Blocking Caps Boost Power Amplifiers

Microwave transistors, such as those based on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) substrate materials, continue to increase in power density, allowing RF/microwave amplifier designers genuine opportunities to assembly solid-state amplifiers that can provide output levels comparable to those possible with vacuum tube devices. But what is often lost in the design process is the availability of supporting passive components, such as blocking capacitors, that can operate at the power levels required by these newer high-power semiconductors. Fortunately, Dielectric Laboratories, a Dover Company, has made ongoing enhancements to its lines of blocking capacitors, recently introducing a new case size of 0.1100 x 0.1100 in. rated for 250 WVD and 200 W RF power. With a minimum capacitance value of 10,000 pF, these passive components are ideal companions for high-power SiC, GaN, and other high-frequency transistors in high-power RF/microwave solid-state amplifiers.