Search

Browse

• Communities
• Authors
• Year
• Titles
• Subjects

My Space

• Login

Design of stacked high power RF amplifiers (RF PA) for 5G New Radio Base station with GaN and FDSOI technologies

Roussos Nikolaos

Full record

---

Summary

The transition to 5G technology is a significant step forward in mobile communication, as it is expected to achieve higher data rates, ultra-reliable low-latency communications (uRLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). The 5G New Radio (5G NR) developed by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a radio access technology (RAT) that supports a wide frequency range, FR1 410MHz-7.125GHz and FR2 24.25GHz-71GHz. 5G NR is important for a broad variety of applications, for example robotics, automotive, factory automation, and healthcare which require enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and high-efficiency spectrum use.There is an increasing use of Gallium Nitride (GaN) High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) in power amplifiers for high power and broadband base stations in the 5G networks. Unlike CMOS, GaN HEMTs can deliver high power levels at high frequencies. A feature which is essential for mmWave 5G applications.In this thesis, two differential Stacked FET Power Amplifiers (PAs) are implemented for the FR1 n79 frequency band of 4.4-5 GHz. The first PA is designed using 22nm Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FDSOI) transistor technology (22FDX), and the second PA is designed using GaN HEMT 0.15 µm technology (GH15). A comparison of the performance metrics reveals that while the 22FDX CMOS PA achieves an OP1dB of 28.1 dBm with a Power Added Efficiency (PAE) of 30% and a gain of 26 dB, the GaN PA significantly outperforms it in terms of output power, delivering an OP1dB of 44.5 dBm, though with a lower PAE of 16% and a gain of 22.7 dB. Given its OP1dB of 28.1 dBm, the 22FDX Stacked PA could be effectively utilized as a pre-power amplifier, feeding the GaN Stacked PA (when it comes to FR1 applications) to enhance overall system level of integration. On the other hand, CMOS SOI PA is a perfect candidate for FR2 bands, where massive MiMo allows for lower power levels at the antenna, since a large number of antenna elements – and thus PAs – are used to build the phased array system. This approach highlights the complementary strengths of both technologies, with GaN offering superior power capabilities while CMOS can serve critical roles in the amplification chain.

Available Files

Services