New Industry Products

60W GaN Power Amplifier for Commercial and Military Applications

July 28, 2019 by Scott McMahan

The QPA2308 MMIC power amplifier from Qorvo provides high-power density and power-added efficiency for 5GHz to 6GHz RF-based designs. Fabricated on Qorvo's production 0.25μm GaN-on-SiC process, Qorvo says this MIMC power amplifier simplifies system integration and delivers impressive performance in a compact 15.24mm × 15.24mm bolt-down package.

The Qorvo QPA2308 power amplifier features greater than 60W of saturated output power and over 21dB of large-signal gain.

The device's power-added efficiency (PAE) is rated at greater than 47%, and the RF output power where the device begins to draw a positive gate current (PSAT) is measured at 48dBm. Input return loss for the amplifier is  14db to 23dB, while the output return loss is 13dB.

The QPA2308 also has two RF ports that are fully matched to 50Ω, each integrated with dc-blocking capacitors.

Qorvo's QPA2308 features an operating temperature of -40°C to +85°C, and a power dissipation of 140W (at 85°C). The RoHS-compliant amplifier is suitable for RF applications including C-Band radars, satellite (satcom), space communications, and electronic warfare technologies.

Qorvo also offers the QPA2308EVB1 evaluation board.  Constructed from Rogers RO6035HTC dielectric, a high-reliability material specifically used in aerospace and defense projects because of its dielectric constant and low loss, the PCB on the evaluation board features .01in thick, 0.5oz copper on both sides.

Features

  • Frequency Range: 5.0GHz to 6.0GHz
  • PSAT (PIN=26dBm): 48dBm
  • PAE (PIN=26dBm): 47%
  • Power Gain (PIN=26dBm): 22dB
  • Small Signal Gain: > 30dB
  • Bias (pulsed): VD = 28V, IDQ = 1200mA
  • Package Dimensions: 0.6in x 0.6in x 0.138in.
  • Package base is pure Cu offering superior thermal management.