RF power amplifiers boost RF signals and are commonly utilized for the radiated immunity testing of electrical devices, an essential part of the EMC testing process. An RF amplifier simulates a device’s interactions with the electromagnetic fields it will encounter in the real word, demonstrating to test engineers whether EMI (electromagnetic interference) will occur. Cell phones, radios, motors and most other electrical devices have the potential to produce EMI and may cause damage to or interfere with the signal of the device under test.
RF power amplifiers play an integral role in these tests because, to generate an electromagnetic field that effectively mimics conditions for EMC standards, the signal needs to be amplified over a specific frequency range with a precise power output, power efficiency, gain and linearity. Military standard MIL-STD-461 RS103 outlines the requirements for radiated immunity tests involving electric fields, detailing test specifications for different devices.
ATEC carries a variety of microwave and RF power amplifiers, including those with solid state and TWT technology. Solid state power amplifiers (SSPA) operate on narrower bandwidths and require less voltage. Traveling wave tube amplifiers, known as TWT amplifiers, are ideal for applications that call for a wide bandwidth and long operating lifetime. Our inventory of RF power amplifiers can be further divided into continuous wave (CW) amplifiers, which produce power continuously, and pulse amplifiers, which amplify pulse signals. ATEC offers class A, class B and class AB amplifiers with LDMOS, GaN or GaAs transistor technology.
RF Power Amplifier Test Standards