New Concept for a Low Distortion, High-Power, High-Efficiency mm-Wave RF Power Amplifier Circuit

To meet the demands of topic A19-009, the MaXentric team proposes the MAESTRO (Millimeter-wave Amplifier under Efficient Switching-mode and Time-multiplexing Operations), which provides a new concept of a power amplifier in millimeter-wave frequency band for commercial and military communication and electronic warfare applications. Using time-multiplexing technique and switching-mode amplifier, high efficiency and linearity is maintained. MaXentric has been developing multiple radio transceivers products including high frequency power amplifiers for HF to W-band, especially the PI’s thesis topic was on switching-mode CMOS power amplifier. During Phase I, the team will trade-study time-multiplexing signal generation of the switching-mode power amplifier based on the LITMUS (LInear amplification by Time-MUltiplexed Spectrum) approach. The targeted carrier frequencies, efficiency, output power and bandwidth are 27/80 GHz, >85%, >0 dBm and 0.1% of the carrier frequency, respectively. The scale demonstration will be pursued in the low frequency band. The team will make a Phase II plan for developing and demonstrating prototypes of novel millimeter-wave power amplifiers with high efficiency and linearity using a sub-micron SOI CMOS technology. The technology can be applicable to Mega-Watt power, higher frequency up to 200 GHz and wider signal bandwidth.