Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
CIRCUITS
..
4
kt- '
. *<..
& %
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Edited by
Joe Johnson
Published by
PREFACE
Even though the science involved with RF power transistors and circuits has come a long way, there
is still a little art associated with a high power circuit design. The intent of this book is to disclose
all of the theoretical techniques and empirical tricks required for'easy circuit design with state-of-art
RF power transistors. The emphasis is on high power circuits! Electronic Engineers need not fear
having to wade through device theory or debates on interdigitated VS. overlay to get one or two
bits of how-to-do-it circuit information.
CTC believes the only way to build the best RF power transistors is to understand the circuit
designer's problems. Each chapter is written by an engineer who grew up with circuits in such
diverse companies as General Electric, Avco, Lenkurt, RCA and Fairchild. In addition, continuous
circuit research must provide new ways to use the state-of-the-art devices. Today, there are many
new, very sophisticated R F power transistors. .Yesterday's circuits will not provide optimum
L
performance from today's high power transistors.
.J
The first section "Basic RF Power Amplifier Considerations" discusses very basic but extremely
important subjects such as Common Base Versus Common Emitter or Thermal Considerations. Even
the experienced design engineer should review the chapters in Section I before reading Section 11,
"General Circuit Techniques". Important chapters such as Microstrip Design, Wideband Matching,
Techniques and Computer Aided Design highlight Section 11. "Special Considerations," Section 111,
concentrates specific circuit design problems. Some of these are Microwave Power Amplifiers,
Combining Techniques, Pulse Circuits and Oscillators. An extensive list of pertinent reference
follows each chapter.
CONTENTS
PAGES
Section I Basic RF Power Amplifier Considerations
Chapter
1 Design Philosophy - Johnson
2 Transistor Mounting Techniques - Johnson
3 Packages - Johnson
4 Thermal Considerations - Johnson, Moutoux
5 RF Components - Johnson
6 RF Measurements - Moutoux
7 Precautions for RF Power Transistors - Johnson
8 Common Base versus Common Emitter - Johnson, Duncan
Section I1 General Circuit Techniques
9 Basic Circuit Design - Johnson, Artigo
Chapter
10 Microstrip Design - Moutoux
11 Stability - Johnson
,
12 Wideband Circuit Design - Max
13 Computer Aided Design - Duncan
Section 111 Special Considerations
Chapter 14 Very High Power Amplifiers - Johnson
15 Microwave Power Amplifier - Herick
1 6 Combining Techniques - Artigo, Max
17 Linear Amplifiers - Max
,I
8 High Efficiency Amplifiers - Johnson
19 Common Base Amplifiers - Herick, Johnson
20 Pulse Circuits - Herick
2 1 Oscillators - Herick
SECTION I
BASIC
RF POWER
AMPLIFIER CONSIDERATIONS
Chapter 1
Design Philosophy
Power Output
REFERENCES
1. Johnson, J.H. and Artigo R., "Fundamentals of Solid State Power-Amplifier
3. Gundlach, R., "Rx for R F Power Transistors," Electronics, May 26, 1969.
Chapter 2
Transistor Mounting
Techniques
Stud Torque
A stud torque of 8 k 1
in-lb should be used when installing a
318" stud transistor; 5 5 1 in-1 b for 114"
stud and 10 + 1 in-lb 112" stud. A
releasing type torque wrench should
always' be used. (Torque Controls;
TS-30).
GE Insulgrease - G-641
Silicone Product Dept. Waterford, N.Y.
Torque Controls - TS-30 South El Monte, California
,I
PCB
I1
P C B
PCB
Iv/////////L 7
*
Proper Mounting Technique
Without Printed Circuit Board
Copper grounding
clips.
Chapter 3
Packages
REFERENCES
1. "Solid State Power Circuits"
Designer's Handbook, 1972.
