Radio Frequency Power Amplifiers

This work considers behavioral modeling, parameter- reduction, and digital predistortion of radio frequency power amplifiers. Due to the use of modern digital modulation methods, contemporary power amplifiers are frequently subjected to signals characterized by considerable bandwidths and fast changing envelopes. As a result, traditional quasi- memoryless amplitude-to-amplitude (AM/AM) and amplitude-to-phase (AM/PM) characteristics are no longer sufficient to describe and model the behavior of power amplifiers; neither can they be successfully used for linearization. In addition to a complete review of the subject, this book include two novel behavioral radio frequency power amplifier models, a method to measure and analyze Volterra kernels along certain paths in the frequency domain, and the conclusion that when designing a PA for use with digital predistortion it is most important to reduce the memory effects in the linear term since these will have the most significant impact on the inverse function.