Implementation of a Ku-Band 50 W GaN High Power Amplifier for MUAV Applications

In this study, we present the design and fabrication of a Ku-band 50-W high-power amplifier for micro unmanned aerial vehicles (MUAVs). The developed monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) high-power amplifier was designed using a 0.15 μm GaN-on-SiC process. To ensure effective thermal conductivity, the MMIC was mounted onto a cu-cumo-cu (CPC) package using eutectic bonding, thereby achieving the desired 50-W output performance. The fabricated high-power amplifier demonstrated a small-signal gain exceeding 25.6 dB across the 13.5~16.5 GHz frequency band. When a continuous wave (CW) RF input signal was applied, the amplifier achieved a maximum output power greater than 47.2 dBm, a power gain exceeding 21.6 dB, and a maximum power-added efficiency of more than 25.6 %. The chip area of the MMIC high-power amplifier is 4.5×4.5 mm2, while the overall size of the packaged amplifier is 10.0×16.0 mm2.