FIGURE 4
Parasitic Lead Inductance For Common Package
RCA
FIGURE 6 - J4Package
Chapter 4
Therm a1
Considerations
Would quick and easy methods for calculating temperatures a t various thermal interfaces aid your design job? Is it more accurate
to measure thermal resistance using the IR
or VBE methods? How is the IR method done?
How do you minimize total thermal
resistance? Does thermal resistance really
change with temperature, DC to R F or with
VSWR? For success in today's competitive
market, the RF power design engineer must
know the answers to these questions.
Many solid state RF designs were done in
the past with little concern with thermal
properties. This may have been acceptable
with yesterday's low power transistors and
amplifiers; but, with today's super power
transistors, high power amplifiers; and a keen
desire for the ultimate in reliability, the
thermal considerations of the design must be
studied in detail. A low overall thermal
resistance is ,essential for a high power
transistor in order to keep the junction
temperature at a minimum. If the junction
temperature is kept low enough, it is possible
to design a transistor power amplifier that will
last in excess of 500,000 hours. (Figure 8 MTF versus Junction Temperature).
Of equal importance to the transistor
junction t o case thermal resistance is the
thermal resistance between the transistor and
the environment. Each of the interfaces and
layers of material in the heat flow path must
be carefully investigated to insure the proper
FIGURE 8
MTF v s Junction Temperature for
CTC BM80-28
t h e r m a l design. T h e m o s t p o p u l a r
arrangement provides a large finned heatsink
with a short, highly conductive mounting
shelf as shown in Figure 9. The thermal
resistances in the heat flow part are 0 J C
(transistor junction to case), Bc H s (transistor
case to heatsink), 0 shelf and 0 heatsink.
All are very important.
transislot
case
#'JC
heals~nk
mounting
shelf
CCHS
smb~ent
radiation
" heatsink
Shelf
conducuon
TRANSISTOR
,-MOUNTING SHELF
A
AT
=
=
=
=
=
oHS =
FIGURE 9
The heatsiizk is responsible for getting rid
of t h e heat t o t h e environment by
convection and radiation. Because of all the
many heat transfer modes occurring in a
finned heatsink, the easiest way t o obtain the
exact thermal resistance is to measure it.
hA AT
heat flow BTU/hr
coefficient of heat transfer
(BTU/hr ft2 OF)
surface area ft2
temperature difference between
heatsink and ambinet (OF or OR)
thermal resistance =1 hr oF/BTU
hA
L
L
where hr
= t
To illustrate the contribution of both convection and radiation, the thermal resistances of a typical heatsink i s considered.
The shape and size of the heatsink is a s
shown in Figure 9, but with 25 fins.
'
6 Hs by radiation = 1
hr OF/BTU
hrA
t
6 HS
conduction
1
hA
.48 hr OR or
BTU
.91C
watt
radiation
=
1.67 hr
OR
or
3.16OC/watt
BTU
Therefore, the total heatsink thermal resistance is:
heatsink
TIME-MINUTES
FIGURE 10
FIGURE 11
Thermal resistance of the case to
heatsink interface for
various packages
The VB method makes use of the 'nearly
living relationship be tween temperature and
emitter-base voltage. At low current densities,
i.e. collector currents of 0.1% of the nominal
operating current for the device, the change
of voltage w i t h t e m p e r a t u r e will be
approximately - 2nlv/"C. This method involves
the application of a desired dc steady state
voltage and c u r r e n t a n d periodically
interrupting the steady state flow t o sample
tlle emitter base junction voltage at a fixed
low level current. By noting the VB prior to
applying power, one can calculate the A VBE,
divide by t h e temperature coefficient
( a p p r o x i m a t e l y 2mvJC) a n d get a
c o r r e s p o n d i n g A T,. By dividing the
temperature rise by the known applied dc
power, the thermal resistance is obtained. The
junction temperature thus measured is more
or less an average value and will be generauy
lower than that corresponding to the hottest
spot on the transistor:'The failure of the VB
method to measure hot spot temperature is its
chief limitation. The other shortcoming of the
V B E method is its restriction t o measuring
junction temperature under dc rather than R F
operating conditions. These limitations aside,
one can generate some very useful transient
thermal analysis using the V B method that is
n o t possible by presently available IR
techniques. By monitoring the emitter-base
junction with an oscilloscope, one can trace
the cooling curve of the transistor after
removal of power. If the transistor has
reached t h e r m a l equilibrium prior ,to
interruption of power, its cooling curve will
be identical to the heating curve except for
the sign of the slope.
