arXiv subjects

Christian Fager

Publications and source records attributed to Christian Fager.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

An Ultra-Compact Differential V-Band Power Amplifier Using EDMOS Transistors With 18.1 dBm P1dB and 21% PAE in 22nm FD-SOI CMOS

This paper presents a compact, fully differential, two-stage millimeter-wave (mm-wave) cascode power amplifier (PA) designed and implemented in a 22nm FD-SOI CMOS process (22FDX+). The PA employs the newly introduced extended-drain MOS (EDMOS) device in 22FDX+, together with a carefully engineered device core and transformer baluns. At 50 GHz, the prototype achieves 18.8 dBm saturated output power (PSAT), 18.1 dBm 1-dB compression output power P1dB, and 21% power-added efficiency (PAE) at P1dB. To the best of our knowledge, this work achieves the highest reported power density of 2.6 W/mm2 among single-way, two-stage CMOS cascode PAs.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2026

Inverse Design of Compact and Wideband Inverted Doherty Power Amplifiers Using Deep Learning

This paper presents a deep learning-assisted methodology for the inverse synthesis of a compact, wideband inverted Doherty power amplifier (PA). Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and genetic algorithms (GAs) are jointly employed to generate pixelated Doherty combiner networks that integrate load modulation, impedance matching, power combining, and phase compensation into a single structure. As a proof of concept, we design and fabricate a GaN HEMT Doherty PA with a pixelated output combiner. The prototype achieves a measured peak drain efficiency of 51%-63% and a 6-dB back-off efficiency of 48%-54% over 1.9-2.5 GHz. Within the same frequency range, the measured output power is 44+/-0.3 dBm. Furthermore, with digital predistortion (DPD) applied, the prototype circuit demonstrates an adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) better than -53.2 dBc.

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arXiv2026

Deep Learning-Driven Inverse Design of Doherty Power Amplifiers Using Pixelated Combiners and Dual-State Impedance Synthesis

The output combiner of a Doherty power amplifier (PA) integrates load modulation, impedance matching, and phase compensation within a single network, making its design and synthesis highly challenging. In this paper, we propose a three-port Doherty combiner design methodology that combines deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), pixelated layout representations, and genetic algorithms (GA) with dual-state impedance synthesis to address both peak and back-off power conditions. As a proof of concept, two GaN HEMT Doherty PA prototypes incorporating three-port pixelated combiners are designed and fabricated. Both prototypes achieve a measured saturated output power exceeding 44.2 dBm with peak drain efficiency above 71.2% within 2.6-2.8 GHz. Furthermore, a drain efficiency as high as 64% is measured at the 6-dB back-off level. After applying digital predistortion, each prototype achieves an adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) better than -51.3 dBc.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2026

Deep-Learning-Based Pixelated Microwave Filter Design and Characterization using Electro-Optical Electric-Field Measurements

Traditional microwave filter design typically relies on iterative parameter tuning and predefined topologies, which limits design space and increases development time. This study uses a deep learning approach combining convolutional neural networks with genetic algorithms to automate pixelated microwave filter synthesis. To validate the approach experimentally, both S-parameter and spatial electric-field measurements were analyzed. The synthesized low-pass filter demonstrated excellent agreement between simulated and measured performance, achieving a 7 GHz passband with over 20 dB suppression beyond 9.5 GHz. Electro-optical measurements, for the first time, revealed electric field patterns that resemble coupled transmission-lines or stub structures, providing insight into the emergent characteristics of AI-generated designs.

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arXiv2025

Insights on the Uplink Operation of a 1-bit Radio-Over-Fiber Architecture in Multi-User D-MIMO Communication

We consider a distributed multiple-input multiple-output (D-MIMO) testbed in which, to enable coherent-phase transmission without over-the-air synchronization, the remote radio heads (RRHs) are connected to a central unit via a 1-bit radio-over-fiber fronthaul. Specifically, 1-bit samples of the radio-frequency signal are exchanged over the fronthaul. We investigate via both measurements and simulations based on an accurate model of the testbed hardware, the capability of the proposed architecture to provide uniform quality of services over the coverage area--one of the promises of D-MIMO. Our results are encouraging: for the case in which two user equipments (UEs) communicate over the same 75MHz signal bandwidth, the measured error-vector magnitude meets the 3GPP New Radio specification of 12.5\% for 16QAM across all tested DMIMO scenarios. We also determine that uplink transmission is a potential bottleneck, due to the limited dynamic range of the automatic gain controller, which prevents the 1-bit quantizer to benefit from dithering. We show that this issue can be mitigated via UE power control.

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arXiv2025

Distributed Deployment and Dual-Frequency Concepts to Strengthen Sub-THz Wireless Systems

The vast bandwidth available at sub-THz frequencies holds great promise for high-speed wireless access, precise localization, and advanced sensing applications. However, fundamental physical constraints and technological limitations make the deployment of reliable sub-THz networks challenging. We propose a new paradigm for sub-THz coverage by transmitting the RF signals over polymer microwave fibers (PMFs) that interconnect low-complexity radio units (RUs) in a daisy-chain configuration. The distributed architecture ensures that user equipments (UEs) connect to RUs in their proximity, reducing path loss and mitigating blocking. The RUs leverage low-complexity, compact integrated antenna modules. Additionally, dual-frequency tandem operation is proposed, integrating the sub-THz system with a sub-10 GHz system that provides control signalling and a robust fallback solution for the sub-THz system. This proposed tandem architecture can open up the full potential of sub-THz technology and paves the way to cost- and energy-efficient, high-performance, real-time connectivity in dynamic environments.

