A 29dBm linear power amplifier module for IEEE 802.16e (Wimax) and LTE applications using E-mode pHEMT technology

This paper describes, for the first time, the design and realization of a 5V supply 29dBm linear power amplifier for the IEEE 802.16e (WiMax) and LTE applications in the (2.5-2.7)GHz band. When tested using a 10MHz bandwidth OFDMA signal with 64-QAM modulation, the amplifier consumes 950mA of total current. Nominal gain is 35dB, and a 20dB gain attenuator that is activated by a CMOS-compatible voltage pin is included on-chip. Output power detection is achieved by the use of an on-chip power detector and a bias shutdown voltage shuts down the complete amplifier. Low power operation is also possible with 26dBm of linear output power at less than 2.5% EVM. The amplifier is fabricated using a proprietary 0.25um enhancement-mode pHEMT (EpHEMT) technology The complete module is packaged in a multilayer chip-on-board (MCOB) 5 mm × 5 mm module.