A 30-680-MHz GaAs pHEMT Power Amplifier with Guanella-type Transformers Integrated on a Flexible Printed Circuit Board

This paper presents a 30-680 MHz flexible power amplifier based on a 0.25-μm GaAs pHEMT process with off-chip Guanella transformer based matching networks integrated on a lightweight flexible substrate. The fabricated prototype achieves 22 dB gain, 33 dBm OP1dB with 48% peak PAE with flexibility. Both simulations and measurements demonstrate stable gain in the full VHF and part UHF bands. This flexible power amplifier design can be conveniently applied to large complex radio frequency transmission communication systems like flexible active phased arrays to provide the desired conformal capability.