Switchable function GaN power amplifier/rectifier

Abstract This letter proposes a switchable function power amplifier/rectifier using a GaN transistor. A dc single-pole double-throw switch is used to switch between the working mode of the circuit from power amplifier (PA) to rectifier and vice-versa, which greatly reduces the complexity of the circuit. A feedback network with an impedance close to infinity and the input port of the PA always terminated to 50?Ω are utilized to achieve consistent impedance conditions in both PA mode and rectifier mode. Class-F?1 operation is employed to design the PA/rectifier module. For validation, a PA/rectifier operating at 2.4 GHz is designed and fabricated using a CGH40010F GaN transistor. Measurements show that the implemented module can realize efficiency of over 70% regardless of operating in PA mode or in rectifier mode. Meanwhile, the application of the GaN transistor greatly increases the power capacity of the RF-DC rectifier mode, which is promising in bi-directional wireless high-power application scenarios such as enhanced drone airborne capability. To the best of the authors knowledge, this is the first realization of a switchable PA/rectifier module based on a GaN transistor.