Design of a 2–6 GHz 100‐W Ultra‐Wideband Power Amplifier Using Hybrid Integrated Matching Network

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on the design of an ultra‐wideband power amplifier targeting high performance, high output power, and low cost. In contrast to conventional 50 Ω internally‐matched schemes relying on expensive custom metal‐ceramic packages, this letter presents a 2–6 GHz 100 W ultra‐wideband gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifier using a hybrid integration approach. Specifically, an in‐package pre‐matching network within a standard commercial package transforms the low output impedance of the bare die to an intermediate real impedance, while an external Klopfenstein taper on the printed circuit board is utilized to achieve impedance matching from this intermediate impedance to 50 Ω with a compact footprint over an ultra‐wide bandwidth. Measurement results demonstrate that the realized power amplifier delivers 50–51 dBm output power, 42%–65% drain efficiency at saturation, and 7.5–11.9 dB gain at 50 dBm output power across the entire 2–6 GHz band under continuous‐wave (CW) excitation.