Power amplifier with high transformation ratio power combiner in GaAs Technology

A 2.6 GHz voltage-mode power combiner with transformer is realized in Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Technology. The proposed voltage-mode transformer combiner enhances the impedance transformation ratio without sacrificing its overall transfer efficiency. The improvement can let the power amplifier (PA) deliver higher output power and then tackle the barrier in low break-down voltage normally found in CMOS technology. A simple methodology is also presented to design such a combiner which is realized with a power amplifier (PA) design. Numerical modeling of the transformer and successful power combining of the 2-Watt PA demonstrate the proposed idea.