In this paper, the concept of load-modulated power amplifiers (PAs) is studied. Two GaN-HEMT power amplifiers (PAs), targeted for high efficiency at maximum and output back-off (OBO) power levels, are designed, implemented, and tested across 1.8-2.2 GHz. The load modulation in the first design is realized by tuning the shunt capacitors in the output matching network. A novel method is employed in the second design, where barium-stronrium-titante is used for the realization of load modulation. The large-signal measurement results across the desired band show 59-70% drain efficiency at 44-44.5 dBm output power for both designs. Using the available tunable technique, the drain efficiency of the PAs is enhanced by 4-20% at 6 dB OBO across the bandwidth.
I . I N T R O D U C T I O NOwing to the rapid growth of subscribers in wireless communication systems [1] and the emergence of new communication standards, such as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WIMAX) and 4 G long-term evolution (LTE), the mobile radio base stations (RBSs) must process different types of standards in increasing number of frequency bands. At the core of the RBS, the power amplifier (PA) is one of the most critical components since its performance affects the overall system performance in terms of output power, bandwidth, and efficiency [2,3]. Modulation schemes, such as orthogonalfrequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) are used in modern wireless communication systems to maximize the spectral efficiency [2]. These modulation schemes result in signals with large amplitude variations and peak to average power ratios (PAPRs) in the range of 6-12 dB [4,5]. In order to prevent strong distortion of the signal, these signals require the PA to operate at an average output power far below from the saturation region and hence, at low-efficiency levels.Various techniques have been proposed to enhance the efficiency of PAs at back-off operation. Dynamic supply modulation (DSM) [6,7] and dynamic load modulation (DLM) [8] have proven themselves to be the most promising methods. The DSM method requires efficient DC/DC converter as well as efficient envelope tracking amplification, whereas the DLM may be realized using extra active devices as implemented in Doherty amplifiers [9] or using passive components [10]. In terms of cost, complexity, and additional power consumption, DLM using passive components seems to be more efficient than DSM and Doherty amplifiers in spite of the challenges in the dynamic range of power detector and the required speed to follow the envelope variation. DLM can be realized by tunable matching networks (TMNs) using conventional passive components such as micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) [10] semiconductor or ferroelectric-based varactors [11]. Alternatively, passive load modulation technique using barium-strontium-titanate (BST) varactors can be implemented [12]. Recently, thick-film BST components have demonstrated promising perspectives in terms of tunability with high...