A Fully Integrated 3.3–3.8-GHz Power Amplifier With Autotransformer Balun

This paper demonstrates the usage of a differential autotransformer as an output balun for an integrated power amplifier (PA) operating at low-gigahertz frequencies. In comparison with a conventional transformer balun, an autotransformer balun offers lower power losses, thereby increasing the saturated output power and reducing the gain compression at the edge of target power range. A theoretical analysis of an integrated autotransformer is given, comparison with a magnetic transformer is performed. The concept was experimentally verified in a fully integrated PA for a 3.3-3.8-GHz WiMAX band fabricated in SiGe : C bipolar technology. The active part of the amplifier implements the derivative superposition method aimed at linearizing the power transfer characteristic. Measured PA delivers saturated output power above 29 dBm. The maximum achieved power-added efficiency exceeds 40% at 3.4 GHz. At 3.5 GHz, 1-dB gain compression occurs for P _out = 24.6 dBm.     

CMOS RF power amplifier with reconfigurable transformer

A CMOS RF power amplifier that can change the output transformer ratio is presented. The CMOS power amplifier is fully integrated in a 0.13 /spl mu/m process and has a power added efficiency (PAE) of 38% at 2.1 GHz and an output power of 30.7 dBm with 3.0 V supply voltage. The PAE at an output power of 16 dBm was increased by 40% by altering the transformer ratio.     

A 1.8-GHz CMOS Power Amplifier Using a Dual-Primary Transformer With Improved Efficiency in the Low Power Region

A 1.8-GHz CMOS power amplifier for a polar transmitter is implemented with a 0.18- RF CMOS process. The matching components, including the input and output transformers, were integrated. A dual-primary transformer is proposed in order to increase the efficiency in the low power region of the amplifier. The loss induced by the matching network for the low-output power region is minimized using the dual-primary transformer. The amplifier achieved a power-added efficiency of 40.7% at a maximum output power of 31.6 dBm. The dynamic range was 34 dB for a supply voltage that ranged from 0.5 to 3.3 V. The low power efficiency was 32% at the output power of 16 dBm.     

A 5.8 GHz 1 V Linear Power Amplifier Using a Novel On-Chip Transformer Power Combiner in Standard 90 nm CMOS

A fully integrated 5.8 GHz Class AB linear power amplifier (PA) in a standard 90 nm CMOS process using thin oxide transistors utilizes a novel on-chip transformer power combining network. The transformer combines the power of four push-pull stages with low insertion loss over the bandwidth of interest and is compatible with standard CMOS process without any additional analog or RF enhancements. With a 1 V power supply, the PA achieves 24.3 dBm maximum output power at a peak drain efficiency of 27% and 20.5 dBm output power at the 1 dB compression point.     

A 23-dBm 60-GHz Distributed Active Transformer in a Silicon Process Technology

In this paper, a distributed active transformer for the operation in the millimeter-wave frequency range is presented. The transformer utilizes stacked coupled wires as opposed to slab inductors to achieve a high coupling factor of k_f=0.8 at 60 GHz. Scalable and compact equivalent-circuit models are used for the transformer design without the need for full-wave electromagnetic simulations. To demonstrate the feasibility of the millimeter-wave transformer, a 200-mW (23 dBm) 60-GHz power amplifier has been implemented in a standard 130-nm SiGe process technology, which, to date, is the highest reported output power in an SiGe process technology at millimeter-wave frequencies. The size of the output transformer is only 160times160 mum² and demonstrates the feasibility of efficient power combining and impedance transformation at millimeter-wave frequencies. The two-stage amplifier has 13 dB of compressed gain and achieves a power-added efficiency of 6.4% while combining the power of eight cascode amplifiers into a differential 100-Omega load. The amplifier supply voltage is 4 V with a quiescent current consumption of 300 mA     

Power-Combining Transformer Techniques for Fully-Integrated CMOS Power Amplifiers

Fully integrated CMOS power amplifiers (PAs) with parallel power-combining transformer are presented. For the high power CMOS PA design, two types of transformers, series-combining and parallel-combining, are fully analyzed and compared in detail to show the parasitic resistance and the turn ratio as the limiting factor of power combining. Based on the analysis, two kinds of parallel-combining transformers, a two-primary with a 1:2 turn ratio and a three-primary with a 1:2 turn ratio, are incorporated into the design of fully-integrated CMOS PAs in a standard 0.18-mum CMOS process. The PA with a two-primary transformer delivers 31.2 dBm of output power with 41% of power-added efficiency (PAE), and the PA with a three-primary transformer achieves 32 dBm of output power with 30% of PAE at 1.8 GHz with a 3.3-V power supply.     

