A 6--18-GHz, 10-W GaN Balanced Power Amplifier Employing Harmonic Suppression and Harmonic Phase-Control Techniques

This letter presents a 6–18-GHz, 10-W balanced power amplifier (BPA) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) fabricated in a 0.25-$\mu $m gallium nitride on silicon carbide (GaN-on-SiC) high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) process. To meet the stringent harmonic suppression requirements of ultrawideband radar, electronic-warfare systems, and satellite-communication applications, a modified elliptic-filter output matching network is proposed and combined with a harmonic phase-control technique to boost power-added efficiency (PAE) and pout uniformly across the full band. Under continuous-wave measurement conditions, the MMIC delivers a power gain of 19.7–21.2 dB, a saturated output power of 40.2–41.1 dBm, and a PAE of 24%–36% over the entire 6–18-GHz band. Second-harmonic suppression (H2S) is −45.6 dB at 10 GHz, and spurious-emission suppression exceeds 70 dB. The DC supply voltage is 24 V, and the core chip occupies 15.2 mm2, demonstrating a highly compact balanced architecture.