Saturated PAs
High Efficiency, High Output Power Amplifiers for the Final Stage of a Transmit Chain
About saturated PAs: high-efficiency, high-output-power amplifiers driven hard up against compression. Right for constant-envelope and AM-tolerant systems — not for high-PAPR digital modulation. Read more »Read less «
A saturated PA is a final-stage power amplifier operated near or at compression so it delivers maximum output power with the highest possible drain efficiency. The trade-off is the opposite of a linear PA: the amplifier no longer faithfully reproduces the input envelope, so it can only be used with waveforms that don't carry information in their amplitude — constant-envelope modulation (FM, FSK, GMSK), digital phase modulation (PSK with constant envelope), CW radar pulses, or any system where amplitude distortion is acceptable.
Selection comes down to PSAT (saturated output power), PAE (power-added efficiency, often 40–60% for these parts), gain, frequency range, and thermal performance. A given physical die delivers more power at saturation than at back-off, so saturated-PA designs are dramatically more efficient than equivalent-power linear PAs — essential when DC power or heat dissipation is the binding constraint (battery-powered, fan-less, or unattended deployments).
Typical applications include radar transmitters, jammers and electronic-warfare systems, IoT and SCADA radios on FSK / GMSK waveforms, two-way radios on FM, RFID interrogators, and any unattended outdoor transmitter where every watt of waste heat costs money. AEC-Q100 grade-2 qualified variants are denoted with a "-W" suffix.
The table below lists the active saturated PA portfolio sorted by SKU, with frequency range, gain, PSAT, PAE, supply current, and package. Click any SKU for the full data sheet, S-parameters, and reference designs.
| Product | Description | Min Freq (GHz) | Max Freq (GHz) | Parametric Charts | Reference Conditions | Gain (dB) | OP1dB (dBm) | Psat (dBm) | PAE (%) | Vdd Range (V) | Iccq (mA) | Features | Package (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRF0005 | GaN HEMT Power Transistor |
0 | 12 | 40V/20mA/3GHz |
18.9 | 38.7 | 48.7 | 28-40 | 20 | High power; wide bandwidth |
3.0 QFN-16 | ||
| GRF0010 | Unmatched Discrete GaN-on-SiC HEMT, 15W PSAT at 50V |
0 | 8 | 50V/15mA/3500MHz |
14.5 | 42.0 | 62 | 28-50 | 15 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
3.0 QFN-16 | ||
| GRF0010D | 50V, DC – 8GHz, 10W GaN HEMT, Bare Die |
0 | 8 | 50V/15mA/DC to 8 GHz |
17.3 | 42 | 61.3 | 28-50 | 15 | High power; wide bandwidth |
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| GRF0012 | GaN HEMT Power Transistor |
0 | 12 | 40V/20mA/3GHz |
12.2 | 41.6 | 59.1 | 28-40 | 20 | High power; wide bandwidth |
3.0 QFN-16 | ||
| GRF0020 | Unmatched Discrete GaN-on-SiC HEMT, 30W PSAT at 50V |
0 | 7 | 50V/30mA/3000MHz |
15.5 | 45.0 | 48 | 28-50 | 30 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
3.0 QFN-16 | ||
| GRF0020D | GaN HEMT BARE DIE, 30 Watt P3dB |
0 | 7 | 50V/30mA/3000MHz |
18.7 | 45.4 | 63.8 | 28-50 | 30 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
3.0 QFN-16 | ||
| GRF0030 | Unmatched Discrete GaN-on-SiC HEMT, 50W PSAT at 50V |
0 | 6 | 50V/50mA/3000MHz |
15.5 | 47.0 | 54.5 | 28-50 | 50 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
3.0 QFN-16 | ||
| GRF0030D | GaN HEMT BARE DIE, 50 Watt P3dB |
0 | 6 | 50V/50mA/3000MHz |
15.5 | 47.0 | 56 | 28-50 | 50 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
3.0 QFN-16 | ||
| GRF0065 | GaN HEMT Power Transistor, 80 Watt P3dB |
0 | 3.7 | 50V/78mA/3600MHz |
10 | 48.7 | 50 | 28-50 | 78 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
6X3 DFN-14 | ||
| GRF0090 | GaN HEMT Power Transistor, 110 Watt P3dB |
0 | 3.7 | 50V/109mA/3.5GHz |
10 | 49.7 | 56.3 | 28-50 | 109 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
6x3 DFN14 | ||
| GRF0135 | GaN HEMT Power Transistor, 150 Watt P3dB |
0 | 3.2 | 50V/150mA/3.2GHz |
13.8 | 52.0 | 57 | 28-50 | 150 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
6x3 DFN-14 | ||
| GRF0315* | GaN HEMT Prematched Transistor, 150 Watt P3dB |
2.7 | 3.1 | 50V/100mA/3GHz |
13 | 52.5 | 62 | 28-50 | 100 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
7x6.5 DFN-6 | ||
| GRF0505* | GaN HEMT Dual Path, 55 Watt P3dB |
2.4 | 2.5 | 50V/45mA/2.45GHz |
15 | 48 | 65 | 50 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
7x6.5 DFN6 | |||
| GRF0805* | GaN HEMT Doherty Transistors, 50W P3dB |
3.3 | 3.8 | 50V/38mA/3.6GHz |
12 | 47 | 65 | 50 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
7x6.5 DFN6 | |||
| GRF5217 | High Efficiency Power Amplifier |
1.5 | 2.2 | 4.0V/37mA/1880MHz |
31 | 30.6 | 29 | 4-5 | 37 | High efficiency; high gain |
3.0 QFN-16 | ||
| GRF5225 | High Efficiency Power Amplifier |
2.3 | 2.7 | 4.0V/39mA/2.5GHz |
27.8 | 29 | 4-5 | 39 | High efficiency; high gain |
3.0 QFN-16 | |||
| GRF5504 | High Efficiency 3.5 Watt Power Amplifier |
0.1 | 0.55 | 5.0V/125mA/460MHz |
41.0 | 34.3 | 35.3 | 61 | 3.5-5.0 | 125 | High efficiency, high power |
3.0 QFN-16 | |
| GRF5509 | High Efficiency, 4-Watt PA |
0.689 | 1.09 | 5.0V/125mA/915MHz |
33.4 | 35.5 | 36.4 | 55 | 5.0 | 125 | High efficiency, high power |
3.0 QFN-16 | |
| GRF5529 | High Efficiency Power Amplifier |
2.9 | 3 | 5.0V/110mA/2950MHz |
29.5 | 34.0 | 57 | 5.0 | 110 | High efficiency; high gain |
3.0 QFN-16 | ||
| GRF5847 | 35 dBm Linear PA Module |
4.4 | 5.2 | 5V/260mA/4.7GHz |
40 | 35.5 | 52 | 3-5 | 260 | High efficiency, high power, high gain |
2.5 x 3.0 mm LAMM-12 | ||
| GRF5857* | 35 dBm Linear PA Module |
5.2 | 6 | 5V/310mA/5.6GHz |
37 | 35.7 | 52 | 3-5 | 310 | High efficiency, high power, high gain |
2.5 x 3.0 mm LAMM-12 | ||
| GRF5923* | Dual 30 Watt GaN Power Transistor |
0 | 6 | 50V/50mA/3 to 4 GHz |
13.5 | 47 | 50 | 50 | 50 | Very high power; wide bandwidth |
4.0 QFN-24 |
* = Product is in Pre-Production. Contact [email protected] for minimum order quantity.