A Brief Overview of Reconfigurable PA Technologies : (Invited Paper)

Emphasis on the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of RF systems has led RF engineers to design RF and microwave components for reusability in different wireless applications. One such microwave component is the Power Amplifier (PA) which is a critical component in the RF chain. The desire to re-use a single PA for multiple applications has resulted in a large interest in reconfigurable PA technology. Reconfigurable PA technology would facilitate a large reduction in the SWaP of a system and thus has garnered a large interest from component and system designers alike. This work reviews several techniques found in PA design that promote the tunability of a single PA for multiple frequency agile wireless applications.