A 2.4 GHz high output power and high efficiency power amplifier operating at inductive breakdown in CMOS technology

• The breakdown operation is used to improve the output power for the first time.
• The CMOS power amplifier is designed via the accurate PHD model.
• This work demonstrates the highest figure of merit among recently published PAs.

In this paper, a novel CMOS power amplifier (PA) with high output power and power added efficiency is designed to operate in the avalanche region by increasing the supply voltage for the first time. With the X-parameter measurement based poly-harmonic distortion (PHD) behavioral model including the XS and XT terms, the simulation results can reveal accurate large signal characteristics of the whole PA at breakdown. The output power at 1-dB compression point of 30.2 dBm with 34.1% PAE at 2.4 GHz is obtained.

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