RF Power Amplifier Design
For High-Efficiency 5G Applications
Our RF power amplifier design expertise covers a diverse range of integration levels, offering tailor-made solutions to meet the specific needs of our customers. Our experience allows us to offer solutions ranging from discrete amplifiers to integrated modules, or MMICs.
Whether on Class AB or Doherty topologies, single or multi-stage, we offer added value in the design of very wideband RF and instantaneous power amplifiers.
Expertise
Our expertise allows us to support you in the development of power amplifiers for many applications.
We can provide a pre-study to guide your desired solution, starting from a detailed specification phase and proceeding to the production stage.
Flexibility
Our design power amplifier design process is flexible.
It can be carried out using either your internal technology or a technology wisely chosen from an open foundry. Then it will lead to a comprehensive design to finally assemble and characterize the amplifier which covers your needs.
From discrete to integration
As far as discrete amplifiers are concerned, whether you are an RF designer or a user of power bars, Wupatec can provide the necessary assistance in your design. If your goal is to display a technology demonstrator or, simply, a commercial product, we can support your case.
An example of this would be the design of a specific impedance-matching network on a printed circuit board (PCB) using the dielectric Rogers 4350. Or more specifically, a real case: an amplifier covering the band from 3.3 GHz to 4.2 GHz and demonstrating an instantaneous linearized band of 600 MHz, like the one in this demo.
On the integration side, several developments are carried out at Wupatec. One well-known solution is the use of MMIC. This type of circuit design is widespread in telecom applications for compactness reasons. The team of engineers at Wupatec has solid knowledge and experience in the design of MMIC-type amplifiers.
The solutions can range from a MMIC chip that integrates an input-matching network up to 50 Ohms alone, or the same solution adding its output-matching network. This output-matching network can be placed on the same or another dedicated chip to maintain optimal performance and comply with the technology.
On the assembly side, Wupatec has a partnership for the encapsulation of plastic packages like over-moulded QFN packages.
From Class AB to Doherty
Depending on the apllication, the class AB or even C amplifier designs can meet the needs. For applications requiring a significant back-off power while maintaining a high level of efficiency, Wupatec has extensive experience in the design of Doherty-type power amplifiers.
Over the course of our numerous developments, we have implemented a methodology to ensure the proper functioning of the amplifier designed and also to respond quickly to the feasibility of the requested specifications.
During a multi-stage design we ensure the proper functioning of the entire chain, the interactions of the different stages as well as their stability, thanks to advanced analyzes such as the STAN analysis.
From dedicated application to wideband multi applications
Our experience allows us to meet very specific customer needs, whether in terms of RF performance: Gain, Power, Efficiency, Linearity or in terms of compactness.
Thanks to internal developments, we offer wideband designs making possible to address various applications with the same amplifier or to meet the growing needs of channel aggregation of 5G signals.
Much more than amplifier design
Support, expertise and consideration of the power amplifier’s environment are part of Wupatec’s added value to the power amplifier design. Our ability to design very wideband power amplifiers is based on two complementary pillars:
Wupatec’s very first pillar is our capability to measure and characterize to guarantee functional designs from the first iterations. Wupatec’s laboratory offers the possibility to carry out Load-Pull characterizations. This process can be done under probes or with standard connectors.
To see more about our test capability, please follow this link.
The second pillar is our strong digital knowledge. We develop internally the necessary software for the use of RFSoC to characterize our broadband amplifiers in a radio unit environment. By having expertise in both fields RF and digital, we ensure DPD friendliness. By adapting the RF circuit from the very first design step, we anticipate the amplifier behaviour in its final environment. In addition, we develop our own DPD and CFR algorithms which can be adjusted to your specific needs.
To learn more about the digital design process, follow this link.
OUR SOLUTIONS
Combined efforts that ensure first-pass success
Wupatec’s two pillars reside in its strong digital and analog knowledge. By having expertise in both fields RF and digital, we ensure DPD friendliness, or the amplifier’s behaviour can be anticipated during the design phase towards its final environment. Let’s work together.
Contact us
+33 05 55 42 62 44
Head Office: 20 rue Atlantis, 87068, Limoges, France