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IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques
Volume 48 Number 12, December 2000

Table of Contents for this issue

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An Active Pulsed RF and Pulsed DC Load-Pull System for the Characterization of HBT Power Amplifiers Used in Coherent Radar and Communication Systems

Caroline Arnaud, Denis Barataud, Jean-Michel Nebus, Jean-Pierre Teyssier, Jean-Pierre Villotte and Didier Floriot

Page 2625.

Abstract:

This paper presents a new automated and vector error-corrected active load-pull system allowing the characterization of microwave power transistors under coherent pulsed RF and pulsed dc operating conditions. In this paper, the use of this system is focused on the characterization of a 240-µm2 GaInP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) (Thomson CSF-LCR, Orsay,France). On one hand, source and load-pull measurements of such a transistor are reported for different pulsewidths. On the other hand, nonlinear simulations based on an electrothermal model of an HBT have been performed and are compared with experiments. Power variations and RF carrier phase shift within the pulse versus input power and junction temperature of the transistor are shown.

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