It is interesting to note that most RF and
n~icrowave transistors are not adequately
represell ted by single exponential time
constant. For example, the E 10-28, a I OW, 2
GH, transistor reaches 63% (+)
of its
steady state valve in 370 microseconds. If a
single e x p o n e n t i a l time constant were
adequate, we could say that in four time
constants, the transistor would have reached
within 99% of its steady state temperature
risc. In fact, the E 1 C!-28 has reached only 80%
o f i t s final temperature rise in 1,500
microseconds. Figure 12 is a plbt of the
t r a n s i e n t thermal characteristics of the
E 10-28.
With the advent of suitable infrared
measuring equipment, it is now possible to d o
thermal scans of transistor under a variety of
steady state operating conditions including dc
and RF into matched and mismatched loads.
FIGURE 12
Second, when RF power is applied to the
transistor, the electronic instrumentation used
t o detect the IR radiation is generally
sensitive to any radiated RF. To minimize the
RFI problem, it lzas been found that well
shielded R F circuits are required. If input and
output ~natchingnetworks including chokes
a r e b u i l t o n alumina substrates using
transmission line techniques, the fields are
largely contained within the substrates such
t h a t a d d i t i o n a l shielding is usually
unnecessary. Figure 13 shows a thermal scan
of a 75W power transistor.
FIGURE 14
X-Ray of Die Attach Area
The larger transistors made by CTC are all
ballasted by grading the resistors with higher
values in the center of the die to lower values
near the edge. Thus, the power density in the
center of the chip is slightly lower than
around the edge. The net effort is to maintain
a uniform temperature over the entire chip.
25Oc
1.5
2.9
125'~
1.05
1.9
.85
1.5
.65
1.0
200c
300'~
<
Be0
Si
Temp.
FIGURE 15
Thermal Conductivity of
Silicon and Beo (W/cm " C)
r R F IR SCAN (2GHz)
EIO-28
DIE BASE
AREA=3.2 X 80 MILS
DATA TAKEN BY IR
t.SCAN
-1
-/
20
Oo
20
70
60
80
100
FIGURE 16
Any R F transistor can be ballasted
sufficiently to prevent hot spot formation
under any dc operation conditions within
the maximum voltage and power limits. The
RF performance is so severely degraded that
this compromise is rarely desirable. The
tradeoff between dc safe operating area a,pd
RF power gain and efficiency depends on the
a
desired mode of operation.
Since nearly all RF and microwave
transistors are optiniized for Class C
operation, the designer using Class A or AB
operation is required to use the dc safe
operating area curves presented by the data
sheet or, if not so specified, contact the
manufacturer. CTC has many special
transistors that differ from its standard
products only by virture of the degree of
ballasting. Many transistor types have been
ballasted for Class A or AB operation with
significant improvements in linearity and bias
point stability, but with some sacrifice in RF
gain and efficiency.
Designing for Relaibilitj) - Long term
reliability and low operating junction
temperature go hand in hand. To make any
REFERENCES
1. RCA Designer's Handbook, SOLID
Chapter 5
RF Components
I t i s i m p o r t a n t t h a t y o u get an
understanding. of transistor impedances in the
very beginning. Transistors are low impedance
devices. Designing with low impedance
devices requires special considerations:
0
1. Johnson,
REFERENCES
J.H., And Artigo, R.,
"Fundamentals of Solid State Power Amplifiers Design," QST
Component Type
Application
Manufacturer or Equivalent
Capacitors
Electrolytic
Hi-K Ceramic
My1ar
NPO Ceramic
Dipped Mica
Uncase Mica
NPO Chips
Porcelain Chips
Piston Trimmers
Compression Mica
Distributor item
RMC- J F Series
Distributor item
Distributor item
Distributor item
Underwood Electric
ATC 700 s e r i e s
ATC 100 series
Johanson
~ l e c t r o m o t i v eMfg. Co.
