Microwave class-E GaN power amplifiers

Two MMIC class-E power amplifiers (PA) in GaN HEMT technology are reported. The single stage class-E MMIC PA operates at 1.9 GHz. At 30V drain bias, a power-added-efficiency (PAE) of 57% and a maximum output power of over 37 dBm are achieved. At 40V drain bias, an output power of 38.7 dBm is achieved at 50% PAE corresponding to a power density of 7.4 W/mm. The dual-stage class-E MMIC PA operating at 2.0 GHz is also reported. It achieves an output power of 37.5 dBm, a PAE of 50%, and a gain of 18.2 dB.