RF7GHz RF Amplifier Layout Design Guide
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This article will guide you through the layout circuit design for a general-purpose RF Amplifier device, specifically the FSX017WF (GaAs FET). This device boasts a gain of 11 dB around 8GHz and a 1dB gain compression point of 21.5dB at 8GHz.
RF Simulation Circuit
The image above shows the RF simulation circuit used both before and after the device to create a layout for mounting the RF amplifier on a PCB. This design can be etched onto a dielectric substrate with a relative permittivity (εr) of 3.38. RF connectors should be appropriately mounted on port 1 and port 2 for proper RF signal coupling.
Substrate Specifications
Here are the specifications for the substrate used in this design:
| Substrate Specifications | Value |
|---|---|
| Relative Dielectric Constant (εr) | 3.38 |
| Substrate thickness (H) | 32 mils |
| Conductor thickness (T) | 0.7 mils |
| Rho (Metal Bulk resistivity normalized to gold) | 1 |
| Tand (Loss tangent of dielectric) | 0.0022 |
Results
The figure illustrates the results of our RF amplifier design layout. The return loss, indicated by S11 and S22 values, is better than approximately -10.5dB. The gain value, represented by S21, is around 11dB, which aligns with the RF amplifier device’s datasheet specifications.
Layout Schematic
This figure shows the final RF amplifier layout intended for etching onto the dielectric substrate, using the specifications outlined earlier.
Conclusion
Following this design layout, a mounting layout for any other RF amplifier can be created. It’s crucial to consider the specific mounting dimensions for the chosen RF amplifier.
