Advanced RF Power Amplifier Techniques

A high-efficiency RF high power amplifier (HPA) operating from 2 MHz to 2 GHz with low distortion and high efficiency will be developed. Digital distortion correction offers the capability of dramatically improving amplifier linearity, enabling operation at much higher levels and correspondingly higher efficiency. This HPA system will take a digital baseband signal of TBD instantaneous bandwidth (<~30 MHz) and a local oscillator frequency reference signal, and produce an output signal of up to 100 W anywhere in its 2 GHz operating band. The output stages will use state-of- the-art GaN power devices in class AB for high efficiency and in a push-pull configuration to control even harmonic distortion. A new unique adaptive digital predistortion system will be used to correct intermodulation distortion (IMD) over the entire operating band.