Phase manipulation for efficient radio frequency transmission
Author(s)
Barton, Taylor Wallis![Thumbnail](/bitstream/handle/1721.1/78474/834096818-MIT.pdf.jpg?sequence=5&isAllowed=y)
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Other Contributors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Advisor
James K. Roberge.
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Power amplifiers (PAs) for microwave communications are generally the most power-hungry element of a transmitter. High linearity is required for modern digital communications standards, and often is achieved at the expense of efficiency. Outphasing architectures, which combine multiple nonlinear but efficient switching PAs into a system with an overall linear response, represent a promising strategy for breaking the efficiency/linearity tradeoff inherent to conventional PAs. This work explores methods for efficient PA design using outphasing techniques. Two aspects of outphasing design are considered. First, a wide-band phase modulator is introduced that uses a single current-steering digital to analog converter (DAC) structure and discrete clock prerotation. This topology takes advantage of specifications particular to outphasing architectures to reduce matching requirements as compared to a two-DAC phase modulator while providing wideband capability. The phase modulator is demonstrated in 65-nm CMOS, operates over a carrier frequency range of 1.2-4.2 GHz and has a 12-bit phase resolution and sample rate of 160 MSamples/second. The second technique is a novel four-way lossless power combiner and outphasing system which provides ideally lossless power combining along with resistive loading of switching power amplifiers over a wide output range. This work presents the first-ever demonstration of this system at microwave frequencies. Particular attention is paid to the microwave-specific aspects of implementation. A 60-W GaN prototype demonstrates the outphasing and dynamic performance, which closely matches the expected performance despite the challenges of operating at microwave frequencies.
Description
Thesis (Sc. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2012. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-112).
Date issued
2012Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer SciencePublisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.