Microwaves - Lecture Notes - v.1.3.4 Dr. Serkan Aksoy
–
2009
16These lecture notes are heavily based on the book of
Microwave Engineering
by David M. Pozar. For future versions or any proposals, please contact with
Dr. Serkan Aksoy
(saksoy@gyte.edu.tr).
If device is unconditionally stable, the stability circles must becompletely outside (or totally enclose) the Smith chart. This can be stated mathematically asfor for If or , the amplifier can not beunconditionally stable because a source (or load impedance)leading to (or ) can cause (or ). If transistor is only conditionally stable, and must bechosen in stable regions. Specially unconditionally stability can be tested with the methods of
Rollet’s Condition
or
Parameter
.
7.3.
Single Stage Amplifier Design
Maximum gain with stability can be realized when input andoutput sections provide a conjugate match between source andload impedance, but generally as a narrowband. To perform thisconditions simultaneously have to be satisfied means that also by maximizing the transducer gain, first of all , then should be solved by considering stability conditions. It is also preferable to design for less than the maximum obtainable gain,to improve bandwidth (or to obtain a specific amplifier gain). Todo that,
Constant Gain Circles
on the Smith chart to representloci of and that give fixed values of gain are used. Besidesstability and gain, the Noise Figure of the amplifier should beminimized by using
Constant Noise Figure Circles
.
7.4.
Broadband Amplifier Design
The bandwidth can be improved with designing for less thanmaximum gain will improve bandwidth, but the input andoutput ports will be poorly matched. Common approaches tosolve this problem are listed below-
Compensated Matching Network,-
Resistive Matching Network,-
Negative Feedback,-
Balanced Amplifiers,-
Distributed Amplifiers.
7.5.
Power Amplifiers
This is used to increase power level with consideration of efficiency, gain, intermodulation and thermal effect.
Amplifier Efficiency
is defined aswith the effect of input power,
Power Added Efficiency, PAE
where is power gain.
PAE
drops quickly with frequency.Another parameter is
Compressed Gain
defined as the gain of amplifier at 1 dB compression gain aswhere is small signal (linear) power gain. Class A amplifierswith theoretically maximum efficiency are inherentlylinear that transistor is biased to conduct over entire range of input signal cycle (low-noise amplifier). Class B amplifiers withtheoretically maximum efficiency are biased to conductonly during one-half of input signal cycle (Push-Pull amplifier).Class C amplifiers with efficiency near are operated withtransistor near cut-off for more than half of the input signalcycle (in a resonant circuit, constant envelope modulation).Higher classes such as D, E, F and S are also used with highefficiency.
7.5.1.
Large Signal Characterization
If input power is small enough, parameter is independent frominput power and linear small signal model is suitable for modeling. But for high input powers, transistor behaves as anonlinear device (
Large-Signal Characterization
) and moredifficult to design. The following methods are possible for LargeSignal Characterization-
Measure the output power as a function of source and loadimpedances and produce tables, then determine large signalsource and load reflection coefficients to maximize power gainfor a particular output power.-
Plot contours(
Load-Pull Contours
) of constant power outputon a Smith chart as a function of load reflection coefficient withconjugately matching at input and design for a specified gain.-
Use nonlinear equivalent of the transistor circuit.Especially for designing Class A amplifiers, the stability can bechecked by using small signal model because instabilities beginat low signal levels.
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