Abstract
This paper discusses the design issues of highly efficient and monolithic wideband RF polar transmitters, especially the ones that use the envelope-tracking (ET) technique. Besides first reviewing the current state-of-the-art polar transmitters in the literature, three focus topics will be discussed: 1) the system-on-a-chip (SoC) design considerations of the monolithic polar transmitter using ET versus EER (envelope elimination and restoration); 2) the design of highly efficient envelope amplifier capable of achieving the high efficiency, current, bandwidth, accuracy and noise specifications required for wideband signals; and 3) the design of high-efficiency monolithic Si-based class E power amplifiers (PAs) suitable for ET-based RF polar transmitters. A design prototype of a polar transmitter using ET and a monolithic SiGe PA that passed the stringent low-band EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) transmit mask with 45% overall transmitter system efficiency will be given; the simulated data of the entire polar transmitter system is also compared against the measurement. Further investigations on how to solve the technical challenges to successfully implement linear and high-efficiency ET-based polar transmitter for broadband wireless applications such as WiBro/WiMAX are also discussed.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 5226754 |
Pages (from-to) | 2276-2294 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2009 |
Keywords
- DC-DC converter
- Envelope amplifier
- Envelope- elimination-and-restoration (EER)
- Envelope-tracking (ET)
- Monolithic RF SiGe power amplifier (PA)
- Polar transmitters
- Power-added efficiency (PAE)
- Radio-frequency (RF)
- Switch-mode PA
- Wideband transmitter