Simultaneous load-pull of intermodulation and output power under two-tone excitation for accurate SSPA's design

The simultaneous measurements of the third-order intermodulation and output power under two-tone excitation have been implemented on a MESFET operated in large-signal mode for load impedances spanning quasi-entirely the Smith chart, using a six-port reflectometer with variable test port impedance. An experimental comparison between single-tone and two-tone output power and power-added efficiency was performed. The experimental results show that the load-pull of the output power capability and power-added efficiency by a twotone test are more accurate than the single-tone characterization for multi-carrier Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPA’s) design.