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arXiv2024

Deep-Learning-Based Channel Estimation for Distributed MIMO with 1-bit Radio-Over-Fiber Fronthaul

We consider the problem of pilot-aided, uplink channel estimation in a distributed massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) architecture, in which the access points are connected to a central processing unit via fiber-optical fronthaul links, carrying a two-level-quantized version of the received analog radio-frequency signal. We adapt to this architecture the deep-learning-based channel-estimation algorithm recently proposed by Nguyen et al. (2023), and explore its robustness to the additional signal distortions (beyond 1-bit quantization) introduced in the considered architecture by the automatic gain controllers (AGCs) and by the comparators. These components are used at the access points to generate the two-level analog waveform from the received signal. Via simulation results, we illustrate that the proposed channel-estimation method outperforms significantly the Bussgang linear minimum mean-square error channel estimator, and it is robust against the additional impairments introduced by the AGCs and the comparators.

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arXiv2024

EVM Analysis of Distributed Massive MIMO with 1-Bit Radio-Over-Fiber Fronthaul

We analyze the uplink performance of a distributed massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) architecture in which the remotely located access points (APs) are connected to a central processing unit via a fiber-optical fronthaul carrying a dithered and 1-bit quantized version of the received radio-frequency (RF) signal. The innovative feature of the proposed architecture is that no down-conversion is performed at the APs. This eliminates the need to equip the APs with local oscillators, which may be difficult to synchronize. Under the assumption that a constraint is imposed on the amount of data that can be exchanged across the fiber-optical fronthaul, we investigate the tradeoff between spatial oversampling, defined in terms of the total number of APs, and temporal oversampling, defined in terms of the oversampling factor selected at the central processing unit, to facilitate the recovery of the transmitted signal from 1-bit samples of the RF received signal. Using the so-called error-vector magnitude (EVM) as performance metric, we shed light on the optimal design of the dither signal, and quantify, for a given number of APs, the minimum fronthaul rate required for our proposed distributed massive MIMO architecture to outperform a standard co-located massive MIMO architecture in terms of EVM.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2024

A TDD Distributed MIMO Testbed Using a 1-Bit Radio-Over-Fiber Fronthaul Architecture

We present the uplink and downlink of a time-division duplex distributed multiple-input multiple-output (D-MIMO) testbed, based on a 1-bit radio-over-fiber architecture, which is low-cost and scalable. The proposed architecture involves a central unit (CU) that is equipped with 1-bit digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters, operating at 10 GS/s. The CU is connected to multiple single-antenna remote radio heads (RRHs) via optical fibers, over which a binary RF waveform is transmitted. In the uplink, a binary RF waveform is generated at the RRHs by a comparator, whose inputs are the received RF signal and a suitably designed dither signal. In the downlink, a binary RF waveform is generated at the CU via bandpass sigma-delta modulation. Our measurement results show that low error-vector magnitude (EVM) can be achieved in both the uplink and the downlink, despite 1-bit sampling at the CU. Specifically, for point-to-point over-cable transmission between a single user equipment (UE) and a CU equipped with a single RRH, we report, for a 10 MBd signal using single-carrier 16QAM modulation, an EVM of 3.3% in the downlink, and of 4.5% in the uplink. We then consider a CU connected to 3 RRHs serving over the air 2 UEs, and show that, after over-the-air reciprocity calibration, a downlink zero-forcing precoder designed on the basis of uplink channel estimates at the CU, achieves an EVM of 6.4% and 10.9% at UE 1 and UE 2, respectively. Finally, we investigate the ability of the proposed architecture to support orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms, and its robustness against both in-band and out-of-band interference.

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arXiv2023

6G Radio Testbeds: Requirements, Trends, and Approaches

The proof of the pudding is in the eating - that is why 6G testbeds are essential in the progress towards the next generation of wireless networks. Theoretical research towards 6G wireless networks is proposing advanced technologies to serve new applications and drastically improve the energy performance of the network. Testbeds are indispensable to validate these new technologies under more realistic conditions. This paper clarifies the requirements for 6G radio testbeds, reveals trends, and introduces approaches towards their development.

