Broadband Power Amplifiers for Unified Base Stations

A broadband power amplifier is required to cover the full range of cellular frequency band—from 700 MHz to 2600 MHz—in a base station that supports multiple frequency bands simultaneously. Conventional laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) transistors support narrow band applications up to 3 GHz. However, they cannot operate beyond 1 GHz in broadband applications. GaN transistors have much higher power density and operational frequency compared with LDMOS. Therefore, they are ideal for broadband amplifiers that support multiple bands. Theories for designing broadband amplifiers are introduced in this article, and a 500-2500 MHz 60 W GaN amplifier is discussed.