Rendering of the Macom MAAP-015030 two-stage amplifier. Photo: Macom

[Via Satellite 04-29-2014] Macom has launched two new X-band high-powered Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) amplifiers for communications and radar applications.

The first is a two-stage 8.5 amplifier, MMAP-015030, which offers 11.75 GHz, a saturated pulsed output power of 41 dBm, a large signal gain of 21 dB and 40 percent power-added efficiency. This new solution can be biased using a direct gate voltage or an on chip gate bias circuit.

The second solution, the MAAP-015035, is an 11.5 Ghz pseudo High-Electron-Mobility Transistor (pHEMT). This three-stage MMIC amplifier can achieve a saturated pulsed output power of 41 dBm and a small signal gain of 36 dB. Its gate terminals can be biased directly through a direct gate voltage or by using an on chip gate bias circuit, which provides 40 percent power-added efficiency.

“The combination of high power, high gain and excellent power added efficiency performance, makes these two power amplifiers very attractive solutions for high power X-band applications,” said Paul Beasly, product manager at Macom. “Furthermore, the versatile biasing options and wide-band operation make the devices ideal for a wide range of X-band applications such as marine, weather and surface-movement radar, as well as perimeter security and communication links.”