Summary

Description

In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. and the University of Washington detail the development of a novel, high performance Ka band power amplifier for EVA radio applications. Key innovations of our approach include: a) The application of a class-E power amplifier to ensure high power efficiency, b) The EER power amplifier topology to enhance the linearity performance of the class-E amplifier, and c) a novel design of a CMOS class-G dual-supply modulator to further improve the power efficiency for modern modulation signals with high peak-to-average ratios. With such innovations, the proposed Ka band power amplifier has the following merits: a) Small form factor and low power consumption, b) Excellent linearity performance and large dynamic range, c) Fully compatible with modern digital signals and modulation techniques, d) Compatible with mature CMOS technology, and e) Extendable for multi-band and multi-carrier applications.