Fully-integrated highly-efficient RF Class E SiGe power amplifier with an envelope-tracking technique for EDGE applications (original) (raw)
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2006 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium, 2000
This paper reports on the results of a highly efficient monolithically fully-integrated SiGe Class E power amplifier using envelope tracking techniques for EDGE applications. The Envelope-tracking (ET) system includes a discrete linear op-amp and a switching power converter. The RF Class E amplifier was fabricated in a 0.18µm BiCMOS SiGe technology. The RF Class E power amplifier achieved a collector efficiency (CE) of 62.7% and the overall power added efficiency (PAE) of the ET system is 44.4% at an output power of 20.4dBm for an 881MHz EDGE modulated signal. A discrete envelope switching amplifier achieved 82.8% efficiency while driving the Class E PA voltage supply. The linearized SiGe PA passed the stringent EDGE transmit spectrum mask Index Terms-power amplifier, switching amplifiers, heterojunction bipolar transistors
Highly Efficient and Linear Class E SiGe Power Amplifier Design
2006
This paper discusses the design of monolithic RF broadband Class E SiGe power amplifiers (PAs) that are highly efficient and linear. Load-pull measurement data on IBM 7HP SiGe power devices have been made at 900MHz and 2.4GHz and monolithic class E PAs have been designed using these devices to achieve highest power-added-efficiency (PAE) at these frequencies. It is found that high PAE can be achieved for monolithic single-stage Class E PAs designed using high-breakdown SiGe transistors at ~65% (900MHz) and ~40% (2.4GHz), respectively, which are roughly ~10% lower than the device's maximum PAE values obtained by load-pull tests under optimal off-chip matching conditions. We have also demonstrated that monolithic SiGe class E PAs can be successfully linearized using an open-loop envelope tracking (ET) technique as their output spectra pass the stringent EDGE transmit mask with margins, achieving overall PAE of 44.4% for the linearized PA system that surpasses the <30% PAE with commercially available GaAs Class AB PAs for EDGE applications. These promising results indicate the feasibility of realizing true single-chip wireless transceivers with on-chip RF SiGe PAs for spectrally-efficient non-constant-envelope modulation schemes.
SiGe class-E power amplifier with envelope tracking for mobile WiMAX/Wibro applications
2009
In this paper, we report both circuits design and system simulations using highly-efficient monolithic SiGe class-E power amplifier (PA) with an open-loop envelope tracking (ET) technique for mobile WiMAX/Wibro applications. The 1-stage and 2-stage class-E PAs were designed and fabricated in a 0.18 mum BiCMOS SiGe technology. The 1-stage class-E PA achieved peak power added efficiency (PAE) of 62% at output power of 21 dBm in single-tone measurement. The design of linear-assisted switching envelope amplifier is also discussed, which involves balancing the tradeoff between efficiency and signal fidelity. Detailed co-design system simulations including RF circuits and digital DSP blocks show that our class-E PA can be linearized by the open-loop ET technique, and the entire ET-based transmit (TX) system meets the stringent 802.16e TX mask with ~33% overall average efficiency at output power of 18.5 dBm.
A 20 dBm Q-band SiGe Class-E power amplifier with 31% peak PAE
Proceedings of the IEEE 2012 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference, 2012
A Q-band two-stage Class-E power amplifier is designed and fabricated in a 0.13 µm SiGe HBT BiCMOS process. A mm-wave Class-E architecture considering the effect of various interconnect parasitics is adopted to achieve high power efficiency. Proper input and output networks have been designed to enable efficient switching of the HBT at large voltage swings without causing unwanted impact ionization-induced negative base current and instability. The measured performance of the fabricated chip show 20.2 dBm maximum output power, 31.5% peak power added efficiency, and 10.5 dB power gain across 4 GHz centered around 45 GHz for a supply voltage of 2.5 V. The total chip area including the pads is 0.74 mm × 1.7 mm.
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 2011
This paper presents a SiGe envelope-tracking (ET) cascode power amplifier (PA) with an integrated CMOS envelope modulator for mobile WiMAX and 3GPP long-term evolution (LTE) transmitters (TXs). The entire ET-based RF PA system delivers the linear output power of 22.3/24.3 dBm with the overall power-added efficiency of 33%/42% at 2.4 GHz for the WiMAX 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (64QAM) and the 3GPP LTE 16 quadrature amplitude modulation, respectively. Additionally, it exhibits a highly efficient broadband characteristic for multiband applications. Compared to the conventional fixed-supply cascode PA, our ET-based cascode PA meets the WiMAX/LTE spectral mask and error vector magnitude spec at close to its 1dB compression without the need of predistortion. The SiGe PA and the CMOS envelope modulator are both designed and fabricated in the TSMC 0.35m SiGe BiCMOS process on the same die. This study represents an essential integration step toward achieving a fully monolithic large-signal ET-based TX for wideband wireless applications.
