Novel Frequency Dependent Neural Network Behavioural

Model of a Power Amplifier

John O’ Toole, Thomas J. Brazil

Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
john.otoole@ucd.ie tom.brazil@ucd.ie

Abstract — A novel neural network-based im- provement in simulation speed, it can still be slow
plementation of behavioural models is pre- when simulating long symbol sequences, such as
sented, which aims to decrease simulation when calculating bit error rates of a system. A so-
time and increase accuracy of existing mod- lution to this is to construct higher level models of
els. The neural network is used to expand the the circuit which retain the essential transfer charac-
parameter range of conventional behavioural teristics but reduce the complexity of the simulation
models of a power amplifier. The neural task. Behavioural models and neural networks are
network maps the transfer characteristics of two such higher level models.
the various behavioural models (based on
the amplitude modulation-amplitude modula- Neural networks have been successfully imple-
tion (AM-AM), amplitude modulation-phase mented at various levels within high frequency CAD
modulation (AM-PM) functions) over a speci- tools [6]-[11]. The common feed-forward or multi-
fied RF frequency range. The model is used to layer perceptron (MLP) [12] can be considered as
evaluate the Adjacent Channel Power Ratio a robust multi-dimensional mapping function that
(ACPR) for a Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) operates well for applications with highly nonlinear
signal at different RF carrier frequencies. data and high input dimension space making them
preferable over traditional curve-fitting routines.
I. Introduction
Modern wireless communication circuits and sys- Behavioural models are essentially a black box ap-
tems are generally excited with complex digitally proach to circuit level modelling where the circuit is
modulated RF signals of high density in order to modelled on the basis of its input/output relation-
make most efficient use of the scarce spectral re- ship thus resulting in a relatively simple analytical
source. A critical component of these communication transfer function which greatly reduces simulation
systems is the power amplifier (PA), and, as most de- time. The behavioural model of the PA has been
signs involve a CAD process, it is important to have implemented successfully [1]-[3], however the model
an accurate model of active device behaviour to pre- is normally limited by the fact that it is limited to
dict overall system behaviour. Also the requirement considering input amplitude as an independent pa-
of energy efficiency [1] means that the amplifier must rameter, and therefore does not incorporate other
operate in a region of relatively high non-linearity, re- parameters, such as RF carrier frequency, tempera-
sulting in a spectral regrowth, whereby the output sig- ture and bias characteristics.
nal spectral energy for a particular carrier is spread
outside the assigned channel of operation. This paper presents a novel neural network model
As equivalent circuit nonlinear models of the de- of a PA, the construction of which is based on the
vices used in PA’s become more complex (due to behavioural model approach, but which extends the
more accurate modelling of the complex underlying latter through the incorporation of frequency depen-
device physics) simulation time increases. Direct cir- dence. The neural network model was constructed
cuit simulation with digitally modulated signals us- from behavioural models at different RF carrier fre-
ing traditional microwave techniques such as time- quencies, thus resulting in one carrier frequency de-
domain and harmonic-balance then becomes largely pendent model. This model was then simulated with
impractical due to the need for lengthy, memory- a W-CDMA signal, resulting in spectral regrowth at
intensive simulations. While the introduction of cir- the output, from which the adjacent channel power
cuit envelope techniques [4] has led to a great im- was calculated and compared with existing models.
 II. Neural Network Behavioural Neural Network
Nonlinear Model
A narrow-band and bandpass digitally-modulated
input signal can be represented by A gI[A,f]
]

vi (t) = A(t) cos(ωc t + θ(t))

= Re{A(t)e(ωc t+θ(t)) } (1)
f gQ [A,f]
]
where A(t) and θ(t) are the low pass envelope am-
plitude and phase functions and ωc is the RF carrier
in radians. The output of a nonlinear memoryless
device may be modelled by using an instantaneous Fig. 1. 3 layer MLP neural network showing input/output
voltage transfer function [2], however the complex characteristics.
envelope transfer function proposed by Kaye et al.
[5] provides a more complete description of the am- A. Adjacent Channel Power Ratio
plifier. The output of the device is described by
When a band-limited digitally modulated signal
vo (t) = Re{g[A(t)]e(ωc t+θ(t)+φ[A(t)])} is passed through a nonlinearity the intermodula-
= Re{(gI [A(t)] + jgQ [A(t)])e(ωc t+θ(t)) } (2) tion causes the band-limited spectrum to leak into
the adjacent frequency bands [15]. This spectral re-
where gI [.] and gQ [.] are the in-phase and growth caused by the distortion performance of the
quadrature-phase amplitude functions. These func- nonlinearity results in adjacent or co-channel inter-
tions are obtained by fitting the experimentally ob- ference. A figure of merit commonly used to measure
tained AM-AM G[.] and AM-PM Φ[.] to an odd series this interference is the Adjacent Channel Power Ra-
of Bessel functions. tio (ACPR) which is generally defined as
k=1


