Large-signal characterization of dual-gate field effect transistorsusing load-pull measurements

An automated injected signal load-pull measurement system has been designed to operate from 8 to 12 GHz, with a range of injected signal power extending to 4 W. The system has been shown to be as accurate as the HP8510 network analyzer. The large signal intrinsic drain-to-source resistance of an 1800 μm dual-gate FET was measured on the load-pull system, and subsequently a variable power amplifier was designed using the load-pull data. The output phase variation of the variable power amplifier was 10° when operating at 31.3 dBm