RF Power Amplifier: Pushing the Boundaries of Performance Versus Cost

The Radio Frequency Power Amplifier lies at the heart of all modern day communication systems ranging from the cellular infrastructure market to broadcast, radar, medical, automotive and military to name a few. Transmission systems not only require substantial power at high frequencies, but they are also one of the most demanding of semiconductor applications on account of their requirements for efficiency and linearity, which inherently introduces a tradeoff during design. Three types of device technologies have been in typical use for RF power amplification: the VDMOS (at frequencies upto 1 GHz), the LDMOS (at frequencies upto 3.5 GHz), and more recently the Gallium Nitride HEMT, which extends the frequency range upto 5-7 GHz. As an emerging technology, GaN has huge potential, but its widespread use is still currently limited by the level of experience, absence of reliable device models and prices which are roughly (6-10 times that of silicon). This overview highlights the distinct features of the RF Power devices and touches upon the performance metrics of the above technologies (in silicon and GaN).