Development of a tunable power amplifier for handsets

移动手持射频功率放大器(PA)是加拿大无线经济的关键和具有竞争力的组成部分。与基础设施功率放大器不同，移动功率放大器在尺寸和成本上受到严格限制，并且需要处理环境、工作频率和调制类型的大动态变化。到目前为止，为了满足这些不同的需求，移动功率放大器被过度构建，导致性能下降、手机电池寿命缩短和过热。在PA中引入可调元素允许动态优化以缓解这些问题。 研究将从了解LTE的移动发射机规范开始，因为这被认为是最受欢迎和最具挑战性的网络。接下来将研究目前的功率放大器半导体技术，如GaN HBT、GaN PHEMT，以及可能的SiCMOS，以适应集成的可调元件。 功放性能的预期改进将通过关注频率范围扩展、效率、尺寸、线性度、负载变化、低电压操作和温度来模拟。这种模拟还将评估商业上可用的调谐技术的可行性和要求。一旦选择了合适技术的功率放大器，将制造一个调谐子系统，与功率放大器集成，并对系统进行测量。 黑莓有限公司是加拿大领先的电信公司和手机制造商。它以微波无线电技术的创新和高标准而闻名世界，可调发射机为其提供了直接的竞争优势。

Mobile handset radio frequency power amplifiers (PA) are a critical and competitive component of Canada's wireless economy. As opposed to infrastructure PAs, mobile PAs are severely restricted in size and cost, and are required to deal with large dynamic changes in environment, operating frequency and modulation types. So far, mobile PAs are overbuilt to meet these disparate demands, resulting in reduced performance, reduced handset battery life and excessive heating. Introducing tunable elements into a PA allows dynamic optimization to mitigate these problems. Research will begin with understanding mobile transmitter specifications for LTE, as this is considered the most popular and challenging network. This will be followed by a study of present PA semiconductor technologies, such as GaAs HBT, GaN pHEMT, and possibly SiCMOS, for amenability to integrated tunable elements. Expected improvements in PA performance will be simulated with attention to frequency range extension, efficiency, size, linearity, variance in loading, low voltage operation and temperature. Such simulation will also assess the viability and requirements of commercially available tuning technologies. Once a PA of appropriate technology is chosen, a tuning sub-system will be fabricated, integrated with the PA, and the system measured. BlackBerry Ltd. is a leading Canadian telecommunications company and mobile handset manufacturer. It is well known worldwide for innovation and high standards in microwave radio technology, for which tunable transmitters offer a direct competitive advantage.