Theoretical and experimental comparison of Class F vs. Class F−1 PAs

In this contribution, a comparison between Class F and the so called inverse Class F (Class F^-1) power amplifiers is faced. A theoretical comparison is performed presenting a different approach to study the Class F^-1 mode. In particular, the strong dependence of the Class F^-1 behaviour upon the shape of the driving signal is highlighted. The experimental evaluation is figured out designing two GaAs monolithic Class F and Class F^-1 power amplifiers at X-Band frequency, using the same process foundry and active devices. The achieved results are in agreement with the theoretical expected ones, showing an increase of 0.4dB output power (from 28.1 dBm to 28.5 dBm) and 8% peak efficiency (from 50% to 54%) for Class F^-1 mode with respect to the Class F one.