0.5 mu m SILICON-ON-SAPPHIRE METAL OXIDE SEMICONDUCTOR FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR FOR RF POWER AMPLIFIER APPLICATIONS

0.5 mu m thin-film Si-on-sapphire (SOS) MOSFETs are investigated for applications in RF power amplifiers. Static and pulsed I-V characteristics are measured to distinguish between fully depleted and partially depleted SOS MOSFETs. Authors performed the first detailed large-signal load-pull characterization of SOS MOSFETs at 2 GHz with a Maury load-pull system with automated tuners. The maximum output power of 18 dBm, maximum gain of 12.5 dB and maximum power-added efficiency of 55% were achieved. Third-order intermodulation and adjacent channel power ratio were measured to characterize the linearity of an SOS MOSFET power amplifier. For the optimum design of RF power amplifiers, impedance matching information is essential as revealed by the large-signal load-pull measurements. 17 refs.