GaN power amplifier for wideband designs in a small footprint

Analog Devices HMC8205 gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifier is now being stocked by Mouser. Covering the 300MHz-to-6GHz spectrum, the highly integrated wideband MMIC RF amplifier offers significant benefits for system designers of applications including radar, public mobile radio, wireless infrastructure, and general-purpose amplification test equipment requiring pulse or CW support. The GaN MMIC amplifier offers excellent integration, efficiency, gain, and wide bandwidth in a small footprint. The small device needs minimal external circuitry, reducing overall component count and board space. The device combines DC blocking capacitors, DC feed/RF bias choke, and driver stage on a single design while delivering 45.5dBm (35W) with up to 44% PAE across an instantaneous bandwidth of 0.3GHz to 6GHz. The amplifier is supported by the EVAL-HMC8205 a two-layer evaluation board that includes the HCM8205 amplifier, 50Ohm coaxial RFIN and RFOUT connectors, and a copper heat spreader for thermal relief. The board also includes mounting holes that enable engineers to add an external heat sink for improved thermal management.