Class E-A new class of high-efficiency tuned single-ended switching power amplifiers

The new class of amplifiers described is based on a load network synthesized to have a transient response which maximizes power efficiency even if the active device switching times are substantial fractions of the a.c. cycle. The new class of amplifiers, named `Class E,´ is defined and is illustrated by a detailed description and a set of design equations for one simple member of the class. For that circuit the authors measured 96 percent transistor efficiency at 3.9 MHz at 26-W output from a pair of Motorola 2N3735 TO-5 transistors. Advantages of Class E are unusually high efficiency, a priori designability, large reduction in second-breakdown stress, low sensitivity to active-device characteristics, and potential for high-efficiency operation at higher frequencies than previously published Class-D circuits.