A systematic investigation of behavioural model complexity requirements

Abstract

In the design of power amplifiers, it is necessary to model the transistor behaviour at high compression levels and accurately predict load-pull power and efficiency contours as well as harmonics. For this purpose, nonlinear behavioural model approaches have been successfully used, like Cardiff model. In this paper, a systematic study is presented on the complexity required for the Cardiff model to achieve a given precision when targeting different load-pull contour design requirements for a GaN HFET. The study has been performed through simulation and measurements and is aimed at providing a systematic approach to aid in the extraction of accurate and efficient Cardiff behavioural models.