High linearity power operation of AlGaAs/GaAs HBT at 10 GHz

Digital communication requires high linearity operation in both the receiver and the transmitter. AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs have achieved excellent saturated power operation throughout the microwave frequency range. The two-tone test of the HBT at 10 GHz was carried out on both CE and CB configurations. At −44 dBc IMD3, the CE HBT achieved 12 dB gain with a single carrier power density of 0.097 mW/μm2 and 5.8% collector efficiency. These results show that HBT linearity performance is as competitive as the MESFET in power transistor applications.