Matching Transformers
R F Chokes
R F Chokes
Ferroxcube
Indiana General
Micrometals
R F Choke
Low Value Resistor
Matching transformerg
Heatsink
Oscillation Supression
Teflon Glass P.C.B.
Epoxy Glass P.C.B.
Adhesive backed conductor
Nytronics
IRC div. of TRW
Precision tubes
Wakefield
Distributor Item
Minnesota Mining & MFG.
General Electric
Minnesota Mining & Mfg.
Cores
Ferite Cores
Ferite Beads
Powered Iron
Other
Molded RFC
Wire Wound Res.
Simi Rigid Coax
Heatsink Material
Carbon Resistors
Board Material
Board Material
Copper Tape
FIGURE 17
Components and Component Manufacturers used in
CTC T e s t Amplifiers
Micrometals Inc.
228 N. Sunset
City of Industry, CA. 9 1747
Tel. 3 12-478-3600
Tel. 2 13-968-47 18
Nytronics Inc.
Orange St.
Darlington, S.C. 29532
Tel. 803-393-542 1
Tel. 3 19-754-849 1
Tel. 203-423-923 1
Tel. 2 15-699-5801
Tel. 6 17-245-5900
Tel. 914-246-28 11
Tel. 5 13-922-094 I
Indiana General Electronic Prod.
Crows Mill Rd.
Keasbey, N. J. 08832
General Electric
Laminated Products Dept.
Coshocton, Ohio 438 12
FIGURE 18
Chapter 6
W Measurements, Power and Impedance
WATTMETER
TYPE
ACCURACY
Calorimeter
Thermoelectric or
Bolometer mount
Termination
type with
diode
detection
reading RF
peaks
< 1%
HARMONIC
INSENSITIVITY
INSENSITIVJTY
TO RADIATED
RESPONSE
Excellent
Very slow
Excellent
Good
Poor
Fast
POWER
Totally
insensitive
Very sensitive,
Poor
Good
I
I
I
I
1I
RF
SOURCE
6 db
I
0-10 db
PAD
1
1
3 db
PAD
OUTPUT
WATTMETER
1
DIRECTIONAL
COUPLER (20 db)
POWER ATTENUATORS
6 db
100 WATT
----PA,
_I
SHIELDED ENCLOSURE
TEST
'
AMPLIFIER
RF
POWER
50n
SOURCE
MIN
3db
FWD/REF
)
POWER
, TEST
CIRCUIT
50 fl
30db
TO VECTOR VOLTMETER
FIGURE 20
Block Diagram of Impedance Measurement Set-Up
POWER
MESR
MOUNTING SECTION
I
----------- --- - - - - -
-------------------'I
I
REFERENCE
PLANE
50n
LOAD
son
SOURCE
L1 a n d L2 a r e intentionally made
somewhat higher values than would be ideal
so as to have adequate tuning range with the
variable capacitors. C1 and C, are placed next
to the body of the transistor. The total
impedance should equal the parallel inductive
impedance of the transistor. (See Chapter 9)
C1 & Cz may not be required for low
frequency or low power transistors.
If after applying RF power and tuning the
input and load, the gain is within a few tenths
of a db of the data sheet curve, the circuit is
disassembled for measurement. If the gain is
well below the anticipated gain, it is likely
FWD
50n
SOURCE
REF
OUTPUT
- DIRECTIONAL - 3 STUB
-COUPLER
TUNER
DC
BLOCK
3 STUB - DIRECTIONAL
TUNER
COUPLER
- .