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arXiv2023

Modeling and Harmonic Balance Analysis of Parametric Amplifiers for Qubit Read-out

Predicting the performance of traveling-wave parametric amplifiers (TWPAs) based on nonlinear elements like superconducting Josephson junctions (JJs) is vital for qubit read-out in quantum computers. The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to demonstrate how nonlinear inductors based on combinations of JJs can be modeled in commercial circuit simulators, and (b) to show how the harmonic balance (HB) is used in the reliable prediction of the amplifier performance e.g., gain and pump harmonic power conversion. Experimental characterization of two types of TWPA architectures is compared with simulations to showcase the reliability of the HB method. We disseminate the modeling know-how and techniques to new designers of parametric amplifiers.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Massive MU-MIMO-OFDM Uplink with Direct RF-Sampling and 1-Bit ADCs

Advances in analog-to-digital converter (ADC) technology have opened up the possibility to directly digitize wideband radio frequency (RF) signals, avoiding the need for analog down-conversion. In this work, we consider an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based massive multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) uplink system that relies on direct RF-sampling at the base station and digitizes the received RF signals with 1-bit ADCs. Using Bussgang's theorem, we provide an analytical expression for the error-vector magnitude (EVM) achieved by digital down-conversion and zero-forcing combining. Our results demonstrate that direct RF-sampling 1-bit ADCs enables low EVM and supports high-order constellations in the massive MU-MIMO-OFDM uplink.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2017

MmWave Hybrid Array with More Users than RF Chains

In millimeter wave communications, hybrid analog-digital arrays consisting of only a few radiofrequency (RF) chains offer an attractive alternative to costly digital arrays. A limitation to hybrid arrays is that the number of streams that can be transmitted simultaneously cannot exceed the number of RF chains. We demonstrate that if the states of the analog components and the symbols passed to the RF chains are jointly optimized on a symbol-by-symbol (SbS) basis, it is possible to achieve the same degrees of freedom as a digital array with linear precoding, thus effectively enabling the transmission of a large number of streams. To this end, an algorithm for SbS hybrid precoding is proposed based on a variation of orthogonal matching pursuit, particularly suited to the structure of our problem, which makes it fast and precise.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2014

On the Impact of Hardware Impairments on Massive MIMO

Massive multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems are one possible key technology for next generation wireless communication systems. Claims have been made that massive MU-MIMO will increase both the radiated energy efficiency as well as the sum-rate capacity by orders of magnitude, because of the high transmit directivity. However, due to the very large number of transceivers needed at each base-station (BS), a successful implementation of massive MU-MIMO will be contingent on of the availability of very cheap, compact and power-efficient radio and digital-processing hardware. This may in turn impair the quality of the modulated radio frequency (RF) signal due to an increased amount of power-amplifier distortion, phase-noise, and quantization noise. In this paper, we examine the effects of hardware impairments on a massive MU-MIMO single-cell system by means of theory and simulation. The simulations are performed using simplified, well-established statistical hardware impairment models as well as more sophisticated and realistic models based upon measurements and electromagnetic antenna array simulations.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2014

Black-box Modeling and Compensation of Bursty Communication Signals in RF Power Amplifiers with Power-Dependent Parameters

This paper presents a new black-box technique for modeling long term memory effects in radio frequency power amplifiers. The proposed technique extends commonly used behavioral models by utilizing parameters that dynamically change depending on a long term memory effect while keeping the original model structure intact. This enables us to accurately track and model transient changes in power amplifier characteristics that vary slowly and are induced by the input signal. Identification of long term memory effects is discussed and an iterative identification algorithm for the model parameters is proposed. The model is experimentally tested on a 100 Watt Doherty power amplifier with a 4 MHz Gaussian noise signal that has a step--like change in the amplitude, representative of a realistic communication signal with bursty behavior and a 20 MHz 3GPP LTE test data. Results of behavioral modeling show a 2-2.5 dB and 5-6 dB improvement in average and peak NMSE modeling performance respectively, which shows the suitability of the technique to model bursty signals.

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arXiv2014

Investigation of Parameter Adaptation in RF Power Amplifier Behavioral Models

This paper presents an investigation into parameter adaptation in behavioral model--based digital predistortion for radio frequency power amplifiers. A novel measurement setup framework that emulates real--time adaptation in transmitters is developed that allows evaluation of different parameters, configurations and adaptation algorithms. This setup relieves the need for full feedback loops for parameter adaptation while providing the flexibility needed in the design process of parameter adaptation. Issues such as convergence speed, sensitivity to quantization noise in the feedback loop and predistortion performance are investigated for some different parameter update algorithms using the proposed measurement setup. The approach presented in this paper allows the possibility to analyze different aspects of digital predistortion adaptation algorithms, and is an important enabling step for further research on parameter adaptation before the real--time hardware is implemented for use.

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arXiv2012

Varactor-Based Dynamic Load Modulation of High Power Amplifiers

In this work, dynamic load modulation of high power amplifiers using a varactor-based tunable matching network is presented. The feasibility of dynamic tuning and efficiency enhancement of this technique is demonstrated using a modular design approach for two existing high efficiency power amplifiers (PA), a 7-W class-E, and a 10-W class-J power amplifier PA at 1 GHz. For this purpose and for each of the PAs, a simple quasi-static inverse model is developed allowing an efficiency-optimized control of the PA and the varactor-based tunable matching network. Modulated measurements using a single carrier WCDMA signal with 11.3 dB peak-to-average ratio (PAR) indicate about 10 to 14 percentage units improvements in the average power-added efficiency (PAE) for the complete architecture.

cs.OH↗