Date of Graduation

12-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Electrical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Mantooth, Alan

Committee Member

Dix, Jeff

Second Committee Member

El-Ghazaly, Samir

Keywords

Gallium Nitride; High Temperature; IC Design; Power Amplifier; RFIC Design

Abstract

This thesis offers the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifier integrated circuit (IC) intended for high-temperature radar applications. Radar systems are used in many different applications, such as defense, aerospace, and weather. For their function, these systems require high power, efficiency, and reliability under a wide range of operating conditions. Taking advantage of the material properties of GaN, including its high breakdown voltage, wide bandgap, and thermal conductivity bolstered by the use of silicon carbide in the substrate, this work focuses on examining amplifier performance in both ambient and elevated temperature conditions. The PA was designed using Qorvo’s QGaN15 process, with careful choices in circuit topology, impedance matching, and layout strategies to optimize RF performance. A dedicated high-temperature testbench was created, including a high-temperature PCB and appropriate RF instrumentation to obtain accurate data describing amplifier performance across a wide range of temperatures. During testing, oscillatory behavior was observed, revealing a layout versus schematic discrepancy which impacted device stability Although full RF and high-temperature characterization of the device was not achieved as a result of the stability issues and multiple device failures, the project demonstrated the full PA IC design flow and was able to yield useful insight into the GaN PA design and behavior. Overall, the lessons learned from this project laid a strong foundation for future PA design iterations and will provide valuable insight into more robust methods for design and testing of high-temperature PAs going forward.

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