WARF TECHNOLOGIES

Silicon is a relatively inexpensive material for making integrated power amplifiers for communications devices such as cell phones; however, these power amplifiers are generally limited to low power at high frequencies.

UW-Madison researchers have developed a silicon-based bipolar transistor and an associated configuration that allow for maximum power performance at high frequencies. The transistor can be either a silicon bipolar junction transistor or a silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor. The invention uses a common-base amplifier design rather than a common-emitter design with easy and effective ballast-resistor-free control of current hogging to provide maximum power gain and efficiency at radio frequencies, including microwave frequencies.

• Wireless power transmissions, particularly for automotive collision avoidance, WLAN point-to-point security communications and cell phone applications

• Provides improved power gain and efficiency at high frequencies
• Can be used with a variety of silicon transistor types
• Eliminates need for ballast resistors to improve power gain
• Exhibits significantly reduced sensitivity to heating
• Effectively uses the high breakdown voltage of a common-base transistor for improved mismatch ruggedness
• Maximizes the advantages of BiCMOS integration and make BiCMOS more competitive than III-V technologies

For More Information About the Inventors

• Zhenqiang Ma

Tech Fields

• Information Technology : Networking & telecommunications