A 2–6 GHz Wideband Power Amplifier with a Lossy Matching Network in 40-nm CMOS

A wideband power amplifier (PA) with the lossy matching network is presented in this paper. The PA has two amplification stages, the driver stage and the power stage. Thin-oxide type transistors are used in the common-gate configuration of the driver stage, while thick-oxide transistors are adopted in the power stage to provide enough gain. And the neutralization capacitors are used in the driver stage to improve stability and power gain. The output matching network is based on the conventional magnetically coupled resonator (MCR). And the small resistors are connected in series with the secondary inductor in the inter-stage matching network to extend the bandwidth. The designed PA, implemented in 40-nm CMOS technology, operates in 2–6 GHz. It achieves a peak gain of 28.7 dB from 2 to 6 GHz, delivers a saturated output power of 28.7 dBm, and provides a power added efficiency (PAE) of 37.6% at 3.5 GHz. With the fractional bandwidth of 100%, it can be used in various wireless applications.