A single chip HBT power amplifier with integrated power control

The GSM power amplifier market continues to drive towards low cost and small size, but remains reluctant to compromise on performance. Current generation PA products utilize InGaP HBT to deliver RF performance and integrate bias and control on a supporting silicon die. This approach is common amongst many PA manufacturers with the exception of CMOS PA [1] solutions. This paper describes a solution using an HBT BiFET [2] technology to integrate both the precision control function and power amplifier onto a common die. The resulting solution opens opportunity for industry leading size and performance at no additional cost or RF performance penalty.