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Charge-trapping phenomena in radio-frequency (RF) power amplifiers (PAs) based on GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) technology are understood to be responsible for the dynamic self-biasing behavior that leads to a seemingly intractable slow dynamic residual nonlinearity in communications applications. For this reason, and based on recent developments in the characterization and modeling of charge-trapping phenomena, in this article we demonstrate how the dynamic self-biasing behavior of GaN HEMT-based PAs can be characterized, modeled, and compensated. First, we describe a method for the accurate characterization of the capture and emission dynamics of charge-trapping phenomena using transient two-tone large-signal RF measurements. Then, we demonstrate that the accurate modeling of these phenomena is contingent on the capture process being described by a state-variable time constant, rather than a fixed near-instantaneous time constant as is typically assumed. Finally, we propose a fully analog electronic circuit that implements an approximation of the Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) statistics-based physical model of charge trapping to compensate the dynamic self-biasing behavior of a 15 W GaN HEMT-based PA.

High-resolution delay-Doppler estimation is an important requirement for automotive radar systems, especially in multi-target scenarios that require better target separation performance. Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a promising candidate waveform for future intelligent transport networks, since it enables the integration of both radar and communication functionalities. Exploring the dual functionality enabled by OFDM, this paper presents a new cooperative method for high-resolution delay-Doppler estimation. The proposed subspace-based method exploits the combination of both the radar and received communication signals to estimate target parameters. The procedure achieves high-resolution delay-Doppler estimation for both uncorrelated, partially correlated and coherent signals, and enables a significant reduction in the required bandwidth when compared to previous approaches which do not exploit the knowledge of the communication signals. Laboratory measurements at 24 GHz and simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method for the estimation of multiple targets.

In this article, we present an analog circuit for the compensation of long-term memory effects in power amplifiers (PAs) based on GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). The analog compensation circuit (ACC) is supported on a charge-trapping behavioral model that features a state-dependent variable emission time constant, rather than a fixed emission time constant. This allows not only for the more accurate modeling and compensation of the nonlinear long-term memory effects experienced by GaN HEMT-based PAs, but also for the adaptation of the dynamics of the ACC to varying operating conditions, such as the ambient temperature. We demonstrate that the proposed ACC is able to successfully eliminate any multiple-time-constant transient symptom of current collapse following a high-power radio-frequency pulse or two-tone excitation and accurately preserve the class of operation of a GaN HEMT-based PA. Moreover, we also demonstrate that the proposed ACC can aid the linearization of GaN HEMT-based PAs for fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communications, allowing for the reduction in the complexity of the digital predistorter. For a 5G NR time-division duplexing signal with a bandwidth of 20 MHz, the inclusion of the ACC improved out-of-band emissions by over 15 dB and improved the error-vector magnitude by over 10 p.p. at essentially no cost to the PA’s power-added efficiency.

Pulsed radar amplifiers are known to present severe long-term memory effects in their pulse-to-pulse stability. These are usually attributed to electrothermal dynamics or to trapping effects originated in gallium-nitride (GaN) HEMTs. Expanding on our previous work where we devised a method for determining a suitable dynamic variation in the HEMT’s gate–source voltage for compensating these long-term memory effects in single-ended amplifiers, in this article, we present a feed-forward model to calculate this compensation signal in real-time pulsed radar applications.

In this paper, we describe a hybrid analog/digital linearization scheme for GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT)-based power amplifiers that consists of a novel analog feedforward circuit and a conventional generalized memory polynomial (GMP) digital predistorter (DPD). The analog circuit implements a nonlinear filter that compensates the long-term memory effects observed in GaN HEMTs due to the self-biasing behavior caused by electron-trapping phenomena. Experimental tests demonstrate that this linearization scheme achieves a level of intermodulation distortion 6.8 dB better than what can be achieved with just the use of the GMP DPD. This level of distortion is in compliance with the linearity specifications for multicarrier Global System for Mobile communications base station transmitters.

This work is an overview of the current understanding of memory effects arising from AlGaN/GaN HEMT based RF power amplifiers. It reviews the most widely accepted physical sources of those memory effects and their impact on the amplifier's linearizability, to then discuss corresponding circuit design approaches to minimize the phenomena. This is illustrated by results of a power amplifier whose short-term and long-term nonlinear memory is compensated by an analog assisted digital pre-distortion scheme.

In this paper we propose an experimental method for the characterization and extraction of the time constants associated with the charge capture and emission processes of electron-trapping phenomena observed in radio-frequency (RF) power amplifiers (PAs) based on high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). The method consists in the measurement of the transient response of a GaN HEMT-based PA to a series of large-signal two-tone RF excitations with increasing frequency separation, and the successive tracking of the gradual self-biasing experienced by the PA. With little requirements in terms of instrumentation and with applicability to fully assembled PAs, this simple method provides meaningful information on the dynamics of electron trapping close to the actual operating conditions of a GaN HEMT-based PA.

Modern and future transmitter architectures are being driven toward multi-input multi-output (MIMO) transceivers, which make use of several radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers (PAs) to drive an antenna array. When moving to high integration scenarios, as is expected for fifth-generation communications, the isolation between the array and the PAs is often removed. Since the array elements are electromagnetically coupled, the waves fed to the antennas are also driving the output ports of the PAs. This effect creates an apparent variable load at the output of each PA, depending on the operation of the transmitter. In this system, the behavior of each PA cannot be fully described solely as a function of its input, as it will change according to the coupled signal. To predict and understand the behavior of these MIMO systems, simulation becomes a powerful tool. These simulators should be able to reproduce the main figures of merit (FoMs) of the transmitter, namely, output power, distortion, and efficiency. In this paper, we show how a recently proposed dc behavior model and an RF signal behavior model can be used in simulation setups to predict the MIMO transmitter FoMs of interest.

In this paper we describe a method for compensating the pulse-to-pulse instability of GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT)-based power amplifiers (PAs) caused by electron-trapping effects. The method consists in generating a compensation signal based on measured data and using it to offset the dynamic threshold voltage modulation caused by the charge and discharge of the HEMT’s traps. This method was verified with a pulsed radar waveform for moving target indication on a 15 W GaN HEMT-based PA, achieving an improvement of the peak output power of 0.85 dB and an improvement of the pulse-to-pulse amplitude stability of over 20 dB.