The large unlicensed 3 GHz overlapping bandwidth that is available worldwide at 60 GHz has resulted in renewed interest in 60 GHz technology. This frequency band has made it attractive for short-range gigabit wireless communication. The power amplifier (PA) directly influences the performance and quality of this entire communication chain, as it is one of the final subsystems in the transmitter. Spectral efficient modulation schemes used at 60 GHz pose challenging requirements for the linearity of the PA. To improve the linearity, several external linearisation techniques currently exist, such as feedback, feedforward, envelope elimination and restoration, linear amplification with non-linear components and predistortion. This thesis is aimed at investigating and characterising the distortion components found in PAs at mm-wave frequencies and evaluating whether an adaptive predistortion (APD) linearisation technique is suitable to reduce these distortion components. After a thorough literature study and mathematical analysis, it was found that the third-order intermodulation distortion (IMD3) components were the most severe distortion components. Predistortion was identified as the most effective linearisation technique in terms of minimising these IMD3 components and was therefore proposed in this research. It does not introduce additional complexity and can easily be integrated with the PA. Furthermore, the approach is stable and has lower power consumption when compared to the aforementioned linearisation techniques. The proposed predistortion technique was developed compositely through this research by making it a function of the PA’s output power that was measured using a power detector. A comparator was used with the detected output power and the reference voltages to control the dynamic bias circuit of the variable gain amplifier. This provided control and flexibility on when to apply the predistortion to the PA and therefore allowing the linearity of the PA to be optimised. Three-stage non-linear and linear PAs were also designed at 60 GHz and implemented to compare the performance of the APD technique and form part of the hypothesis verification process. The 130 nm silicon-germanium (SiGe) bipolar and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology from IBM was used for the simulation of the entire APD and PA design and for the fabrication of the prototype integrated circuits (ICs). This technology has the advantage of integrating the high performance, low power intensive SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with the CMOS technology. The SiGe HBTs have a high cut-off frequency ( > 200 GHz), which is ideal for mm-wave PA applications and the CMOS components were integrated in the control logic of the digital circuitry. The simulations and IC layout were accomplished with Cadence Virtuoso. The implemented IC occupies an area of 1.8 mm by 2.0 mm. The non-linear PA achieves a of 11.97 dBm and an of -10 dBm. With the APD technique applied, the linearity of the PA is significantly improved with an of -6 dBm and an optimum IMD3 reduction of 10 dB. Based on the findings and results of the applied APD technique, APD reduced intermodulation distortion (especially the IMD3) and is thus suitable to improve the linearity of PAs at mm-wave frequencies. To the knowledge of this author, no APD technique has been applied for PAs at 60 GHz, therefore the contribution of this research will assist future PA designers to characterise and optimise the reduction of the IMD3 components. This will result in improved linear output power from the PA and the use of complex modulation schemes at 60 GHz. ## Die groot ongelisensieerde oorvleuelde bandwydte van 3 GHz wat wêreldwyd by 60 GHz beskikbaar is, het hernude belangstelling in 60 GHz-tegnologie tot gevolg gehad. Hierdie frekwensieband het dit aantreklik gemaak vir kortafstand-gigabis draadlose kommunikasie. Aangesien die drywingsversterker een van die finale subsisteme in die seintoestel is, het dit ’n direkte invloed op die werkverrigting en kwaliteit van die hele kommunikasieketting. Spektraaldoeltreffende modulasieskemas wat by 60 GHz gebruik word, stel uitdagende vereistes vir die lineariteit van die drywingsversterker. Om die lineariteit te verbeter, is daar tans verskeie eksterne linearisasietegnieke beskikbaar, soos terugvoer, vooruitvoer, omhullende eliminasie en -restorasie, lineêre versterking met nie-lineêre komponente en predistorsie. Hierdie tesis het ten doel om die distorsiekomponente wat by millimetergolffrekwensies in drywingsversterkers gevind word, te ondersoek en te karakteriseer en om te bepaal of ’n aanpassende predistorsielinearisasietegniek geskik is om hierdie distorsiekomponente te verminder. Na ’n deeglike literatuurstudie en wiskundige analise is gevind dat die derde-orde-intermodulasiedistorsiekomponente (IMD3) die ergste distorsiekomponente was. Predistorsie is geïdentifiseer as die mees effektiewe linearisasietegniek om hierdie IMD3-komponente te minimeer en die gebruik daarvan is gevolglik in hierdie navorsing voorgestel. Dit bring nie addisionele kompleksiteit mee nie en kan maklik met die drywingsversterker geïntegreer word. Daarbenewens is die benadering stabiel, met laer kragverbruik in vergelyking met die linearisasietegnieke wat voorheen genoem is. Die voorgestelde predistorsietegniek is in hierdie navorsing ontwikkel deur dit ’n funksie van die drywingsversterker se uitsetkrag te maak, wat gemeet is deur ’n kragdetektor te gebruik. ’n Vergelyker is saam met die gemete uitsetkrag en die verwysingspannings gebruik om die dinamiese voorspanningsbaan van die veranderlike winsversterker te beheer. Dit het toegelaat vir beheer en buigsaamheid in die aanwending van die