Broadband microwave amplifier

• US 20060176114A1
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Packaging Dynamics Operating Company
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Tayrani, Reza, Gordon, Jonathan D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,345,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/251
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/03 the amplifier being designed for audio applications
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/2176 Class E amplifiers

Abstract

A Class-E load circuit topology suitable for switching mode Power Amplifiers (PAs). The inventive load includes a shunt inductive element coupled to an output of said amplifier; a series inductive element coupled to said output of said amplifier; and a series capacitive element coupled to said series inductive element. In the illustrative embodiment, the inventive load is operable at frequencies in the range of 8-10 GHz and the shunt inductive element is an inductive bias line for said amplifier. The invention enables an advantageous Class-E amplifier design comprising an input matching network; an active device coupled to the input matching network and a load coupled to the active device and implemented in accordance with the present teachings. Also disclosed is a method for designing a load for use with a Class-E amplifier including the steps of: providing a lumped equivalent circuit representation of the load; optimizing the lumped equivalent circuit representation of the load to achieve near ideal current and voltage operational characteristics over a predetermined frequency range using a time domain simulation; transforming the optimized lumped equivalent circuit representation of the load to a distributed circuit representation; and optimizing the distributed circuit representation of the load to achieve near ideal current and voltage operational characteristics over a predetermined frequency range using a time domain simulation.

Claims

1. A load circuit for use with a switching mode circuit comprising:

a shunt inductive element coupled to an output of said circuit;

a series inductive element coupled to said output of said circuit; and

a series capacitive element coupled to said series inductive element.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said load is operable at frequencies in the range of 8-10 GHz.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said shunt inductive element is an inductive bias line for said circuit.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said switching circuit is an amplifier.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said amplifier is a Class-E amplifier.

6. A single stage Class-E amplifier comprising:

an input matching network;

an active device coupled to said input matching network and

a load coupled to said active device.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said load includes:

a shunt inductive element coupled to an output of said active device;

a series inductive element coupled to said output of said active device; and

a series capacitive element coupled to said series inductive element.

8. The invention of claim 6 wherein said amplifier is operable at frequencies in the range of 8-10 GHz.

9. The invention of claim 6 wherein said shunt inductive element is an inductive bias line for said active device.

10. A method for designing a load for use with a Class-E amplifier including the steps of:

providing a lumped equivalent circuit representation of said load;

optimizing the lumped equivalent circuit representation of said load to achieve near ideal current and voltage operational characteristics over a predetermined frequency range using a time domain simulation;

transforming said optimized lumped equivalent circuit representation of said load to a distributed circuit representation; and

optimizing the distributed circuit representation of said load to achieve near ideal current and voltage operational characteristics over a predetermined frequency range using a time domain simulation.