A 174 W high-efiiciency GaN HEMT power amplifier for W-CDMA base station applications

K. Joshin, T. Kikkawa, H. Hayashi, T. Maniwa, S. Ydkokawa', M. Yokoyama', N.Adachi' and M.Takikawa

Fujitsu LaboratoriesLtd. and *Fujitsu Quantum Devices Ltd.
10-1 Morinosato-Wakamiya,Atsugi, Japan
T!3L+8 1-46-250-81 87, FAX:+8 1-250-4337, Email: joshin@labs.fujitsu.com

Abstract
AIGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been developed for current-collapse-free
operation at high drain bias voltages. The newly designed single-chip GaN HEW amplifier for W-CDMA h e
station applications achieves a record CW output power of 150 W with a high power-added efficiency (F'AE) of 54%
at 2.1 GHz. The amplifier, combined with a digital pre-distortion (DPD) system, also demonstrates a state of the art
efficiency of 40% with an adjacent channel leakage power ratio (ACLR) of less than -50 dBc for 4 4 e i W-CDMA
signals and reaches the saturated peak power level of 174 W with a drain supply voltage of 63 V. We prove for the
first time that the AIGaN/GaNHEMT amplifier can completely fulfills the W-CDMA system requirement.
Introduction
RF power efficiency is a key feature for high-power base station amplifiers in wireless communication systems.
In the last few years the output power of AIGaNIGaN HEMTs has steadily increased up to 100 W for the L-band
frequency range [I, 21. Their power-added efficiency, however, still remains less than 50%. In this paper high-power
and high-efficiency performance is simultaneously achieved in currentallapse-free operation of AIGaN/GaN
HEMTs, especially at high drain bias voltages.
Device technology
To suppress the frequency dispersion related instabilities, such as large-signal current collapse and gm
dispersion, we introduced an n-type doped GaN cap layer into AICiaN/GaN HEMTs and controlled the
polarization-induced surface charges [3]. In this wok, the AIGaN/GaNHEMT was further optimized to remove a
residual current collapse in Fig. 1 and RF power efficiency decline 141 at high drain bias voltages. Since the residual
current collapse occurs strongly near a pinch-off region as initial bias voltage in Fig. 1, the quality of the GaN
buffer layer has been improved so as not to suffer fram the virtual back gate instability in Fig.2, in addition to the
optimization of n-type doping and the thickness of the GaN cap layer. As a result, residual current collapse does not
occur in the AIGaNIGaN HEMT even at high drain bias voltages of up to 50 V, as shown in Fig. 3. A standard
deviation of the maximum drain current is only 13 mNmm across a 2 inch wafer. This good uniformity is favorable
to a uniform operation in a large gate-periphery power device.
RF power performance
The current-collapse-free AICaN/GaNHtIMT die was mounted on a conventional metavceramic package. The
gate periphery is 36 mm with a unit gate width of 400 pm, as shown in Fig. 4. A single-chip amplifier was designed
for W-CDMA base station applications with a frequency of 2.1 GHz. Its measured CW output power reaches 150 W
with a maximum PAE of 54% and linear gain of 12.9 dE4 at a drain supply voltage of 63 V (Fig. 5). Figure 6 shows
the drain supply voltage dependence of the power amplifier performance. The PAE decline is drastically improved
due to the current-collapse-he operation. The measured RF power performance is compared to the previously
reported data in Fig. 7. To OUT knowledge, this is the first report that an output pawer of more than 100 W has been
simultaneously achieved with a PAE of more than 50%.
Furthermore the AIGaNIGaN HEMT amplifier was embedded in the DPD system, which was developed for
practical W-CDMA base station amplifiers (Fig. 8). The DPD system controls a pre-distorted input signal into the
power amplifier to cancel out the nonlinearity of the power amplifier. A smaller memory-effect is required for the
power amplifier in this type of pre-distortion compensation system. The measured spectrum in Fig. 9 shows that the
AIGaN/GaN HEMT amplifier works well with the DPD system for 4-carrier W-CDMA signals and fulfills the
W-CDMA system requirement. The amplifier demonstrates the state of the art drain efficiency of 40% with an
ACLR of less than -50 dBc in Fig. IO. The amplifier also reaches the saturated peak power level of 174 W in the
W-CDMA modulation scheme at a drain supply voltage of 63 V (Fig, 11).
These high-power performance results of the AIGaNIGaN HEMT amplifier with the gate periphery of only 36
mm are expected to be due to there not being any current collapse in the optimized device structure in addition to the
high thermal conductivity of GaN and S i c substrate.
Conclusion
In summary, we have demonstrated successful AlGaN/GaN HEMT operation with no current collapse at high
drain bias voltages of up to 50 V. To our knowledge, the AIGah/GaN HEW exhibited the highest output power of
150 W with a high power-added efficiency of 54% for CW operation and the saturated peak power of 175 W in
practical W-CDMA modulation scheme. These results show promise for the application of AIGaN/GaN HEMTs to
the wireless infrastructure market, especially 3rd-generation base station power amplifiers.
References
.
111 W. L. Pribble. etal.. IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Svmo.
i 2 i Y. o ~ m u t oit
-
. Dieest. no.
_ . 1819-1822.2002.
, d.,iL:m MTTS In[. Mtcmwave Symp Digest, pp 225-2211.20U3.
131 K. Kikkawa, et al..lEEC IEDM Tzch. DigcsL pp. SR5-5t%,200l
141 K. Kikkawa, et al., IEEC M i m KFICSymp. Digest, pp. 167-170.2003.

12.6.1
0-7803-7872-5/03/$17.00 02003 IEEE IEDM 03-983
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HEMT with surface-charge-controlled n-GaN-cap
structure (SCCS). Growth conditions of GaN buffer
layer are optimized to suppress the virtual back gate
effect.

0 5 10 15 20 25gO
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Fig. 1. DC- and pulse-mode drain I-V characteristics of Fig. 4. Photograph of AIGaN/GaN HEMT chip.
the previously reported SCCS AIGaNIGaN HEMT [3] The total gate width is 36 nun with a unit gate width of
at an initial bias voltage of (a) Vos=20 V, VGS=-2V. 400 pm.
However, @) a residual current collapse occurs at higher
initial drain bias voltages of VDS=50V, VGS=-2V and
VGs= 1.5 V.
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improved SCCS AIGaN/GaN HEMT initially biased at VDS=50 chip AIGaN/GaN HEMT amplifier at 2.1 GHz.
V and V,,=-2 V. The residual current collapse is improved. Quiescent drain current is 500 mA at VDs=63 V.

12.6.2
984-IEDM 03
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power Po,, Gain C , and power-added efficiency output power Po,,, of AIGaNIGaN HEMTs at L-band
qm,of AlGaN/GaN HEMT amplifier at 2.1 GHz. eequency range.
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Fig. 8. AIGaNIGaN HEMT amplifier is embedded in Fig. 9. Spectrum of W-CDMA output signal with (a)
W-CDMA digital pre-distortion system. Re-distorted and without (b) digital pre-distortion correction at
signal adaptively cancels out the nonlinearity of PA. PAvG=44.58a m , P,=52.14dBm and VDs 4 0 V.

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without digital pre-distortion correction at V,, =55 V this work, it reaches 150 W for CW operation and 114 W
and I,,q=400 mA. (P,,=52.42 a m ) in the W-CDMA modulation scheme.

12.6.3
IEDM 03-985