A Monolithic High-Efficiency 2.4GHz 20dBm SiGe BiCMOS Envelope-Tracking OFDM Power Amplifier
IEEE Journal of Solid-state Circuits, 2007
A monolithic SiGe BiCMOS envelope-tracking power amplifier (PA) is demonstrated for 802.11g OFDM applications at 2.4 GHz. The 4-mm 2 die includes a high-efficiency high-precision envelope amplifier and a two-stage SiGe HBT PA for RF amplification. Off-chip digital predistortion is employed to improve EVM performance. The two-stage amplifier exhibits 12-dB gain, 5% EVM, 20-dBm OFDM output power, and an overall efficiency (including the envelope amplifier) of 28%.
IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 2014
Design equations and performance limits of Class-E power amplifiers at mm-waves, including the limitations imposed by active and passive devices in a given technology, are presented in this paper. A beyond nominal breakdown voltage Class-E design methodology for SiGe HBT power amplifiers is proposed to generate high output power while maintaining high Class-E efficiency. A mm-wave SiGe stacked Class-E architecture is also introduced to increase the overall voltage swing, with each series stacked device operating in the beyond nominal breakdown mode. The mm-wave beyond operation of SiGe HBTs has been demonstrated experimentally in an integrated 45 GHz Class-E power amplifier fabricated in a 0.13 µm SiGe BiCMOS process with 20 dBm measured output power at 31.5% peak power-added efficiency (PAE). The series stacking of mm-wave Class-E power amplifier concept is also verified by fabricating double-stacked and triple-stacked SiGe HBT power amplifiers in 0.13 µm SiGe BiCMOS process which demonstrate a measured output power of 23.4 dBm at 41 GHz with peak PAE of 34.9%. High power, highly efficient, switching power amplifier unit cells presented in this paper can facilitate realization of efficient Watt-level mm-wave digital polar transmitters.
A 900 MHz 10 mW monolithically integrated inverse class E power amplifier
NORCHIP 2010, 2010
This work demonstrates a new integrated inverse class E amplifier circuit, employing a pHEMT switching device and fully integrated output network for pulse shaping. The circuit is particularly suitable for full integration, since it does not need any RF choke for biasing, and no DC blocking capacitor is needed between the switch and the output network parallel resonance circuit. The back plate capacitances of the additional capacitors are not connected to nodes that carry RF voltage signals. A commercial GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuit process was used for fabricating the prototype circuit. 11.5 mW output power and 39% drain efficiency with 0.9 V supply voltage was measured at 895 MHz operating frequency. The output power remains over 10mW across 850-925 MHz, and the drain efficiency remains above 32% across this frequency range.
A Monolithic X-band Class-E Power Amplifier
Low cost, highly efficient, high power, microwave and RF amplifiers are required for many commercial and defense system applications, including WLANs, cellular phones, and advanced air-borne active phased array radar systems. This paper describes what is believed to be the first successful design and fabrication of a broadband monolithic high efficiency class-E driver amplifier that operates at X-band, and employs a 0.3 um x 600 um pseudo high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) device. L ow cost, highly efficient, high power, microwave and RF amplifiers are required for many commercial and defense system applications. These include WLANs, wireless cable broadcast transmitters, cellular phones, and telecommunication systems, as well as advanced air-borne active phased array radar systems.
A high efficiency SiGe BiCMOS envelope-tracking power amplifier for W-CDMA applications
2013 Texas Symposium on Wireless and Microwave Circuits and Systems (WMCS), 2013
This paper presents a highly efficient power amplifier (PA) using the envelope tracking (ET) technique for 3G W-CDMA applications. The PA is designed in the IBM 0.35-m SiGe BiCMOS process with through-silicon-via (TSV). The CMOS envelope modulator IC is designed and fabricated in the TSMC 0.35-m SiGe BiCMOS process. The ET-PA system achieves an overall composite power-addedefficiency (PAE) of 35.4% at P OUT of 26.5 dBm at 900 MHz with the W-CDMA signal and improves the PAE by 5% compared to that of the fixed-supply standalone SiGe PA.