Comparative analysis of influence of non-linear distortion in power amplifier in wireless communications systems with single and multiple orthogonal carrier frequencies

The paper considers the impact of power amplifier’s non-linearity on wireless communication systems with a single carrier (SC) and multiple orthogonal subcarriers (OFDM). Detailed analysis is provided for the impact of non-linearity on generation accuracy of the transmitted signal and the shape of the output spectrum. It is demonstrated that in order to meet standard requirements to the signal generation accuracy and the spectrum mask compliance, a SC system typically has a moderate gain of 1–1.5 dB in comparison with an OFDM system. It is concluded that a decision on the modulation type selection for a wireless communication system should include additional factors beyond the power amplifier non-linearity impact analysis.