Abstract: A built-in linearizer was applied to improve the linearity in a 5.2-GHz power amplifier microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC), which was undertaken with 0.15-μm AlGaAs/InGaAs D-mode PHEMT technology. The power amplifier (PA) was studied taking into account the linearizer circuit and the coplanar waveguide (CPW) structures. Based on these technologies, the power amplifier, which has a chip size of 1.44 × 1.10 mm², obtained an output power of 13.3 dBm and a power gain of 14 dB in the saturation region. An input third-order intercept point (IIP₃) of –3 dBm, an output third-order intercept point (OIP₃) of 21.1 dBm and a power added efficiency (PAE) of 22% were attained, respectively. Finally, the overall power characterization exhibited high gain and high linearity, which illustrates that the power amplifier has a compact circuit size and exhibits favorable RF characteristics. This power circuit demonstrated high RF characterization and could be used for microwave power circuit applications at 5.2 GHz.

Key words: power amplifier; linearizer; MMIC; CPW