RF Amplifiers Featured Articles

51. Groundbreaking RF Temperature Sensor Systems Utilize CMT's One-Port VNAs 2/18/2022

    As passive RF sensing grows, leveraging the price and form factor of CMT’s reflectometers is a real enabler for pushing the technology out into wider usage. Sensatek has brought its technology, including 1-Port VNAs, to customers in a variety of industries throughout the world.

52. Iterative Direct DPD 2/14/2022

    Digital pre-distortion (DPD) is a common method to linearize the output signal of a power amplifier (PA), which is being operated in its non-linear operating range. This article describes an approach to generate a pre-distorted signal based on a hard-clipper. The resulting waveform pushes the output of the DUT as close to the hard-clipper as possible.

53. VSWR And Its Effects On Power Amplifiers 1/10/2022

    VSWR happens from having an impedance mismatch between a source and a load. VSWR is not a hard concept to grasp, but its effects on the instrumentation can be more difficult to realize. 

54. K18D MATLAB Modeling Toolkit 12/7/2021

    This application note with the accompanying software tool allows engineers without in-depth knowledge of DPD or remote programming to generate a DPD model and verify it against the DUT, based on the results of the K18D application.

55. Reliability Of 150nm, 28 V GaN HEMT Process Up To Ka-Band 12/7/2021

    Wolfspeed has reported the fabrication process, device characteristics, and MMIC RF performance of a high-performance GaN-on-SiC HEMT featuring a 150 nm gate length (V5 process) for Ka-band applications.

56. Reliability Comparison Of S-Band And X-Band Technologies 12/7/2021

    Examine the reliability performance of GaN/AlGaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) MMIC released process technologies, fabricated on 100 mm high purity semi-insulating (HPSI) 4H-SiC substrates.

57. AR-50 SATCOM Performance 11/23/2021

    The AR Modular RF Model AR-50 Booster Amplifier provides superior uplink and downlink performance for enhancing UHF satellite communications. Properly setting up the receive path will maximize the link quality and reliability.

58. How To Make A Digital Predistortion Solution Practical And Relevant 11/22/2021

    According to much of the promotional material for digital predistortion (DPD), its performance is based on static quantitative data. The demands of 5G NR continue to push application requirements. This, coupled with the desire for higher PA efficiencies, compounds the challenge of DPD algorithm development.

59. The Importance Of HTOL And Burn-In Testing Methods 11/17/2021

    Because 5G base station locations are often exposed to extreme outdoor temperatures, test systems have been developed to help component manufacturers ensure intended quality and performance. Two test methods, High Temperature Operating Life (HTOL) and Burn-in Testing, capture the two ends of the reliability characterization graph known as the “bathtub curve."

60. Meeting Biasing Requirements Of Externally Biased RF/Microwave Amplifiers 10/18/2021

    Radio frequency (RF) and microwave amplifiers provide their best performance under specific bias conditions. The quiescent current established by the bias point affects critical performance metrics such as linearity and efficiency. While some amplifiers are self biased, many devices require external biasing using multiple supplies that must be sequenced properly for safe operation.