A1 0W a t tS - B a n dM M I CP o w e rA m p l ifier With Integrated 100 MHz Switch-Mode Power Supply and Control Circuitry for Active Electronically Scanned Arrays Gijs van

Abstract

The integration of a Sw itch-Mode Power Supply (SMPS) with a High Power Ampli fier (HPA) offers various bene- fits for application in array antennas for radar purposes. Among the most distinct advantages are removal of a single point of failure from the antenna system, individual bias control for local ef fi- ciency optimization, the high swit ching frequency which separates the spurious contributi ons from the carrier and the improved control of the HPA supply voltage rise- and fall times. The latter provides the possibility to contr ol the RF pulse shapes thereby reducing the temporal side lobes and enhancing the output signal spectrum. An S-band HPA with in tegrated SMPS is designed, fabricated and tested. The SMPS includes the control circuitry for the switches. Th e SMPS is optimized to operate at a switching frequency of 100 MHz. The MMIC delivers an output power of 1 0Ww i t ha nH P Ae f ficiency of more than 40% and an SMPS efficiency of mor e than 75%. This paper presents an overview of the design aspects and the obtained results.