predistorsie op die drywingsversterker en gevolglik vir die optimering van die lineêriteit van die drywingsversterker. Driefase- nie-lineêre en lineêre drywingsversterkers is ook by 60 GHz ontwerp en geïmplementeer om die werkverrigting van die aanpassende predistorsietegniek te vergelyk en dit vorm deel van die verifikasieproses van die hipotese. Die 130 nm-silikon-germanium (SiGe) bipolêre en metaaloksiedhalfgeleier- (BiCMOS) tegnologie van IBM is gebruik vir die simulasie van die hele aanpassende predistorsietegniek- en drywingsversterkerontwerp en vir die vervaardiging van die prototipe- geïntegreerde stroombane. Hierdie tegnologie het die voordeel dat dit die hoë werkverrigting en lae krag-intensiewe SiGe-heterovoegvlak-bipolêre transistors (HBTs) met die CMOS-tegnologie integreer. Die SiGe-HBTs het ’n hoë afsnyfrekwensie ( > 200 GHz), wat ideaal is vir mm-golfdrywingsversterkeraanwendings en die CMOS-komponente is in die beheer-logika van die digitale stroombaan geïntegreer. Die geïntegreerde stroombaan beslaan ’n area van 1.8 mm by 2.0 mm. Die nie-lineêre drywingsversterker behaal ’n van 11.97 dBm en ’n van -10 dBm. As die APD-tegniek toegepas word, word die lineariteit van die drywingsversterker beduidend verbeter tot ’n van -6 dBm en ’n optimum-IMD3-vermindering van 10 dB. Volgens die bevindings en resultate van die APD-tegniek wat toegepas is, verminder APD intermodulasiedistorsie (veral die IMD3) en is gevolglik geskik om die lineariteit van drywingsversterkers by mm-golffrekwensies te verbeter. Na die wete van hierdie skrywer is daar nie voorheen enige APD tegniek toegepas vir drywingsversterkers by 60 GHz nie, gevolglik sal die bydrae van hierdie navorsing toekomstige drywingsversterkerontwerpers help om die vermindering van die IMD3-komponente te karakteriseer en optimeer. Dit sal verbeterde lineêre uitsetkrag van die drywingsversterker tot gevolg hê, asook meer komplekse modulasieskemas by 60 GHz toelaat. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / PhD / unrestricted

The large unlicensed 3 GHz overlapping bandwidth that is available worldwide at 60 GHz has resulted in renewed interest in 60 GHz technology. This frequency band has made it attractive for short-range gigabit wireless communication. The power amplifier (PA) directly influences the performance and quality of this entire communication chain, as it is one of the final subsystems in the transmitter. Spectral efficient modulation schemes used at 60 GHz pose challenging requirements for the linearity of the PA. To improve the linearity, several external linearisation techniques currently exist, such as feedback, feedforward, envelope elimination and restoration, linear amplification with non-linear components and predistortion. This thesis is aimed at investigating and characterising the distortion components found in PAs at mm-wave frequencies and evaluating whether an adaptive predistortion (APD) linearisation technique is suitable to reduce these distortion components. After a thorough literature study and mathematical analysis, it was found that the third-order intermodulation distortion (IMD3) components were the most severe distortion components. Predistortion was identified as the most effective linearisation technique in terms of minimising these IMD3 components and was therefore proposed in this research. It does not introduce additional complexity and can easily be integrated with the PA. Furthermore, the approach is stable and has lower power consumption when compared to the aforementioned linearisation techniques. The proposed predistortion technique was developed compositely through this research by making it a function of the PA’s output power that was measured using a power detector. A comparator was used with the detected output power and the reference voltages to control the dynamic bias circuit of the variable gain amplifier. This provided control and flexibility on when to apply the predistortion to the PA and therefore allowing the linearity of the PA to be optimised. Three-stage non-linear and linear PAs were also designed at 60 GHz and implemented to compare the performance of the APD technique and form part of the hypothesis verification process. The 130 nm silicon-germanium (SiGe) bipolar and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology from IBM was used for the simulation of the entire APD and PA design and for the fabrication of the prototype integrated circuits (ICs). This technology has the advantage of integrating the high performance, low power intensive SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with the CMOS technology. The SiGe HBTs have a high cut-off frequency (fT > 200 GHz), which is ideal for mm-wave PA applications and the CMOS components were integrated in the control logic of the digital circuitry. The simulations and IC layout were accomplished with Cadence Virtuoso. The implemented IC occupies an area of 1.8 mm by 2.0 mm. The non-linear PA achieves a Psat of 11.97 dBm and an IP1dB of -10 dBm. With the APD technique applied, the linearity of the PA is significantly improved with an IP1dB of -6 dBm and an optimum IMD3 reduction of 10 dB. Based on the findings and results of the applied APD technique, APD reduced intermodulation distortion (especially the IMD3) and is thus suitable to improve the linearity of PAs at mm-wave frequencies. To the knowledge of this author, no APD technique has been applied for PAs at 60 GHz, therefore the contribution of this research will assist future PA designers to characterise and optimise the reduction of the IMD3 components. This will result in improved linear output power from the PA and the use of complex modulation schemes at 60 GHz. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / PhD