Efficient Switching Power Amplifiers Using the Distributed Switch Architecture

Wireless transmitters employing switching power amplifiers are popular both in RF and mm-wave designs. The efficiency of switching power amplifiers is dictated mainly by the maximum achievable switch size which in turn is governed by the switch transition frequency (tradeoff between switch on-resistance and capacitance). This paper presents a new architecture, the distributed switching power amplifier (DSPA), that helps break this tradeoff by distributing the switch in the nonlinear amplifier design, especially at high frequencies. A comprehensive analytical framework has been developed and the theory has been compared with simulation results.