A Review of Ku-Band GaN HEMT Power Amplifiers Development
This review article investigates the current status and advances in Ku-band gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) high-power amplifiers (HPAs), which are critical for satellite communications, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, and military radar applications. The demand...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| author | Jihoon Kim |
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| author_sort | Jihoon Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This review article investigates the current status and advances in Ku-band gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) high-power amplifiers (HPAs), which are critical for satellite communications, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, and military radar applications. The demand for high-frequency, high-power amplifiers is growing, driven by the global expansion of high-speed data communication and enhanced national security requirements. First, we compare the main GaN HEMT process technologies employed in Ku-band HPA development, categorizing the HPAs into monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and internally matched power amplifier modules (IM-PAMs) and examining their respective characteristics. Then, by reviewing the literature, we explore design topologies, major issues like oscillation prevention and bias circuits, and heat sink technologies for thermal management. Our findings indicate that silicon carbide (SiC) substrates with gate lengths of 0.25 μm and 0.15 μm are predominantly used, with ongoing developments enabling MMICs and IM-PAMs to achieve up to 100 W output power and 30% power-added efficiency. Notably, the performance of MMIC power amplifiers is advancing more rapidly than that of IM-PAMs, highlighting MMICs as a promising direction for achieving higher efficiency and integration in future Ku-band applications. This paper can provide insights into the overall key technologies for Ku-band GaN HPA design and future development directions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0949c7fbfa36448ab9889ca932a589f7 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj-art-0949c7fbfa36448ab9889ca932a589f72025-08-20T02:48:06ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2024-11-011511138110.3390/mi15111381A Review of Ku-Band GaN HEMT Power Amplifiers DevelopmentJihoon Kim0School of Electronic Engineering, Kyonggi University, Suwon-Si 16227, Republic of KoreaThis review article investigates the current status and advances in Ku-band gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) high-power amplifiers (HPAs), which are critical for satellite communications, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, and military radar applications. The demand for high-frequency, high-power amplifiers is growing, driven by the global expansion of high-speed data communication and enhanced national security requirements. First, we compare the main GaN HEMT process technologies employed in Ku-band HPA development, categorizing the HPAs into monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and internally matched power amplifier modules (IM-PAMs) and examining their respective characteristics. Then, by reviewing the literature, we explore design topologies, major issues like oscillation prevention and bias circuits, and heat sink technologies for thermal management. Our findings indicate that silicon carbide (SiC) substrates with gate lengths of 0.25 μm and 0.15 μm are predominantly used, with ongoing developments enabling MMICs and IM-PAMs to achieve up to 100 W output power and 30% power-added efficiency. Notably, the performance of MMIC power amplifiers is advancing more rapidly than that of IM-PAMs, highlighting MMICs as a promising direction for achieving higher efficiency and integration in future Ku-band applications. This paper can provide insights into the overall key technologies for Ku-band GaN HPA design and future development directions.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/11/1381Ku-bandGaN HEMThigh-power amplifiersatellite communicationsMMICIM-PAM |
| spellingShingle | Jihoon Kim A Review of Ku-Band GaN HEMT Power Amplifiers Development Micromachines Ku-band GaN HEMT high-power amplifier satellite communications MMIC IM-PAM |
| title | A Review of Ku-Band GaN HEMT Power Amplifiers Development |
| title_full | A Review of Ku-Band GaN HEMT Power Amplifiers Development |
| title_fullStr | A Review of Ku-Band GaN HEMT Power Amplifiers Development |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Review of Ku-Band GaN HEMT Power Amplifiers Development |
| title_short | A Review of Ku-Band GaN HEMT Power Amplifiers Development |
| title_sort | review of ku band gan hemt power amplifiers development |
| topic | Ku-band GaN HEMT high-power amplifier satellite communications MMIC IM-PAM |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/11/1381 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jihoonkim areviewofkubandganhemtpoweramplifiersdevelopment AT jihoonkim reviewofkubandganhemtpoweramplifiersdevelopment |