Device Performance Trade-Offs Easily Explored Using New Software and Measurement Methodology

Trade-offs between linearity, gain, and efficiency are of paramount importance when designing linear power amplifiers for handsets and base stations employing digital modulation signals such as those used in systems employing CDMA or TDMA. Semiconductor device developers also need to understand these trade-offs to optimize device performance. Clearly device performance depends on several factors including bias, operating frequency, drive levels, and terminating impedances (load and source, fundamental and harmonic). All of these parameters varying independently create a multi-dimensional measurement and design space. A thorough search of this space must be undertaken to fully understand device trade-offs and determine peak performance. This examination of measurement space is non-trivial, due to the shear volume of data contained within. To that end, a new set of software utilities, coupled with a measurement methodology and an on-wafer load pull system have been integrated to fully map out the multi-dimensional measurement space.