X-band wideband 5W GaN MMIC power amplifier with large-signal gain equalization

We present a wideband GaN MMIC power amplifier, designed to be the unit cell of a balanced module. A wideband output matching network, based on a two-section transformer, is adopted to compensate for reactive effects over the entire bandwidth. A reactive network is inserted at the input for gain equalization at compression; the resulting input reflectance will be controlled by the balanced configuration. According to simulations the MMIC shows, in the 7–14GHz band, power gain ranging from 6.8 to 8 dB, output power always > 5W, drain efficiency between 43% and 59% at power saturation. Preliminary measurements on the first run have comparable gain and slightly lower output power on a narrower bandwdith; the output efficiency goal is, however, achieved only on the lower part of the bandwidth. A second-run redesign is in progress.