Pasternack announces their expanded offering of gallium nitride (GaN) coaxial power amplifiers. GaN has emerged as the technology of choice in power amplifier designs. The high power density of gallium nitride semiconductor technology dissipates heat more effectively which results in amplifier designs that have significantly higher output power levels over broadband and narrowband frequencies. These rugged connectorized designs have the advantage of high output load impedance that offers easier impedance matching over wider bandwidths using lower loss components. Applications include commercial and military radar, jamming systems, medical imaging, communications and electronic warfare.
Pasternack’s offering of RF amplifiers includes GaN-based models that feature very high gain levels from 43 to 60 dB across mostly broad frequency bands ranging from 30 MHz to 7.5 GHz. Saturated output power levels range from 10 watts to 100 watts with 20 to 35% Power Added Efficiency (PAE). The thermal efficiency of GaN technology enables these assemblies to be integrated into smaller more compact coaxial packages with the same level of high reliability.
All of the high power GaN amplifiers from Pasternack have single voltage supplies which are internally regulated. The 50 ohm input/output matched designs are adaptable to a range of power and modulation requirements. These PAs also show impressive harmonic response (-15 to -20 dBc) under worst case conditions. These GaN amplifiers are designed to withstand environmental conditions such as humidity, altitude, shock and vibration. Some models are also equipped with integrated heat sinks and cooling fans. Most designs are EAR99.