Design of wideband hybrid silicon carbide single-stage power amplifier

  • Authors:

  • Almira Jean; Rusli;Zhongxiang Shen

  • Affiliations:

  • School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore;School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore;School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore

  • Venue:
  • Microelectronic Engineering
  • Year:
  • 2006

Quantified Score

Hi-index 2.88

Visualization

Abstract

RF wideband power amplifiers are desirable as they will reduce equipment, power consumption and operating cost for the RF communication infrastructure. For decades, the realization of single-stage broadband power amplifier has posed a significant challenge due to the electrical and thermal limitations of GaAs transistor technology. Silicon carbide (SiC) MESFET technology is a strong contender for such applications due to its superior properties. In particular, its high impedance reduces mismatch commonly encountered in such power amplifier. In this work, design of wideband hybrid single-stage power amplifier using a commercial 4H-SiC MESFET CRF24010 from Cree Inc is presented. The amplifier has been designed and fabricated for operating frequencies 650-1800MHz, which is equivalent to more than 90% bandwidth, compared to only 3-4% bandwidth achievable using GaAs technology.