Tuned semiconductor amplifier
AssigneeMACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.
InventorsWalter H. Nagy, Lyndon Pattison
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Abstract
Methods and structures for improving the performance of integrated semiconductor transistors operating at high frequency and/or high power are described. Two capacitors may be connected to an input of a semiconductor transistor and tuned to suppress second-harmonic generation and to transform and match the input impedance of the device. A two-stage tuning procedure is described. The transistor may comprise gallium nitride and may be configured as a power transistor capable of handling up to 1000 W of power. A tuned transistor may operate at frequencies up to 6 GHz with a peak drain efficiency greater than 60%.
Claims34
A power transistor comprising:
- a plurality of semiconductor transistors connected in parallel;
- a first capacitive shunt connected to gate contacts of the semiconductor transistors;
- and
- a second capacitive shunt connected to gate contacts of the semiconductor transistors, wherein a peak of a resonance loop for an S11 scattering-parameter curve determined at an input node that is common to an electrode of the first capacitive shunt and looking toward the power transistor and with the second capacitive shunt disconnected is at a frequency that is approximately twice a target frequency for the power transistor.
A method for making at least one power transistor having a two-capacitor input network, the method comprising:
- altering a value of a first capacitor in a first capacitive shunt to obtain a first capacitor value at which a resonance loop of an S11 scattering-parameter curve at an input node that is common to an electrode of the first capacitor and looking toward the power transistor has a peak at a frequency that is approximately twice a target frequency for the power transistor, wherein the first capacitive shunt is connected to at least one gate contact of the power transistor;
- adding a second capacitive shunt that is connected to at least one gate contact of the power transistor;
- altering a value of a second capacitor in the second capacitive shunt to obtain a second capacitive value at which an input impedance at an input to the second capacitive shunt is approximately equal to a target impedance value;
- and
- making at least one power transistor having a first capacitor with the first capacitor value and a second capacitor with the second capacitor value in the two-capacitor input network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.