OR
LOAD
lNPuTb'OAD
TUNER
TO I N W T
OF
NETWORK
ANALYSER
-4
'OAD
BLOCK
TUNER
LOAD
REFERENCES
1. Motorola Application Note AN-282,
"Systemizing R F Power Amplifier
Design."
Chapter 7
Precautions For
RF Power Transistors
16
24
3235
FIGURE 26
Reverse Bias Due to Resistor in Base Return or Emitter
Chapter 8
Common Base
Versus
Common Emitter
COMMON
EMITTER IS
NORMALLY
USED IN
THIS
FREQUENCY
RANGE
COMMON
BASE IS
NORMALLY
USED IN
THIS
FREQUENCl
RANGE c
BASE
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
W#
FREQUENCY
Frequency MHz
FIGURE 27
Common Emitter and Common Base Gain
Common Base
*
REFERENCES
1. D. L. Lohrmann, "Parametric oscillations
in VHF transistor power amplifier,"
Proc. IEEE, Vol. 54, pp. 409-4 10 March
1966
11. T . G . T a t u m , "VHF-UHF p o w e r
transistor amplifier design, Part 111:
Circuit considerations," ITT Application
Notes, AN-1-3, 1967.
SECTION II
GENERAL CIRCUIT
TECHNIQUES
Chapter 9
Basic
Circuit Design
FIGURE 28
Ground Both Emitter Leads At
the Body of The Transistor
GROUND STRAPS
FIGURE 29
Connect the Topside Ground to the
Continuous Back-Side Ground Using Straps
son
WAD
50n
WWT MATCHING
NEWOAK
SOURCE
INWT MATCHING
COLLECTOR mD
FIGURE 31
Typical Transis tor Amplifier
Stage
HIGH
FIGURE 32
L Matching Network
LOW
PARALLEL FORM
SERIES FORM
XP
#
ZM =
,/X'
L2
SOURCE
'-1
.'
7 - -
,['
i.
PARALLEL
TRANSISTOR
INPUT
IMPEDANCE
Ll
COUPLING
CAPACITOR
L2
IMPEDANCE
\
0
IMPEDANCE
'S
16.2
Zm 15 $2 rounded to a convenient number
=
INPUT
MATCHlNO
NETWORK
. .. . -. ....-
NETWORK
L
OUTPUT
MATCHING
NETWORK
I/
INPUT
MATCHING
NETWORK
L
RFC
j
fi
IMPEDANCE
MATCHING
-INPbT
IMPEDANCE
MATCHING
IMPEDANCE
MATCHING
A
COUPLING CAPACITORS
MATCHING
-4
IMPEDANCE
MATCHING
IMPEDANCE
MATCHING
vcc
TYPICAL PARALLEL CIRCUIT
-- C 8
FIGURE 43 - 70 Watt
12 Watt 470 MHz
Two Transistor Amplifier
REFERENCES
1. Black, J.R., "Electro Migration Failure
Modes in Aluminum Metalization for
Semiconductor Devices" IEEE, Volume
57, No. 9 September, 1969.
2. Reich, B. and Hakim, E., "Hot Spot
Thermal Resistance in Transistors" IEEE
Transactions on Electron Devices,
Volume ED-16, No. 2, February, 1966,
pp. 166-171.
3. Steffe, W. and Moutoux, T., "Avoiding
S e c o n d B r e a k d o w n s i n Power
Transistors" The Electronic Engineer,
December, 1967, pp. 65-69.
Megahertz Ratings
7. Magill, L., "Watt
Run Second to High Reliability in
F o r e i g n R F Power Transistors"
Electronics, April 27, 1970, pp. 80-89.
8. Tatum, J. "Fingers in the Die"
Electronics, February 19, 1969, pp.
93-97.
9. Carley, D., "A Worthy Challenger for RF
'The Overlay Transistor" Electronics,
August 23, 1965, pp. 71-84.
