X band GaN Based MMIC Power Amplifier with 36.5dBm P1-dB for Space Applications

An X-Band Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) High Power Amplifier (HPA) with coplanar waveguide (CPW) based on AlGaN/GaN on SiC technology is presented in this paper. Coplanar waveguide technology (CPW) is chosen for the simplicity and reduced cost of fabrication since CPW process has no via. High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) are matched for the 8 GHz-8.4GHz frequency band for maximum output power. The Amplifier has a small signal gain over 10 dB, output power of 36.5dBm at 1 dB gain compression point (P-1dB) and 40% power added efficiency (PAE) at (P-1dB) in the desired frequency band (8 GHz-8.4 GHz) with V-ds = 30V.