Advanced RF CMOS power amplifier with a monolithic high-Q transformer on a thick laminated organic layer

Abstract

We propose a new transformer structure for output matching networks to improve the power-added efficiency (PAE) of CMOS power amplifiers (PAs). To minimize the effects of a lossy silicon substrate, the transformer is realized on a very thick organic layer which is formed by lamination process. The maximum available gain of the transformer is improved from ?1.23 to ?0.68 dB as the insulator thickness is changed from 3 to 60 ��m. As a result, the PAE of the proposed CMOS PA with the proposed monolithic high-Q transformer shows a maximum output power of 24.98 dBm with a 30.49% PAE at 2.4 GHz. ? 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.