RF and Microwave Power Amplifiers
Frederick H. Raab
It is rare to find a single volume that completely captures the knowledge of an entire field. If your goal is first-pass design success backed by rigorous understanding, RF and Microwave Power Amplifiers belongs on your shelf.
The book opens with an introduction to applications, emphasizing key specifications such as efficiency definitions, signal fidelity and power gain. The following chapter presents a treatment of signal representation and behavior, along with the implications for power amplifier (PA) design and architecture. The concept of average efficiency is introduced early, as it governs power consumption and thermal loading. The next two chapters provide a PA–specific review of modern RF and microwave power transistors.
The next three chapters cover current-mode amplifiers. A strength of the book is its practical focus, informed by the author’s half-century of experience in the field. Topics such as load-line analysis, variable quiescent current methods for efficiency improvement, push-pull configurations, biasing strategies and matching networks are treated in depth. Readers will find these chapters immediately applicable to real-world design.
Subsequent chapters introduce switch-mode RF and microwave PAs. The level of rigor and insight is exceptional, as much of this theory originated with Raab himself. A variety of Class D and E architectures are explored, including complementary, full-bridge and transformer-coupled variants, covering both single-ended and push-pull architectures. Based on the reviewer’s own experience, the design equations provided can lead to first-pass success. The following chapter gives advanced treatment of Class E, including non-ideal effects due to finite feed inductance, wideband design and excess output capacitance. Similarly, the final chapters present the Class F mode, beginning with harmonic peaking.
A major feature of the book is the inclusion of end-of-chapter problems and solutions. RF engineering is a full-contact sport, and these problems are essential for developing intuition and understanding time-domain voltage and current behavior at the transistor terminals.
Reviewed by John F. Sevic
ISBN: 9781685690830
Pages: 550
To order this book, contact:
Artech House
us.artechouse.com
