A Quadrature Digital Power Amplifier with Hybrid Doherty and Impedance Boosting for Complex Domain Power Back-Off Efficiency Enhancement

Abstract

A quadrature digital power amplifier (PA) with hybrid Doherty and impedance boosting (HDIB) technique is presented for deep power back-off (PBO) efficiency enhancement in the complex domain. Less power-combining ways and dc power supplies are required for proposed PA comparing to previously reported works with deep PBO efficiency enhancement. A reconfigurable matching network (RMN) based on a novel reconfigurable transformer is proposed with more freedom to achieve a flexible load impedance tuning range of the sub-PAs. The characteristics of the reconfigurable transformer based on tunable inductors are analyzed. Efficiency enhancement is achieved at 3-/6-/9-/12-/15-dB PBOs without any supply switching or PA short-switches. The PA is fabricated in 40-nm CMOS technology with a core size of 0.83 mm2. Operating at 2.3-3.4 GHz, it introduces 24.2-dBm peak Pout with 38.5% peak drain efficiency (DE) at 2.8 GHz. It achieves 38.5%/29.6%/18.4% at 2.8 GHz and 34.7%/26.6%/17.8% DE at 3.3 GHz for 0-/6-/12-dB PBO, 39.3%/29.5%/14.9% at 2.8 GHz, and 35.3%/27.9%/15.9% DE at 3.3 GHz for 3-/9-/15-dB PBO, respectively. For 10-MHz 256-QAM modulation signal, it delivers 16.22-/15.50-dBm average Pout with EVM of -32.3/-33.0 dB, average DE of 24.6%/22.7%, and ACLR of -33.20/-31.54 dBc at 2.8/3.3 GHz, respectively. For 20-MHz 64 QAM modulation signal, it exhibits 16.42-/15.52-dBm average Pout with EVM of -29.1/-29.3 dB, average DE of 24.9%/22.78%, and ACLR of -30.78/-30.74 dBc at 2.8/3.3 GHz, respectively.