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In this paper, an augmented dual-band digital predistortion (DPD) technique for reducing the cross-band intermodulation distortion (IMD) using predictive injection technique is proposed to address some of the shortcomings of dual-band DPDs. The technique alleviates the need to observe the cross-band third-order IMD (IMD3) terms in the feedback loop by predicting the distortion terms and generating synthetic signals, which are then injected at the transmitter side. To highlight the issue, the wideband and dual-band DPD architectures and their respective limitations are briefly outlined. The theory behind the proposed concept is developed, and practical measurements performed using a Class AB power amplifier driven by a long-term evolution signal are provided to support the theory. The results obtained show that the proposed method achieves promising performance in mitigating the cross-band IMD3 issue faced by dual-band DPDs. This technique can be extended to mitigate higher order cross-band distortion as well. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports a new measurement method for wideband radiofrequency power amplifier (PA) characterization and digital predistortion. The proposed measurement procedure significantly relaxes the sampling rate requirement on the analog-to-digital converters of the feedback path. Successful PA linearizations were achieved in the presence of 20, 40, and 60-MHz LTE-A signals using a vector signal analyzer with sampling speeds equal to only 24, 40.96, and 61.44 Ms/s, respectively. Despite these very low sampling rates, a quasiperfect cancellation of the PA distortions was achieved (more than 50 dBc in terms of ACLR), in all tests, over bandwidths including up to fifth-order intermodulation distortions. Such a correction bandwidth is much wider than the observation bandwidths associated with the receiver sampling rates. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports an envelope tracking (ET) transmitter architecture for multi-band/widely-spaced carrier signals. Due to the bandwidth limitations of the envelope modulator, the dynamic supply voltage is controlled by combining the low frequency envelopes of the multi-inputs rather than the true composite envelope of the input signals. The ET transmitter is tested for dual-band and tri-band power amplifiers (PAs) operating in concurrent mode using various bandwidth carrier aggregated long term evolution (LTE) signals. The transmitter is linearized using a phase-aligned Volterra digital predistortion that considers the inter-modulation distortion (IMD) products around the carrier frequencies as well as the third-order IMD products in the tri-band case. Experimental results are shown to validate the proposed techniques for linearization and efficiency enhancement of the multi-band ET transmitter and compared to the case of fixed supply biasing of the PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a method for pruning power amplifier (PA) behavioral models and digital predistorters based on compressed sampling theory. Using this method, the number of coefficients required by behavioral models and predistorters can be significantly reduced while achieving comparable performance in terms of both modeling accuracy and suppressing distortions. Hardware measurements obtained for a Doherty PA driven by a five-carrier 100-MHz wide long-term evolution-advanced signal demonstrate the capability of the proposed method to linearize a highly nonlinear PA prototype using a minimal number of coefficients, revealing the attractive properties of the proposed method and its desirable performance. Using the proposed technique, predistorters achieving similar linearization performance while requiring significantly less coefficients than the traditional models were demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the novel architecture of a dual-input and digitally driven Doherty amplifier is proposed with the aim of improving the performance of gallium–nitride (GaN) Doherty transmitters. In this work, the power efficiency is enhanced by using digital adaptive phase alignment to compensate for performance degradation due to bias and power-dependant phase misalignment between the carrier and peaking branches. For experimental validation, the proposed dual-input digital Doherty power amplifier (PA) was implemented using a 10-W GaN transistor. Measurement results demonstrate that the dual-input Doherty prototype exhibited a power-added efficiency (PAE) higher than 50% over an 8-dB output power back-off (OPBO) range. In comparison with the conventional fully analog Doherty PA, this represents a 10% improvement in PAE over the same OPBO range. Using a one-carrier Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access signal with a 7-dB peak-to-average power ratio, the dual-input Doherty PA, with digital adaptive phase alignment applied at the input of its peaking path, achieved a PAE of 57% at an average output power of 37.8 dBm, along with a - \22-dBc adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR). This corresponds to an improvement of 7% in PAE and 1 dB in average output power for the same ACPR level in comparison with a conventional fully analog Doherty PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel approach for power amplifiers static non-linearity characterization in the presence of memory effects is presented. A subsampling technique is used to reduce the bandwidth of the test signal without changing the waveform characteristics. This cancels the memory effects of the