Measurements of time domain voltage/current waveforms at R.F. and microwave frequencies for the characterization of nonlinear devices

Author

Barataud, D. ; Mallet, A. ; Campovecchio, M. ; Nebus, J.M. ; Villotte, J.P. ; Verspecht, J.

Author_Institution

Fac. des Sci., IRCOM, Limoges, France

Volume

2

fYear

1998

Firstpage

1006

Abstract

A novel time domain large signal characterization of microwave transistors is described. An harmonic load-pull system, based on the use of three separated active loops, allows synthesizing the load impedances of the device under test at the first three harmonic frequencies. The visualization and the accurate measurement of high frequency current/voltage at low, medium and large RF power levels, is performed by coupling these harmonic load-pull facilities with a “nonlinear network measurement system”. GaAs FETs and GaInP/GaAs HBTs have been characterized and optimized under single tone and multitone large signal exitations. A comparison between measured and simulated current/voltage waveforms is also presented. Such results prove the great capabilities offered by this new time domain characterization approach to aid in designing optimized power amplifiers and in validating nonlinear model for CAD

Keywords

heterojunction bipolar transistors; microwave bipolar transistors; microwave field effect transistors; microwave power transistors; microwave reflectometry; network analysers; power MESFET; power bipolar transistors; time-domain reflectometry; wave analysers; FET; GaAs; GaInP-GaAs; HBT; RF frequencies; accurate measurement; harmonic frequencies; harmonic load-pull system; load impedances; microwave transistors; multitone large signal exitations; nonlinear network measurement system; optimized power amplifiers design; separated active loops; single-tone large signal exitations; time domain large signal characterization; time domain voltage/current waveforms; vector network analyzer; Current measurement; Frequency measurement; Gallium arsenide; Microwave devices; Microwave transistors; Network synthesis; Power measurement; Signal synthesis; Time measurement; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference, 1998. IMTC/98. Conference Proceedings. IEEE

Conference_Location

St. Paul, MN

ISSN

1091-5281

Print_ISBN

0-7803-4797-8

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IMTC.1998.676875

Filename

676875