Design of High-Efficiency broadband power amplifier using low-pass bias network

A novel design of high-efficiency broadband power amplifier (BPA) with the low-pass bias networkto enhance the efficiency and output power is presented in this paper. Compared with other bias networks, the proposed low-pass bias network shows a smaller baseband impedance, which can reduce the electrical memory effect. While it provides a larger radio frequency (RF) impedance, which can prevent the leakage of the output power from bias network. A BPA with the proposed bias network is designed using commercial GaN device Cree40025F. The designed BPA shows a fractional bandwidth of 40%, from 1.8 GHz to 2.7 GHz. The measured results exhibit 73.9% drain efficiency (DE) value with output power of 43.5 dBm at 2.7 GHz, which appears an enhancement of 9.5% and 2.5 dBm comparing with that adopts LC bias network.