Application of a rat-race coupler in low-cost load and source pull transistor amplifier design

A method for load and source pull is proposed in which rat-race couplers with sections of shorted transmission lines are used. It is shown that the connection of a rat-race coupler with two shorted transmission lines allows for realization of any desired impedance, thus, allowing for effective transistor matching and, therefore, achieving maximum output power. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results are presented showing usefulness of the proposed technique. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2537–2541, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24668

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