A 30W, 46% PAE S-band GaN HEMT MMIC power amplifier for radar applications

This paper deals with the performances of 30 W GaN HEMT MMIC power amplifiers designed for Radar applications in S-band. These amplifiers deliver 30 W, 46% PAE with ~20 dB power gain in the [2.7 - 3.7 GHz] frequency band, and 34 W, 50% PAE with ~20.5 dB power gain in the [2.9 - 3.5 GHz] frequency band, in pulsed conditions (50 μs/10%). The device processing and the transistor performances are presented, as well as the design and the characterizations of the amplifiers. Pulse to pulse stability measurements were also carried out in order to evaluate their behavior under radar waveforms constraints.