Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T07:42:37.347Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Design and test of a pulse-width modulator and driver for space-borne GaN switch mode power amplifiers in P-band

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2015

I. S. Ghosh ,
U. Altmann ,
L. Cabria ,
E. Cipriani ,
P. Colantonio ,
N. Ayllon ,
A. Chowdhary ,
O. Kersten ,
M. Quibeldey  and
R. Follmann
I. S. Ghosh*
Affiliation:
IMST GmbH, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany
U. Altmann
Affiliation:
IMST GmbH, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany
L. Cabria
Affiliation:
TTI (Technologies of Telecommunication and Information), Albert Einstein 14, 39012, Santander, Spain
E. Cipriani
Affiliation:
University of Roma Tor Vergata, Dept. Electronic Engineering, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133, Roma, Italy
P. Colantonio
Affiliation:
University of Roma Tor Vergata, Dept. Electronic Engineering, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133, Roma, Italy
N. Ayllon
Affiliation:
European Space Research and Technology Centre ESTEC-ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
A. Chowdhary
Affiliation:
European Space Research and Technology Centre ESTEC-ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
O. Kersten
Affiliation:
IMST GmbH, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany
M. Quibeldey
Affiliation:
IMST GmbH, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany
R. Follmann
Affiliation:
IMST GmbH, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany
*
Corresponding author I. S. Ghosh Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In this paper, the design and test of a single-chip RF pulse-width modulator and driver (PWMD) aimed at exciting a high-power class-E GaN high-power stage at 435 MHz is described. For the required buffer size, avoiding potential ringing of the pulses within the buffer structure presents a major challenge in the design process. Therefore, a smaller test chip capable of driving capacitive loads of up to 5 pF was initially designed, fabricated, and tested. An approach based on three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations was used to validate the test results and offers excellent simulation accuracy. Based on the results obtained for test chip an enlarged PWMD chip capable of driving a 40 W high-power stage has been designed and tested on passive loads representing the targeted final stage.

Keywords

Circuit Design and ApplicationsPower amplifiers and linearizers
Type
Industrial and Engineering Paper
Information
International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies , Volume 7 , Special Issue 3-4: European Microwave Week 2014 , June 2015 , pp. 297 - 305
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the European Microwave Association 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

[1] Angeletti, P.; Coromina, F.; Deborgies, F.; De Gaudenzi, R.; Ginesi, A.; Vernucci, A.: Satcoms 2020 R&D Challenges: Part I: Broadband fixed communications, in 27th Int. Communications Satellite Systems Conf. (ICSSC 2009), Edinburgh (Scotland), 1–4 June 2009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[2] Hernández, C.C.; Krozer, V.; Vidkjær, J. and Dall, J.: POLARIS: ESA's airborne ice sounding radar front-end design, performance assessment and first results, in 2009 IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Digest, 393–396, June 2009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[3] Colantonio, P.; Giannini, F. and Limiti, E.: High Efficiency RF and Microwave Solid State Power Amplifiers, Wiley, Chichester, UK, 2009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[4] Besslich, P.: Device for amplitude-modulating a high-frequency carrier wave. U.S. Patent 3 363 199, January, 1968Google Scholar
[5] Ghosh, I.S. et al. : A 250 nm CMOS/LDMOS pulse-width modulator and driver for space-borne GaN switch mode power amplifiers in P-band, EuMC 2014, Rome, 2014.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[6] Calvillo-Cortes, D.A. et al. : A 65 nm CMOS pulse-width-controlled driver with 8Vpp output voltage for switch-mode RF PAs up to 3.6 GHz, in Solid-State Circuits Conf. Digest of Technical Papers (ISSCC), 2011, 58–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[7] Grover, F.W.: Inductance calculations, Dover Publications, New York, 2004.Google Scholar
[8] Walling, J.S. et al. : A Class-E PA with pulse-width and pulse-position modulation in 65 nm CMOS. IEEE J.Solid-State Circuits, 44 (2009), 1668–1678.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[9] Özen, M., Andersson, C., Eriksson, T.: Linearization study of a highly efficient CMOS-GaN RF pulse width modulation based transmitter, in European Microwave Conf., 2012, 137–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar