32.5 E-band (71-to-86GHz) GaN Power Amplifier with 4.37W Output Power and 18.5% PAE for 5G Backhaul

• Published in: 2024 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) Vol. 67; pp. 528 - 530
• Main Authors: Cimbili, Bharath, Bao, Mingquan, Friesicke, Christian, Quay, Rudiger
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 18.02.2024
• Subjects: 5G mobile communication; HEMTs; Power amplifiers; Silicon; Telecommunications; Transmitting antennas; Wireless communication
• ISSN: 2376-8606
• DOI: 10.1109/ISSCC49657.2024.10454306

Wireless data traffic has experienced explosive growth in recent years, primarily due to the commercialization of 5G networks. To keep up with this demand, telecom providers are shifting to E-band (71 to 76GHz, 81 to 86GHz), supporting peak data-rates exceeding 10Gb/s and offering coverage of over 10km. The E-band low spectrum costs and high bandwidth availability also make it a popular choice for 5G backhaul [1]. Whereas the FCC/ETSI specifies the equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) for E-band at 85dBm (55dBW), the current industry EIRP remains below 70dBm. With antenna gain reaching the upper threshold of 50dBi, a notable deficit in transmitted power exists to fully exploit the potential of the E-band. Despite efforts to enhance transmitted power by combining multiple amplifiers on a single chip [2, 3], silicon technologies, known for high integration, fall short in meeting these high-power requisites. Conversely, power amplifiers (PAs) designed using compound-semiconductor technologies, like Gallium-Nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), deliver Watt-level output power, even within the W-band (75 to 100GHz) [4, 5].