An S-band GaN on Si based 1kW-class SSPA system for space wireless applications is proposed. Since high-efficiency and high-reliability amplifier is one of the most important technologies for power and communication systems in a future space base station on a planet, compact, high-power, and high-efficiency SSPA is strongly requested instead of TWTA. Thus, we adopt GaN on Si based amplifier due to its remarkable material properties. At the beginning, thermal vacuum and radiation test of GaN on Si are conducted so as to confirm the space applicability. Fabricated SSPA system consists of eight 200W HPAs and coaxial waveguide power combiner. It achieves high efficiency such as 57% of drain efficiency and 87% of combining efficiency when RF output power achieves more than 60dBm. Furthermore, long-term stable operation and good phase noise characteristics are also confirmed.

Abstract The concept, state of the art, and future development directions of hybrid semiconductor integrated circuits (HySICs), which combine RF-CMOS ICs with compound semiconductor monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) are described in this paper, taking up recent wireless technologies as example applications. It is shown that ICs with superior function can be designed by mixing the optimal characteristics from the different semiconductors. To realize new semiconductor ICs, several component technologies for RF-HySIC are introduced in terms of chip/MMIC design, measurement, and breadboard model fabrication. A prototype RF-HySIC is described for the combination of a GaN Schottky barrier diode with a Si RF-IC matching network developed at 5.8GHz. A GaN diode structure, measurement and characterization of nonlinear devices, a GaN amplifier, and a GaAs MMIC are introduced as component technologies. In addition, the design for using an RF-CMOS matching network circuit with a size of 1.2mm × 2.3mm and room-temperature chip/wafer direct bonding under high-pressure conditions are explained. For advanced and autonomous ICs, HySIC and chip/MMIC topologies combined with a processor are proposed for application of HySIC to wireless sensor systems.

As a solver in a simulator, advantages of use of a wavelet function were investigated for analysis of a dipole antenna using the Moment Method. Realization of a sparse matrix due to orthogonality and due to inherent nature of the wavelet is confirmed by observing an impedance matrix using each Daubechies' wavelet. Calculated results of the input impedance, the impedance matrix, and the current distribution are compared in variation of the wavelet in two integral equations for a dipole antenna. Use of the Daubechies' wavelet of the high number with a small matrix and a threshold in the Hallen's Integral Equation is suitable for the reduction of the matrix size and of the calculation cost.

This paper describes a concept of the quasioptical spatial power combining technique and its demonstration of active integrated antenna arrays with strong coupling as an actual example of high efficient combiner in high frequencies. Some configurations of the arrays such as a 3-element linear array and a 33 array are designed with a circuit and electromagnetic simulator. In order to predict the operating frequencies, large signal FET model parameters are determined from measured small signal S-parameters.

Compact and planar active integrated antenna arrays with a high power multi-stage amplifier were developed with effective heat sink mechanism. By attaching an aluminum plate to the backside of the creased amplifier circuit board, effective cooling can be achieved. The nonlinear behavior of the amplifier agrees well with the simulation based on the Angelov model. The high power amplifier circuit consisted of the three-stage amplifier and operated with an output power of 4 W per each element at 5.8 GHz. The 32-element active integrated antenna array stably operated with the output power of 120 W under the effective heat sink design. With a weight of 4 kg, the weight-to-output power ratio and the volume-to-output power ratio of the antenna array are 33.3 g/W and 54.5 cm3/W, respectively. Wireless power transmission was also successfully demonstrated.

The high performance GaN power amplifier circuit operating at 7.1 GHz was demonstrated for potential use such as in a space ground station. First, the GaN HEMT chips were investigated for the high power amplifier circuit design. And next, the designed amplifier circuits matching with the load and source impedance of the non-linear models were fabricated. From measurement, the AB-class power amplifier circuit with the four-cell chip showed the power added efficiency (PAE) of 42.6% and output power with 41.7dBm at -3dB gain compression. Finally, the good performance of the power amplifier was confirmed in a 20-way radial power combiner with the PAE of 17.4% and output power of 52.6 dBm at -3dB gain compression.

This paper presents the characterization and validation of a time-domain physical model for illuminated high-frequency active devices and shows the possibility of use of the electromagnetic analysis of FDTD not only for electromagnetic interaction and scattering but also for the device simulation as a good candidate for a microwave simulator. The model is based on Boltzmann's Transport Equation, which accurately accounts for carrier transport in microwave and millimeter wave devices with sub-micrometer gate lengths. Illumination effects are accommodated in the model to represent carrier density changes inside the illuminated device. The simulation results are compared to available experimental records for a typical MESFET for validation purposes. Simulation results show that the microscopic as well as the macroscopic characteristics of the active device are altered by the light energy. This fact makes the model an important tool for the active device design method under illumination control.