Efficient Switching Power Amplifiers using the Distributed Switch Architecture

Siva Viswanathan Thyagarajan and Ali Niknejad

EECS Department
University of California, Berkeley
Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2015-18
May 1, 2015

http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2015/EECS-2015-18.pdf

Wireless transmitters employing switching power amplifiers are popular both in RF and mm-wave designs. The efficiency of switching power amplifiers is dictated mainly by the maximum achievable switch size which in turn is governed by the switch transition frequency (trade-off between switch on-resistance and capacitance). This work presents a new architecture, the Distributed Switching Power Amplifier (DSPA), that helps break this trade-off by distributing the switch in the non-linear amplifier design, especially at high frequencies. A comprehensive analytical framework has been developed and the theory has been compared with simulation results.

Advisor: Ali Niknejad


BibTeX citation:

@mastersthesis{Thyagarajan:EECS-2015-18,
    Author = {Thyagarajan, Siva Viswanathan and Niknejad, Ali},
    Title = {Efficient Switching Power Amplifiers using the Distributed Switch Architecture},
    School = {EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley},
    Year = {2015},
    Month = {May},
    URL = {http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2015/EECS-2015-18.html},
    Number = {UCB/EECS-2015-18},
    Abstract = {Wireless transmitters employing switching power amplifiers are popular both in RF and mm-wave designs. The efficiency of switching power amplifiers is dictated mainly by the maximum achievable switch size which in turn is governed by the switch transition frequency (trade-off between switch on-resistance and capacitance). This work presents a new architecture, the Distributed Switching Power Amplifier (DSPA), that helps break this trade-off by distributing the switch in the non-linear amplifier design, especially at high frequencies. A comprehensive analytical framework has been developed and the theory has been compared with simulation results.}
}

EndNote citation:

%0 Thesis
%A Thyagarajan, Siva Viswanathan
%A Niknejad, Ali
%T Efficient Switching Power Amplifiers using the Distributed Switch Architecture
%I EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley
%D 2015
%8 May 1
%@ UCB/EECS-2015-18
%U http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2015/EECS-2015-18.html
%F Thyagarajan:EECS-2015-18