A 1-3 GHz Balanced High Power Amplifier

The design process, fabrication, and measurement results of a 1 - 3 GHz, balanced power amplifier with an output power of around 160 W are presented. The balanced power amplifier includes two 90W-RF power transistors and two 3dB, hybrids in a balanced configuration. The matching networks of the transistors were designed using the load-pull and source-pull data and also the X-parameter model of the transistor which both are extracted from the transistor's nonlinear compact model. The balanced configuration, not only duplicates the output power but also improves the reflection loss particularly at the input of the amplifier. The measurement results of the fabricated balanced power amplifier showed an output power between 52-53 dBm, a power gain of 9-12.5 dB and a drain efficiency between 34%-50% in the wide frequency band of 1-3 GHz.