CMOS RF power amplifiers for mobile wireless communications

Power combining;Wireless;CMOS;Power amplifier;Transformer;Power back-off

An, Kyu Hwan ; Electrical and Computer Engineering

University:Georgia Institute of Technology

Department:Electrical and Computer Engineering

关键词: Power combining;    Wireless;    CMOS;    Power amplifier;    Transformer;    Power back-off;   

Others  :  https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/1853/31717/1/An_KyuHwan_200912_phd.pdf

美国|英语

来源: SMARTech Repository

【 摘 要 】

The explosive growth of the wireless market has increased the demand for low-cost, highly-integrated CMOS wireless transceivers. However, the implementation of CMOS RF power amplifiers remains a formidable challenge. The objective of this research is to demonstrate the feasibility of CMOS RF power amplifiers by compensating for the RF performance disadvantages of CMOS technology. This dissertation proposes a parallel-combining transformer (PCT) as an impedance-matching and output-combining network. The results of a comprehensive analysis show that the PCT is a suitable solution for watt-level output power generation in cellular applications. To achieve high output power and high efficiency, the work presented here entailed the design of a class-E switching power amplifier in a 0.18-μm CMOS technology for GSM applications and, with the suggested power amplifier design technique, successfully demonstrated a fully-integrated RF front-end consisting of a power amplifier and an antenna switch. This dissertation also proposed an efficiency enhancement technique at power back-off. In an effort to save current in the power back-off while satisfying the EVM requirements, a class-AB linear power amplifier was implemented in a 0.18-μm CMOS technology for WLAN and WiMAX applications using a PCT as well as an operation class shift between class-A and class-B. Thus, the research in this dissertation provides low-cost CMOS RF power amplifier solutions for commercial products used in mobile wireless communications.