One of the benefits of GaN is that its larger device voltage and resulting higher output impedance mean it is easier to match for maximum power over a wider frequency range. Ka-band GaN chips are now commercially available with up to 9W saturated output power from 27.5 – 31 GHz.

This wide bandwidth is a perfect match for EM Solutions new nanoBUC HUB: a broadband Ka-band frequency upconverter incorporating its own pre-distortion linearizer and management and control functionality. Previous generation L- to Ka- band BUCs use a single frequency (direct) conversion architecture and are restricted to a single 1 GHz wide RF operating frequency, see figure 1. The nanoBUC HUB, on the other hand, uses a dual upconversion technique, see figure 2. This architecture allows the LO products to be effectively filtered out away from Ka-frequencies, allowing operation across the full Ka-band.