Research progress on envelope tracking power supply modulation technology

Abstract

The envelope tracking power amplifier(ETPA) has the advantages of high efficiency and high linearity, and has become the research hotspot of modern mobile communication technology. Envelope tracking power modulator is one of the key modules in ETPA because it can improve the efficiency of PA in the power back-off region, resulting the overall efficiency of the communication system greatly improved. The introduction of the envelop tracking technique(ET) and the envelope elimination and restoration technique(EER) are firstly described, and the performance differences are compared. And then it focuses on the ET technique, analyzing the hybrid envelope tracking amplifier(HETA), the most commonly used circuit structure of ET technique, and its key design parameters. The comparison and summary of the existing HETA structures optimization scheme are developed, then the practical application of ET technology in mobile communication is enumerated. Finally, the facing challenge of ET technology is considered.

Keywords

• modern mobile communication
• envelope tracking
• hybrid envelope tracking amplifier