Modeling RF Power Amplifiers and Increasing Wireless Transmitter Linearity with DPD Using MATLAB

Giorgia Zucchelli, MathWorks

Overview

The requirements of emerging communication systems for greater bandwidth and higher data rates is driving the need for increased linearity and efficiency in RF transmitters.

Power Amplifiers (PA) are a critical component in wireless technology for achieving this mandatory performance. Accurate RF power amplifier models are required in the study and development of adaptive linearization techniques, such as Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD).

In this presentation, you will learn how to model RF power amplifiers using measurement data including non-linear and memory effects. We will explore trade-offs and white-box fitting techniques to increase PA model performance. This improved PA model is then used to develop and analyze different adaptive DPD implementations for expanding transmitter performance by leveraging smart digital signal processing algorithms.

Last, we will implement the DPD algorithm using integer arithmetic, generate HDL code, and prototype the algorithm on a FPGA. With this approach, you can develop and test linearization algorithms before going to the lab, and rapidly prototype your ideas.

Highlights

Fitting of power amplifier measured characteristics with memory polynomial model
Multicarrier closed-loop simulation of RF + adaptive DPD
Prototyping of DPD linearization algorithm on FPGA

About the Presenter

Dr. Giorgia Zucchelli is the product marketing manager for RF and mixed-signal at MathWorks. Before moving to this role in 2012, she spent three years as an application engineer focusing on signal processing and communications systems and specializing in analog simulation. Before joining MathWorks in 2009, Giorgia worked at NXP Semiconductors on mixed-signal verification methodologies and at Philips Research developing system-level models for innovative telecommunication systems. Giorgia has a master’s degree in electronic engineering and a doctorate in electronics for telecommunications from the University of Bologna. Her thesis dealt with modeling high-frequency RF devices.