An 80W Power Amplifier with 50% Efficiency at 8dB Power Back-Off Over 2.6–3.8GHz
This paper presents the design and implementation of a wideband power amplifier (PA) suitable for applications using signals with large peak-to-average-power-ratio (PAPR). The proposed design approach is based on reducing the load modulation factor compared to conventional Doherty PA. To demonstrate the principle, a PA that operates between 2.55 GHz and 3.8 GHz has been implemented and tested. In this frequency range, the measured peak output power is 49.3 ± 0.5dBm and the measured drain efficiency is between 47–60% for output power levels corresponding to 8 dB output back-off (OBO).