Power amplifier memory-less pre-distortion for 3GPP LTE application

A new and simple Power Amplifier (PA) linearization method is proposed and demonstrated using a very high efficiency yet inherently nonlinear inverse class-F PA. This was conducted in the presence of a generic variable envelope RF signal in order to extract its AM-AM and AM-PM characteristics. Deducing the polynomial pre-distortion parameters from the AM-AM and AM-PM characteristic has resulted in the successful linearization of the PA in the presence of 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) signals. The results obtained for the PA - a 12W GaN HEMT inverse Class-F structure designed to operate at 900MHz - demonstrate the proof of concept and the efficiency of the proposed linearization technique with significant advantageous reduction in base-band resources for 3GPP LTE applications.

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