| Title |
High-Gain Ka-Band GaN HEMT Power Amplifier MMIC Featuring a Gain-Plane Analysis-Based Embedding Feedback Network |
| Authors |
한성희(Seong-Hee Han) ; 김동욱(Dong-Wook Kim) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5370/KIEE.2026.75.8.1854 |
| Keywords |
Gain-plane analysis; Embedding feedback; Gain boosting; GaN HEMT; Power amplifier |
| Abstract |
This paper presents a high-gain power amplifier(PA) monolithic microwave integrated circuit(MMIC) tailored for Ka-band satellite and next-generation communication systems. To mitigate gain degradation at millimeter-wave frequencies, a gain-boosting technique utilizing an embedding feedback network?derived from gain-plane analysis?is proposed and experimentally validated. The three-stage PA MMIC was fabricated using a 0.15-μm GaN HEMT process. The first stage incorporates an embedded transistor structure for enhanced gain, while the final stage employs parallel-combined transistors to achieve high output power. The chip occupies a compact area of 2.5 × 2.1 mm2. Measurement results demonstrate a power gain of 22.6?25.5 dB over a very wide frequency range of 32?38 GHz, corresponding to a remarkable 7.53?8.5 dB per stage. Input and output reflection coefficients remain below -10 dB across the same range. Furthermore, within the 30?40 GHz band, the PA delivers a saturated output power(Psat) of 36.4?37.8 dBm and a power-added efficiency(PAE) of 28.5?31.1%. Compared to the previously published state-of-the-art works, this PA achieves superior gain per stage and high output power density. |