雷达中频放大器的线性对数双特性设计

雷达数字中频接收机需要一个线性中频预放大电路和一个监测用的对数中频放大器。采用射频变压器形成输入匹配网络,采用高性能低噪声宽带差分放大器AD8350作为线性放大器件,采用双调谐回路作为选频网络,采用魔T电路构成功率分配网络,采用高动态范围宽带对数放大器AD8309作为对数放大器件,设计了一个兼具线性和对数特性的中频放大器。实验表明,该放大器中频输入输出阻抗50Ω,中心频率30 MHz,带宽4 MHz。线性通道增益为18 dB,输出动态范围达98 dB(1 dB压缩点-90 dBm和+8 dBm)。对数通道中,在输入功率为-68 dBm～-8 dBm时,对数放大器输出电压范围对应为0.19 V～2.06 V。     

Fully Integrated CMOS Power Amplifier With Efficiency Enhancement at Power Back-Off

This paper presents a new approach for power amplifier design using deep submicron CMOS technologies. A transformer based voltage combiner is proposed to combine power generated from several low-voltage CMOS amplifiers. Unlike other voltage combining transformers, the architecture presented in this paper provides greater flexibility to access and control the individual amplifiers in a voltage combined amplifier. In this work, this voltage combining transformer has been utilized to control output power and improve average efficiency at power back-off. This technique does not degrade instantaneous efficiency at peak power and maintains voltage gain with power back-off. A 1.2 V, 2.4 GHz fully integrated CMOS power amplifier prototype was implemented with thin-oxide transistors in a 0.13 mum RF-CMOS process to demonstrate the concept. Neither off-chip components nor bondwires are used for output matching. The power amplifier transmits 24 dBm power with 25% drain efficiency at 1 dB compression point. When driven into saturation, it transmits 27 dBm peak power with 32% drain efficiency. At power back-off, efficiency is greatly improved in the prototype which employs average efficiency enhancement circuitry.     

A 75 GHz regenerative dynamic frequency divider with active transformer using InGaAs/InP HBT technology

This letter presents a high speed 2:1 regenerative dynamic frequency divider with an active transformer fabricated in 0.7 μm InP DHBT technology with f_T of 165 GHz and f_max of 230 GHz. The circuit includes a two-stage active transformer, input buffer, divider core and output buffer. The core part of the frequency divider is composed of a double-balanced active mixer (widely known as the Gilbert cell) and a regenerative feedback loop. The active transformer with two stages can contribute to positive gain and greatly improve phase difference. Instead of the passive transformer, the active one occupies a much smaller chip area. The area of the chip is only 469×414 μm² and it entirely consumes a total DC power of only 94.6 mW from a single -4.8 V DC supply. The measured results present that the divider achieves an operating frequency bandwidth from 75 to 80 GHz, and performs a -23 dBm maximum output power at 37.5 GHz with a 0 dBm input signal of 75 GHz.     

80-GHz differential VCO in InP SHBTs

A high frequency millimeter-wave voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) has been designed, manufactured and tested in InP single heterojunction bipolar transistor technology. The fully integrated fundamental differential VCO features high operating frequency up to 80 GHz with low phase noise about -118 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset and 5% tuning range. The VCO consumes only 95-mW power at a power supply of -5 V, while providing -2 dBm single-ended output power and 1 dBm for differential output power. The die size is 0.28 mm/sup 2/.     

Tournament-Shaped Magnetically Coupled Power-Combiner Architecture for RF CMOS Power Amplifier

A tournament-shaped magnetically coupled power-combiner architecture for a fully integrated RF CMOS power amplifier is proposed. Various 1 : 1 transmission line transformers are used to design the power combiner. To demonstrate the new architecture, a 1.81-GHz CMOS power amplifier using the tournament-shaped power combiner was implemented with a 0.18-mum RF CMOS process. All of the matching components, including the input and output transformer, were fully integrated. The amplifier achieved a drain efficiency of 38% at the maximum output power of 31.7 dBm.     

应用于无线传感器网络的功率放大器的设计

给出一种基于TSMC 0.18 μm RF CMOS工艺,应用于无线传感器网络的2.4 GHz 功率放大器的设计.该功率放大 器工作频率范围为2.4 GHz～2.4835 GHz,采用全差分AB类共源共栅电路结构,使用功率控制技术以节省功耗,当输入信号 功率-12.5 dBm时,输出功率在-10.4 dBm至5.69 ...     

1.95GHz Doherty功率放大器设计

基于SMIC 0.18 μm RF CMOS工艺,设计了一款1.95 GHz的Doherty功率放大器.为了保持两路功放相位最大一致性,主功放(PA1)和辅功放(PA2)采用了同一种CMOS功率放大器,仅改变其偏压使其工作在不同模式.CMOS功率放大器为工作于AB类的两级放大电路,集成了输入和级间匹配网络;功分器以及λ...     

