UWHiMP (“Ultra-Wideband High Efficiency Medium Power Amplifier”)

In response to the AF222-0020 SBIR solicitation (“Ultra-Wideband High Efficiency Power Amplifier for Multi-function RF Systems” MaXentric proposes UWHiMP (“Ultra-Wideband High Efficiency Medium Power Amplifier”).  UWHiMP will utilize advanced processes, tunable matching networks, and supply modulation to create a multi-band, 2-18 GHz, power amplifier with at least 50% PAE and 15 dB of gain at greater than 2W output power.  Novel power amplifier concepts and system architectures will be explored to include continuous class B/J topologies that extend the narrow band performance of the traditional class B amplifier for wide bandwidth applications.  Two or three bands (2-6 GHz and 6-18 GHz or 2-4 GHz, 4-8 GHz, and 8-16 GHz respectively) will be used to gain contiguous 2-18 GHz coverage.  Tunable matching networks, leveraging MaXentric’s past work with variable capacitors (varactors), will provide the necessary fundamental and harmonic terminations required to provide suitable efficiency across the full 2-18 GHz span.  Furthermore, UWHiMP will be designed to accommodate supply modulators ensuring that efficiency remains high when the amplifier is operated backed off or with high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) waveforms.  In phase I MaXentric Technologies will perform a trade study to determine the optimal architecture and design specifications required to create an ultra-wideband, medium output power, high efficiency power amplifier, sized to fit within a Ku-band phased array grid, suitable for future DoD radar, communications, and EW systems.  Feasibility and trade space studies, amplifier designs, and simulated performance will be summarized in a final report and a phase II blueprint will be created along with a strategy for design, assembly, and testing the PA.