Digital Feedforward Linearizer for High Power Radio Frequency Amplifiers

The Aerospace Corporation Engineering, 2002-03

Liaison(s): Samuel Osofsky ’85
Advisor(s): Ruye Wang, Jon Strauss
Students(s): Aaron Stratton (PM), Genevieve Breed, Michael Linderman, Galway O’Mahony, Colin Jemmott

Gain linearity is critical in communications amplifiers, but comes at the expense of efficiency. Traditional linearization systems rely heavily on analog components that significantly reduce system efficiency and can not be adjusted to compensate for component or environmental variation. The Clinic team has developed a digital implementation of a feedforward control system that improves amplifier linearity without these limitations. The team’s prototype is the first working high speed digital implementation of this concept.