Truly wideband linearization

This article shows that predistortion linearization can correct the distortion of high-power amplifiers over very wide bandwidths. Examples of the linearization of both solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) and TWTAs over bandwidths greater than 10 GHz have been presented. The ability to produce linearizers with desired nonlinear characteristics over continuous multioctave bandwidths was also shown. Improvement in both intermodulation and harmonic distortion of more the 10 dB can be obtained using these techniques. Combining multiple predistortors in a single package to correct wideband high-power amplifier distortion was also discussed. In general, the narrower the bandwidth, the higher the improvement that can be obtained, but substantial improvement over large continuous bandwidths of more than an octave in width can be achieved.