Gallium Nitride Power Amplifiers for Ka-Band Satcom Applications: Requirements, Trends, and the Way Forward

The current trend in satellite communications is moving toward high carrier frequencies and complex modulated signals, which have a nonconstant envelope, such as quadrature amplitude modulation and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. This trend has a significant impact on the design of the transmitter and in particular of the power amplifier (PA) from both the energy consumption and linearity standpoints. Energy-efficient PAs are crucial for reducing the cost of satellite transmitters. Poor efficiency can negatively impact power budget, thermal design, and weight.