10. Carley, D. "A Worthy Challenger for RF
Power Honors" Electronics, February
19, 1968, pp. 98-102.
11. Johnson, J.H. and Mallinger, M. J., "You
Can Depend on Today's RF Transistors"
Electronics, September 13, 197 1, pp.
90-93.
12.Nelson, D., "Higher Power From
Transistors on Six Meters" Ham Radio,
October, 1968.
13. Hej hall, P.C., "Solid State Power
Section I1 Chapter 10
Microstrip Design
*-f
-- C
C = Velocity of light =
3 x 10 cm/seb
h = wavelength in cm
eff
son
FIGURE 44
X/4 Transformer Used for Input Match
The complex impedance of the input is
transferred to a pure real whose value is equal
to the equivalent parallel input resistance. X,
is parallel resonant with the parallel
equivalent input inductance.
DETERMINED-7
/e
O-
FIGURE 46
X Stub used in Output Match
-8-
FIGURE 45
X and h stubs
8
4
The entire input matching network can be
printed. Even the dc feed can be supplied by a
relatively high impedmce h/4 line if low
frequency stability considerations are met.
.2
.3 -4 .5
3 4 5
10
MICROSTRIP W/H
FIGURE 47
- Microstrip Impedance
v s W/H
20 30 40 50
100
REFERENCES
\
'
3. A . Schwarzmann: "Approximate
solutions for a coupled pair of microstrip
Chapter 11
Stability
FREQUENCY (MHz)
FIGURE 50
RF POWER TRANSISTOR
REFERENCES
rn
Chapter 12
W i d e b a , n d I m p e d a n c e Matching
Networks. Stripline, lumped elements or
transformers can be used.
TWISTED PAIR
TRANSMISSION
~~~
TRANSMISSION
LINE
COAXIAL
r--w
- '',!%, '1
<
UNBALANCED
BALANCED
FIGURE 52
1: 1 Unbalanced to Balanced
Impedance Transformer
b)
c)
d)
I n t e r c o n n e c t i o n s such as that in
Figure 51 between terminals (2) and
(3) should be kept as absolutely short as
possible.
ZIN "SRL
i-
FIGURE 54 - X/4-Transformer
RL
(I
:-I-
9: 1 IMPEDANCE
TRANSFORMER
16: 1 IMPEDANCE
FIGURE 55
Matching Networks for Push-Pull
TRANSFORMER
Q u a r t e r W a v e Tra~zsnzission Lirre
Transformers - A comnlon method of
impedance matching in VHF and UHF
applications is through the rise of quarter
wave transmission ,line transformers. The
following relationship applies:
A real impedance R, can be transformed
to a value R2 at a frequency f by
using a length of transmission line such
t h a t the characteristic impedance is
equal to Zo = ,
/=
and the line is
electrically a quarter wave at the
frequency - f (see figure 54 ).
between
A,
and
A2, or
FIGURE 57
T h e 5 0 a transmission i s correctly
transmitted a t all frequencies down to where
the common mode impedance of the 2552 line
is approaching 2552. The operation of the
network is as follows:
son LINE
REFERENCES
1. George L. Matthaei, "Tables of
Chebyshev Impedance-Transforming
Networks of Low-Pass Filter Form",
Proc. IEEE, Vol. 52, pp. 939-964,
August, 1964.
minr*
2*%*
b-
Chapter 13
Computer Aided Design
PROGRAM
SOURCE
COMPACT
Les Besser
165 1 Jolly Court
Los Altos, CA. 94022
(41 5) 968-7025
MAGIC
OPTINET
SECTION Ill
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Chapter 14
Very High Power
Amplifiers
Chapter 15
Microwave
Power Amplifiers
COMMON
EMITTER IS
NORMALLY
USED IN
THIS
FREQUENCY
RANGE
COMMON
BASE IS
NORMALLY
USED IN
THIS
FREQUENCY
RANGE
z
u
(3
*
r
I
I
I
I
wz
"0
FREQUENCY
FIGURE 6 1
Common Base and Common
Emitter Power Gain
Therefore it is generally not necessary t o
decouple base and collector bias leads to the
extent t h a t common emitter devices are.