An Inductorless 300 MHz Wideband CMOS Power Amplifier

The power amplifier tends to be one of the most demanding parts to fully integrate when building an entire radio on a CMOS chip. In this paper the design of a fully integrated RF power amplifier without inductors is described. As inductors in CMOS technology are associated with various problems, it is interesting to examine what performance can be achieved without them. An amplifier with an operating band from 60 MHz to 300 MHz (–3 dB) is built in 0.8 m CMOS. A 3 V supply is used. The measured midband power gain is 30 dB with 50 resistive source and load impedance. As linearity is important for many modern modulation schemes, the amplifier is designed to be as linear as possible. The measured third order intercept point is 23 dBm and the 1 dB compression point is 10 dBm, both referred to the output. The output is single ended to avoid an off-chip differential to single ended transformer.     

一种用于5G通信的高稳定双模功率放大器

采用国产40 nm CMOS工艺,设计了一种用于5G通信的28 GHz双模功率放大器。功率级采用大尺寸晶体管,获得了高饱和输出功率。采用无中心抽头变压器,消除了大尺寸晶体管带来的共模振荡问题。在共源共栅结构的共栅管栅端加入大电阻,提高了共源共栅结构的高频稳定性。采用共栅短接技术,解决了大电阻引起的差模增益恶化问题。在级间匹配网络中采用变容管调节,实现了双模式工作,分别获得了高功率增益和高带宽。电路后仿真结果表明,在高增益模式下,该双模功率放大器获得了20.8 dBm的饱和输出功率、24.5%的功率附加效率和28.1 dB的功率增益。在高带宽模式下,获得了20.6 dBm的饱和输出功率、22.6%的功率附加效率和12.2 GHz的3 dB带宽。     

Implementation of a fully integrated 30-dBm RF CMOS linear power amplifier with power combiner

In this paper, a fully integrated 30-dBm UHF band differential power amplifier (PA) with transformer-type combiner is designed and fabricated in a 0.18-μm CMOS technology. For the high power PA design, proposed transformer network and the number of power cells is fully analyzed and optimized to find inductors dimensions. In order to improve both the linear operating range and the power efficiency simultaneously, a parallel combination of the class AB and the class C amplifier in power cells was employed. The PA delivers an output power of 29 dBm and a power-added efficiency of 24% with a power gain of 20 dB, including the losses of the bond-wires.     

165-GHz Transceiver in SiGe Technology

Two D-band transceivers, with and without amplifiers and static frequency divider, transmitting simultaneously in the 80-GHz and 160-GHz bands, are fabricated in SiGe HBT technology. The transceivers feature an 80-GHz quadrature Colpitts oscillator with differential outputs at 160 GHz, a double-balanced Gilbert-cell mixer, 170-GHz amplifiers and broadband 70-GHz to 180-GHz vertically stacked transformers for single-ended to differential conversion. For the transceiver with amplifiers and static frequency divider, which marks the highest level of integration above 100 GHz in silicon, the peak differential down-conversion gain is -3 dB for RF inputs at 165 GHz. The single-ended, 165-GHz transmitter output generates -3.5 dBm, while the 82.5-GHz differential output power is +2.5 dBm. This transceiver occupies 840 mum times 1365 mum, is biased from 3.3 V, and consumes 0.9 W. Two stand-alone 5-stage amplifiers, centered at 140 GHz and 170 GHz, were also fabricated showing 17 dB and 15 dB gain at 140 GHz and 170 GHz, respectively. The saturated output power of the amplifiers is +1 dBm at 130 GHz and 0 dBm at 165 GHz. All circuits were characterized over temperature up to 125degC. These results demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of SiGe BiCMOS technology for circuits in the 100-180-GHz range.     

A 21 GHz Complementary Transformer Coupled CMOS VCO

A new topology for low power voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) using a 0.18-mum CMOS foundry process is presented in this letter. From the measured results, the VCO exhibits a tuning range of 3% at 21.3 GHz. Using complementary topology, the core power consumption and the output power are 9.6 mW and -3 dBm, respectively. With the broadside coupled transformer, the VCO achieves a good phase noise of -106 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset and a compact chip size of 350 times 470 mum². It is the first time that the broadside coupled transformer approach is applied to transformer coupled CMOS VCOs.     

A fully integrated 24-dBm CMOS power amplifier for 802.11a WLAN applications

A fully integrated 24-dBm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) power amplifier (PA) for 5-GHz WLAN applications is implemented using 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS foundry process. It consists of differential three-stage amplifiers and fully integrated input/output matching circuits. The amplifier shows a P/sub 1/ of 21.8 dBm, power added efficiency of 13%, and gain of 21 dB, respectively. The saturated output power is above 24.1 dBm. This shows the highest output power among the reported 5-GHz CMOS PAs as well as completely satisfying IEEE 802.11a transmitter back off requirement.     

On-chip transformer-based feedback CMOS power oscillator

A fully on-chip transformer-based feedback CMOS power oscillator is presented. Using only one on-chip transformer to reduce Si substrate loss of RF feedback, matching and bias networks, a maximum DC-to-RF conversion efficiency of ~66% with an output RF power of ~15.33 dBm and a phase noise of ~-113 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset from carrier 2.45 GHz is achieved