to 40.00GHz) for Frequency Range 2 (FR2) [1]. Different FR2 bands or their subsets are adopted by various countries/regions worldwide, which necessitates wideband/multiband mm-wave 5G systems to support international/cross-network roaming, particularly for user equipment (UE) devices [2], [3]. Common wideband power-amplifier (PA) architectures often suffer from various limitations [4]. Balanced PAs require wideband 90° hybrids that are often bulky and lossy for on-chip implementation. Staggered tuning sacrifices PA gain and output power (Pout). High-order matching networks are popular for wideband PAs, but usually exhibit large form factor and poor passive efficiency in actual implementations [5], [6].