(Compare typical circuits of various device
manufacturers for common emitter' and
common base devices). The above comments
21,
ZL + z0 TANH (. Y+jp-6
20 Zo + ZL TANH (a/+ j pR)
ZIN
20
S h u n t i n d u c t o r s may be realized in
microstrip circuitry by a short circuited stub
of length less than h/4. With ZL = 0:
I-- 1 4
2
21,-j Z0 T A N 8 y - j z oT A N L R
Ao
IN
10-0
2 IN
GH,.
FIGURE 61A
- Microstrip
Corners
T h e cu t-off
waveguide is:
fnm
C Jay+(%)$ ( ~
2d
2b
2a
12
6.0")
cr =
1.0",
REFERENCES
1. Hewlett Packard Application Note 95 "S
P a r a m e t e r s - Circuit Analysis and
D esign"
FIGURE 62
Chapter 16
Combining Techniques
b5 m@St fl'i%~l#!Sn~
fWI@Z3*
ma*^^
output power E V S U ~ ~ I B f a m a
transistar is pr@:9&n%/y
in thd nei&borhoad 4%
106 wattsd &my sya%&rm
a$g;licatims muir ire
wlid &t@ trafism1ws with cwtgat p ~ w m
levels np thraugh a l & ~ w z t tTo acH;eve
hs,gk power s y & t ~~rn'oifdng
t&aiqu~$
mwgt ba uad %og u m tB@ en@$@ham ICVWJ
giiggle f r8nsl~tor arnplifim b i ~ a : h me
f ~ f l ~ *~.&Bh g@p'%gi ~f C Q ~ E ~ ~ ~ &u
I T S b1&
&a'
C o m b i n e t w o m o d u l e s w i t h 90"
~ombinersto create a solid 50tZ double
building block.
Combine these 50tZ blocks with 180"
combiners to achieve a push-pull affect
and further reduce even harmonic levels.
Both 90" and 180" combiners can be
purchased as "off-the-shelf" items from
several manufacturers.
50
INPUT
30w
Wilkinsorz
N - W a y Corn bincr - The
Wilkinso n N-way combiner consists of
N-quarter wavelength lines which will split a
signal in N equiphase, equiamplitude parts, or
c o m b i n e N coliere~~tsignals. Difference
resistors between output/input ports are used
to provide isolation. The isolation and VSWR
of the Wilkinson N-way combiner depends
primarily on the phase characteristics of the
quarter wave lines. Hencc, this class of
c o m b i n e r s i s basically narrow-band.
Wide- band applications require cascading
q u a r t e r - w a v e s e c t i o n s with s t e p p e d
characteristic impedance for an optimum
design with a Chebyshev response.
PA/^
AT 160 MHz
--i
zo=son-
FIGURE 67
144 t o 175 MHz %way Singlc Section Conlbiner
Note: For a 2-way con1biner, the internal
load resistors (R,) can be replaced by a single
resistor equal to 2 R,.
REFERENCES
1. Ernest J. Wilkinson; "An N-Way Hybrid
Power Divider", PGMTT Transactions, p
I 16-118, January 1960.
2. James A . Benjami11; "Use Hybrid
J u n c t i o n s f o r More VHF Power",
Chapter 17
Linear Amplifiers
ID"
K (Vcc - V sat)'
2 Pout
R~
FIGURE 68
Effective Load Impedance
It is also important that the effective
impedance presented t o the transistor chip be
real, or as nearly real as possible.
Cross-over distortion can be minimized by
slightly D.C. Forward biasing the transistors.
The exact amount of static collector current
depends on the amount of linearity required
and the minimum power level of interest.
