Top-down design flows are highly desirable as they provide predictability. If viewed as a series of steps that are repeated or iterated until the simulated performance converges on the desired requirements, it’s easy to miss much of the underlying structure of the design that makes it a repeatable, reliable methodology. Design flows can be viewed in several different ways, and perhaps this is what causes some of the confusion. The paper begins with the concepts of design closure and then describes parametric design as key concepts to understanding each step of the PA design process.ĭesign flows can sometimes appear to be a chaotic affair, but there is a logic and order to walking a design through a process from concept to completion. It highlights the design flow and its essential features for most PA design projects by illustrating a simple Class A GaAs pHEMT monolithic microwave IC (MMIC) PA design using Cadence ® AWR ® Microwave Office ® circuit design software. In this white paper, a gallium arsenide (GaAs) pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) power amplifier (PA) design approach is examined from a systems perspective. More specifically, it is a strategy, design flow, or guidelines for how to begin with requirements and a process design kit (PDK) and arrive at a point where the more complicated requirements can be tackled. The most basic of these skills is the effective use of electronic design automation (EDA) tools for designing the MMIC itself. Moving from one technology to another implies that certain skills and knowledge are transportable and transferable. Similarly, different design challenges demand different amplifier classes and/or topologies like Class AB, Darlington multi-transistor configuration, switch-mode PAs, and digital predistortion. Today’s PA designers working in solid-state technologies must navigate a plethora of available processes, including GaAs, gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) PHEMT, radio-frequency complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (RF CMOS), and GaAs or silicon germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT), to name just a few. The evolution of integrated circuit (IC) technology demands that designers in this field adapt to ever-changing manufacturing techniques driven by performance, cost, benefit, and risk considerations.

Microwave design software