Design of a predriver for an EDMOS-based Class-D power amplifier

Abstract: This thesis addresses the potential of implementing a predriver for class-D power amplifier for WLAN in 65 nm CMOS technology. In total, eight different predrivers have been created using Cadence Virtuoso CAD tools. All designs have been tested using Agilent's Advance Design System (ADS) and simulated using the ADS-Cadence dynamic link. Furthermore, a comparison between the eight designs and the reference design has been done. The examined parameters were output power (Pout), efficiency, and effective area consumption. The simulation results show that most of the proposed designs obtain higher output power, higher efficiency, and lower effective area than the reference design. For the reference design, output power of 34.2 dBm, efficiency of 20.8 %, and effective area of 63952 um2 were obtained. For design No.1, the effective area was 31511um2, which was almost half of the area occupied by the reference design. For design No.3, the efficiency was 71.2 %, which was almost 3 and half times higher than the efficiency of the reference design. Furthermore, all designs, except design NO.7, gave more or less the same output power (around 34.4 dBm).