Typically, 50 to 100 ma will suffice. The
voltage between the base and emitter (VBE )
which produces the desired static collector
current should be noted. The value of the
D.C. voltage ( V B E ~ froin
)
base to emitter
t h a t produces the best linearity at the
maximum desired power output should also
be noted along with the total D.C. collection
current (I,,), at this output power level.
Knowing these values and knowing the value
of the D.C.0 ( H F E ) of the transistor, the value
o f o p t i m u m effective D.C. bias source
impedance can be approximated by the
following equation:
5.
.a+
6
?
* # '
mm
FIGURE 72,
FIGURE 70
Is = SJPRlER m
cnmmmisnc
T (IN mA)
PERR)RMAME
OF A B Y B T ~
FIGURE 7 1
The key elements of a BYISTOR are:
RI
IKECtOR
SUPPLIER
IS
CZ
-- --
CI
REFERENCE
+
"BE
FIGURE 73.
I
LINEAR
AMPLIFIER
SOURCE
( I F REQUIRED)
POWER
SPECTRUM
ANALYSER
OUTPUT
WATTMETER
INPUT
WATTMETER
*
REFERENCES
6. S n e l l i n g , " F e r r i t e s f o r Liitear
Applications," IEEE Spectrum, January,
1972
7. Anderweg, Thea, Hurk, "A Discussion of
t h e Design and P r o p e r t i e s of a
High-Power T r a n s i s t o r f o r Single
Sideband Applications.''
Chapter 18
High Efficiency
Amplifiers
:-i
FREQUENCY MHz
FIGURE 75
REAL LOAD
% OF IDEAL RL
FIGURE 76
Gain & Efficiency for Different
Load Impedance
Low resistivity
I
-
REFERENCES
1. D.M. Snider, "A theoretical analysis and
e x p e r i m e n t a l confirmation of the
optimally loaded and overdriven RF
power amplifier." IEEE Trans., Vol.
ED-14, No. 12, December 1967, pp.k
85 1-857.
.%
FIGURE 77
Collector Matching Network Stub
The probable explanation for how such a
matching step improves efficiency is that the
second harmonic load is an open at the
physical collector. The transistor is then
switching in a more or less square wave
fashion. While improving the efficiency, the
s t u b s also lower the output harmonics.
Typically the second harmonic will be down
45 db.
Additional improvement is sometimes
possible by using a stub to short the third
harmonic. This is not typically worth the
effort.
Improvements that are quite significant can
be achieved by adding a small inductance to
the emitter lead for a common emitter
amplifier. This, of course, decreases the gain.
It is very interesting to note that some of the
latest internally matched transistors have very
low common lead inductance for a high gain
and poor efficiency.
It is important to emphasize that designing
for maximum efficiency is a compromise
situation. You must sacrifice parameters such
as ruggedness, gain, and bandwidth. Also
remember to look at overall efficiency and
2. D. R. L o h r m a n n, "High-efficiency
transistor CW R F power amplifier."
USArmy, ECOM-2836, May 1967.
3. 0. Pitzalis, T.P. Course, "Broadband
transformer design for RF transistor
p o w e r amplifiers." Electronics
Com ponents Conference, May 1968,
Proceedings, pp. 207-2 16.
Chapter 19
Common Base
Amplifiers
ADDITIONAL
COMMON LEAD
SHUNT
SHUNT
PDUCTANC
SHUNT
CAPACITORS
'7
MATCHING
NETWORK
MATCHING
NETWORK
1
.
I
I
0
Chapter 20
Pulse Circuits
'It
5:.
SEC
TIME
SINGLE
1-1
SEC
L V ~ ~ "CBO
O
vce
c =-
1A
A
If 1 = 2A
Chapter 2 1
Oscillators
,--.
CI I S A BYPASS
REFERENCES
1. Hewlett Packard, Application Note 95
"S. Parameters - Circuit Analysis and
Design"
2. RCA "Solid-S ta te Power Circuits"
Technical Series SP-52.
t
-
G u e s s i n g i n Oscillator Design:'
Microwaves October, 1970.
Z