High efficiency testing system for 5G power amplifier

In this paper, a high efficiency testing system for 5G high power and high linearity power amplifier (PA) is proposed. Two bidirectional couplers are used in the input/output channels for the return loss, gain and saturated output power measurement at the same time, which can simplify the system construction and calibration process. The date acquirement of S 11 /S 22 can be provided by four power meters connected to bidirectional coupler. By using the testing platform, the RF and system-level parameters of sub-6G PAs can be measured at the same time, and the automatic acquisition program generated by the Labview is used for quick access of data. The test period can be reduced dramatically which can save the time and money for the identification & inspection of the third-party testing agency. What is more, the calibration process can be simpler and the consistency between each test process can be better. For validation of the power amplifier measured system, three type of sub-6G PAs operated at 2.595GHz, 3.5GHz and 4.85GHz, respectively were measured by using this platform. The test result shows that the platform can provide reliable and effective test data for different 5G PAs. The test platform including hardware and software can be promoted for practitioners in the designer, user and third-party testing agency which is significant for the development of 5G industry chain.