amplifier without affecting its static behavior. Memoryless AM/AM and AM/PM characteristics are measured as a function of the carrier frequency. This points out the contribution of the frequency dependency of the amplifier's static nonlinearity to its behavior under wideband signal drive. A memoryless post-compensation technique is then introduced to accurately assess the performance of several behavioral models. In fact, it is demonstrated that direct comparison of the measured output of the device-under-test with the estimated output does not provide reliable assessment of the model performance. Conversely, memoryless post-compensation efficiently differentiates the performance of these models. To provide a comprehensive approach for model validation and prototype performance evaluation, memory effects intensity metrics are introduced. These metrics are applied to evaluate the memory effects present in a 300-W peak power Doherty amplifier driven by various multicarrier wideband code division multiple access signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel approach for power amplifier (PA) characterization suitable for single iteration digital predistorter synthesis is proposed. This approach consists of synergetic crest factor reduction and baseband digital predistortion to avoid the average power variation at the input of the PA between the characterization and linearization steps. This is achieved by bypassing the crest factor reduction block during the characterization step and by applying it concurrently with digital predistortion in the linearization step. First, the PA's behavior sensitivity to the average input power is evaluated. The limitations of conventional approaches for the PA characterization, in the context of single iteration digital predistortion, are then demonstrated. The performance of the proposed technique is validated experimentally on a 3OO!W peak PA. The measured improvement of the adjacent channel power ratio at the output of the linearized amplifier is 16 dBc for the conventional approach and 29 dBc for the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a comprehensive study of the robustness of the digital predistortion function synthesis is presented. This study covers two aspects: the processing of the power amplifier (PA) input and output measured data intended for the extraction of the corresponding predistortion function, and the optimal setting of the predistorter's small-signal gain to adaptively track the average power variation between the input and output of the predistorter. First, the accuracy of the polynomial curve fitting and the lookup table's scheme in mimicking the measured AM/AM and AM/PM characteristics of the PA is investigated. To address the high dispersion of coefficients of the polynomial function, which limits the order that can be implemented and the fitting capabilities, a pre-processing technique is proposed. Second, the fitted PA curves are used to investigate the effects of the small-signal gain of the predistortion function on the linearization performance. An automated average power tracking technique is introduced in order to maintain a unit average gain of the predistorter. The measured spectra at the output of the amplifier show an additional 12-dBc improvement in the output spectrum regrowth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An active load-pull-based large-signal modeling approach, suitable for designing and optimizing load modulated amplifiers such as Doherty or linear amplification using nonlinear components based amplifiers, is proposed. A Doherty amplifier was designed by optimizing the dynamic loads seen by the amplifier's transistor using a large-signal load-pull-based behavior model built into computer-aided-design software. Simulation and measurement results showed good agreement, while results obtained using an empirical model of this transistor demonstrated discrepancies. The load-pull-based model was then used to study performance degradation of the Doherty amplifier when load impedance was moved out from the perfect 50 Ω. It has been shown that the load mismatch can greatly affect the linearity and efficiency performance of the amplifier unless its phase is controlled and kept within a specific range. A load mismatch system level compensator scheme, capable of restituting the linearity loss and maintaining the power-added efficiency close to its maximum range, is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new architecture for baseband digital predistortion dedicated to wide-hand transmissions is presented. The proposed predistorter consists of a cascade of a static lookup table-based predistorter and a subband filtering block. The subband filtering technique is used to improve the correction bandwidth limitation of conventional architectures. The cases of four- and eight-subband decomposition were considered and compared to the case where the fullband signal is processed. This revealed that the subband processing results in a better sensitivity and an independent tuning ability of the predistorter at each subband. In addition, it was shown that, in the proposed predistorter, the computational complexity and the required processing speed are reduced proportionally to the number of subbands. Moreover, in an adaptive digital predistortion context, a quicker convergence can be achieved. Experimental validation of the subband-based predistortion concept was successfully carried on a 100-W peak envelop power lateral double diffused metal-oxide semiconductor power amplifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]