- News
21 October 2011
RFMD launches 280W GaN wideband S-band pulsed power amplifier
RF Micro Devices Inc of Greensboro, NC, USA has launched the RF3928, a 50V, 280W high-power discrete amplifier designed for S-band pulsed radar, air traffic control & surveillance, and general-purpose broadband amplifier applications.
Using a high-power-density gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) process, the amplifiers achieve high pulsed output power of 280W, high drain efficiency of 52%, and flat gain over a broad frequency range (2.8-3.4GHz) in a single hermetic, flanged ceramic package.
Through the use of advanced heat sink and power dissipation technologies, the package provides what is claimed to be excellent thermal stability over the operating temperature of -40°C to 85°C.
In addition, ease of integration is accomplished through the incorporation of simple, optimized matching networks (for high terminal impedances) external to the package that provide wideband gain (with small-signal gain of 12dB) and power performance in a single amplifier.
Also available is an optimized evaluation board layout for 50W operation.
RFMD GaN S-band pulsed power amplifier