A 130W LDMOS for 2.7–3.5 GHz broadband radar applications

A 32V LDMOS technology with all gold metallization optimized for pulsed applications has been used to design a 130W discrete power transistor matched over the 2.7-3.5 GHz instantaneous frequency band, covering both commercial and military radar markets. The high power device, operated in class AB bias, with a 300us and 10% duty cycle pulse signal supplies a minimum of 130W of peak power with over 8dB gain and a minimum of 36% drain efficiency. The internally matched device is housed in a push-pull style package, but is used in a single-ended broadband text fixture matched to 50 Ω with hybrid combining. To the authors knowledge this is the first time that an LDMOS technology has successfully demonstrated acceptable performance over an 800 MHz bandwidth in the S-band radar application space.