A Comparative Study on the Parallel and Series Doherty mm-Wave Power Amplifier for 5G NR applications

The continuous development of modern wireless communication technologies has necessitated the development of highly efficient power amplifiers (PAs) for 5G NR applications. This paper presents a comparative study of parallel and series configurations of the Doherty mm-wave PA implemented in Global Foundries 22-nm SOI FDX process. Both configurations aim to enhance Power Back-Off (PBO) efficiency, which is critical for high Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) signals in 5G-and-beyond systems. Theoretical analyses of both configurations are provided, followed by detailed implementation strategies and performance comparisons. The results indicate that both configurations achieve significant improvements in PBO efficiency, with complementary advantages in VSWR tolerance and device reliability, offering valuable insights for future PA designs in advanced wireless communication systems.