150 research outputs found
A high efficiency 10W MMIC PA for K-b and satellite communications
No full textThis paper discusses the design steps and experimental characterization of a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifier developed for the next generation of K-band 17.3–20.2 GHz very high throughput satellites. The technology used is a commercially available 100-nm gate length gallium nitride on silicon process. The chip was developed taking into account the demanding constraints of the spacecraft and, in particular, carefully considering the thermal constraints of such technology, in order to keep the junction temperature in all devices below 160°C in the worst-case condition (i.e., maximum environmental temperature of 85°C). The realized MMIC, based on a three-stage architecture, was first characterized on-wafer in pulsed regime and, subsequently, mounted in a test-jig and characterized under continuous wave operating conditions. In 17.3–20.2 GHz operating bandwidth, the built amplifier provides an output power >40 dBm with a power added efficiency close to 30% (peak >40%) and 22 dB of power gain
GaN MMIC High Power Amplifiers for K-Band Satellite Payload
No full textThis contribution presents the activities carried out towards the realization of a high-power solid state power amplifier, based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology, targeting more than 125W of output power in the frequency range 17.320.2 GHz, conceived for the next generation K-band Very High Throughput Satellites (vHTS). For this purpose, specific Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) Power Amplifiers (PAs) were developed on a commercially available 100 nm gate length GaN on Silicon (GaN-Si) process (OMMIC process D01GH). The design was carried out considering space reliability constraints on electrical parameters and accounting for the spacecraft temperature limits, which are extremely challenging for this technology, to keep the junction temperature of all devices below 160{circ}mathrm{C} in the worst-case condition (i.e., maximum environmental temperature of 85{circ}mathrm{C}). The final MMIC, based on a three-stage architecture, demonstrates on wafer and in pulsed condition to achieve a minimum output power and power added efficiency (PAE) of 10W (40dBm) and 35% (with a peak of 45%) in the full Ka-band satellite downlink, i.e., from 17.3 GHz to 20.2 GHz. The packaged version demonstrates in continuous wave (CW) conditions an output power larger than 39.5dBm with a PAE better than 30%. Moreover, long-term (24h) CW test at saturated output power has shown almost negligible performance degradation, thus providing confidence in the robustness of the selected GaN-Si technology
Power Combining Techniques for Space-Borne GaN SSPA in Ka-Band
No full textHighly Efficient power combining techniques are mandatory for developing solid state power amplifiers (SSPAs) for high frequency space applications. Indeed, SSPAs are designed starting from medium power components, in the range of few watts, that are combined in such a way that the equipment efficiency is kept as maximum as possible. Planar structures such as branchlines or Wilkinson provide good isolation between ports but their losses become prohibitive when both peak power and frequency are in the range of hundreds of watt and tens of GHz, respectively. In these cases, waveguide structures result to be the most appropriate. On this way, the paper presents the design and experimental characterization of two distinctive structures conceived for spatially combine sixteen 10W Gallium nitride monolithic microwave integrated circuit for realizing a Ka-band (17.3 GHz–20.2 GHz) SSPA with more than 125W of saturated output power
Investigating Italian Religious Socialization Paths : Findings and Lessons from a Mixed-Methods Exercise
No full textElectrostrictive Deformations in Small Carbon Clusters, Hydrocarbon Molecules and Carbon Nanotubes
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