A 2–18GHz Frequency Reconfigurable Nonuniform Distributed Power Amplifier with 13.3W Average Power and 39% Average Efficiency

This paper presents a high-power ultra-wideband nonuniform distributed power amplifier (NDPA) with significantly high power-added-efficiency (PAE). The proposed NDPA is reconfigurable with three operation modes with frequency overlaps inbetween. A π-type reconfigurable transmission-line-feeding (RT) module is proposed to improve the NDPA’s bandwidth and PAE. Lower parasitic capacitance and higher SRF brought by the RT module are beneficial for bandwidth expansion. Smaller parasitic resistance reduces power consumption, leading to the improvement of PAE. Moreover, saturated output power (Psat) is further enhanced by the RT module and a proposed reconfigurable interstage matching network (RIMN). The RT module provides a better load to approach the optimal load. The RIMN features better power transfer capability, improving Psat and PAE at medium and high frequency bands. This work is fabricated with a 0.15-µm GaN process. Measurements show 39.7-to-42.4 dBm Psat, presenting an impressive 39% average PAE over the entire bandwidth of 2-to-18 GHz.