High power Doherty amplifier using multi-stage modules
AssigneeCree Microwave, Inc.
InventorsRaymond Pengelly, E. Crescenzi, Simon Wood, Tom Dekker
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Abstract
A high power Doherty RF amplifier utilizes multi-stage amplifier modules for both the main amplifier and the peak amplifiers. In one embodiment of a two way two stage amplifier, the first stage of each amplifier module can include signal pre-distortion whereby the first stage compensates for distortion in both the first and second stages. The design is simple and results in a high efficiency amplifier with high gain. In one embodiment, a commercially available CREE PFM1903OSM power module is used in both the main amplifier and the peak amplifier.
Claims16
A high power RF amplifier comprising:
- a) a main amplifier including at least two stages of amplification,
- b) at least one peak amplifier connected in parallel with the main amplifier, each peak amplifier including at least two stages of amplification,
- c) a signal splitter for receiving and splitting an input signal for the main amplifier and the at least one peak amplifier,
- d) first impedance matching circuitry for coupling signals from the signal splitter to inputs to the main amplifier and to the at least one peak amplifier, and
- e) second impedance matching circuitry for coupling amplified signals from the main amplifier and from the at least one peak amplifier to common output.
A RF power amplifier comprising:
- a) a main amplifier including two stages of amplification and biased for class AB operation,
- b) a peak amplifier including two stages of amplification and biased for class C operation,
- c) a signal splitter for receiving and splitting an input signal for the main amplifier and for the peak amplifier,
- d) first impedance matching means for coupling signals from the signal splitter to inputs to the main amplifier and to the peak amplifier, and
- e) second impedance matching circuitry for coupling amplified signals from the main amplifier and the peak amplifier to common output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.