Design of integrated 1.6 GHz, 2 W tuned RF power amplifier

This paper describes the design of an integrated tuned power amplifier specified to operate at Inmarsat satellite uplink frequencies from 1626.5 to 1660.5 MHz. The basic topology of the amplifier lies on the parallel tuned inverse class E amplifier that is modified by placing the DC-blocking capacitor into a new position and by adjusting the size of the capacitor to improve stability below the desired band. Further, the new positioning reduces losses between drain and load. The high currents flowing in the circuit made it necessary to use wide inductor width and high-Q finger capacitors in the on-chip resonator. The amplifier was implemented as a Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) integrated circuit (IC) that delivered 2 W of output power while the drain efficiency was ca. 56%. Measurements included source and load pulls to further improve the performance of the amplifier and to investigate the stability at small input drive levels.