Applied Sciences (Apr 2022)

<i>Ku</i>-Band CMOS Power Amplifier with Three-Stack Power Stage to Enhance Output Power and Efficiency

  • Junhyuk Yang,
  • Jaeyong Lee,
  • Seongjin Jang,
  • Hayeon Jeong,
  • Choulyoung Kim,
  • Changkun Park

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094432
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 9
p. 4432

Abstract

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In this study, we proposed a power amplifier structure with improved efficiency while securing high output power. First, the characteristics of the common-source and stack structures were investigated. In particular, the output power and output impedance characteristics of the stack structure were analyzed compared with the common-source structure. A common-source structure was applied to the driver stage to minimize dc power consumption, and a stack structure was applied to the power stage to ensure high output power. In order to verify the proposed structure, a Ku-band power amplifier was designed using the 65-nm RF CMOS process that provides nine metal layers. At the operating frequency of 15 GHz, saturation output power and maximum power-added efficiency were confirmed to be 22.1 dBm and 17.2%, respectively.

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