A 2-18 GHz Monolithic 400 mW Power Amplifier

The design and the measured performances of a broad band MMIC power amplifier are discussed. The chip is a 2-18 GHz distributed amplifier which demonstrates an input and output VSWR better than 1.5:1. An output power of 400 mW with an associated gain of 4.5 dB and a power efficiency of 20% are achieved. These results are compared to simulated performances. An emphasis is put on the comparison between simulations, including non linear simulations, and the actual performances of the circuit. This realization is a marked improvement over similary targeted MMIC designed and processed in Europe.