G[A]ejΦ[A] = bk J(α(2k − 1)A) (3) f4

n S(f )df
f3
where J1 (.) is first order Bessel function of the first ACPRUP P ER =  f2 (7)
kind and S(f )df
f1
α = 2π/D (4)
where D is defined as the dynamic range of the input where S(f ) is the power spectral density of the sig-
signal [13] [14]. A Fourier sine series (again using nal, f1 → f2 represents the frequency band of the
odd terms [5]) then represents the complex envelope main channel and f3 → f4 represents the frequency
transfer function by using the complex coefficients band of the adjacent channel. The ACPRUP P ER is
derived from (3). the ACPR using the adjacent channel at a positive
offset from the main channel while the ACPRLOW ER
gI [A] = g[A] cos(φ[A])
is using the adjacent channel at a negative offset.
k=1

Both adjacent channels are defined with equal band-
= Re[ b2k ] sin(α(2k − 1)A) (5) widths.
n
For different wireless standards these frequency
gQ [A] = g[A] sin(φ[A]) bands differ [16], for the W-CDMA standard as de-
k=1

fined in [17] and [18] the ACPR is the ratio of the
= Im[ b2k ] sin(α(2k − 1)A) (6) power spectral density integrated over the adjacent
n channel (|f4 − f3 | = 4.096 MHz) at an offset of ±5
The calculation of the transfer functions (5)-(6) is MHz (depending on lower or upper adjacent chan-
generally known as a Bessel-Fourier transform which nel), over the integrated power spectral density of
completes Kaye’s quadrature nonlinearity model [5]. the main channel (f2 − f1 = 4.096 MHz).
The neural network as a common MLP can be de-
scribed as a multi-dimensional mapping function and III. Spectral Regrowth Characteristics of
can be used to map a vector of output transfer func- Nonlinear Power Amplifier
tions (such as in (5)-(6)) from a vector input space In order to construct and test the model of a PA
(such as amplitude A, and RF carrier frequency fc ) an existing equivalent circuit model from the Agilent
as illustrated in Fig. 1. Thus the neural networks ex- ADS [19] simulator was used, rather than obtaining
pands the transfer functions to gI [A, fc ] and gQ [A, fc ] the transfer characteristics experimentally. The PA
thereby making the model RF carrier frequency de- model was simulated using harmonic balance over
pendent. the power range −15dBm → 32 dBm while sweeping
the RF carrier frequency from 1.95 GHz to 2.0 GHz. alent circuit model in ADS when using the circuit
The AM-AM, AM-PM characteristics were obtained envelope technique. The circuit envelope simulation
for the PA including an input/output impedance technique is a vast improvement over the traditional
of 50Ω over these ranges thus resulting in a set of time domain transient analysis technique in terms
characteristics for each frequency sweep. At each of of simulation speed thus making the neural network
these frequency steps a behavioural model was con- behavioural model very efficient in comparison. The
structed, thus producing a set of gI [A] and gQ [A] en-
velope transfer functions, as shown in (5) (6). These TABLE I
Time taken for simulation with W-CDMA signal for each
functions swept over the frequency range were then model. The Circuit Envelope technique was used in ADS.
combined and used to train the neural network, giv-
Neural ADS
ing one model with transfer functions gI [A, f ] and
Behavioural Network Equivalent
gQ [A, f ] which is illustrated in Fig. 2.
Time Model Model Circuit
Trained Neural Network Function gI[A,f]
5
Neural Network Model
hh:mm:ss 0:16:27 0:23:53 5:56:11
Behavioural Models f=2.0 GHz

3
output of the behavioural neural network model is
f=1.98 GHz
a time domain signal, as described by (2). In order
2
to examine the spectral regrowth of the PA model
1 this signal is fast Fourier transformed (FFT) to the
Vout (V)

0
frequency domain displaying the spectral properties
f=1.97 GHz
of the signal. The importance of the RF carrier fre-
−1
quency dependence is shown in Fig. 3-4 as the power
−2 spectrum of the three models are displayed for two
cases. The first is at a carrier frequency of 1.95 GHz,
−3 f=1.95 GHz
at which the behavioural model was originally con-
−4
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
structed. The behavioural and neural network model
Vin (V) (a) compare favourable with the ADS results. With the
carrier frequency at 1.98 GHz the PA is clearly oper-
Trained Neural Network g [A,f]
Q ating in a different nonlinear region, however as the
7
Neural Network Model
Behavioural Models behavioural model was based on the 1.95 GHz char-
f=1.97 GHz

6
acteristics, this frequency dependence is lost on this
model which is not the case for the neural network
5
f=1.95 GHz
model with this RF carrier dependence.

4 Spectral Plot of PA output

20
Vout (V)

ADS
Behavioural
f=1.98 GHz Neural Network
3 10

0
2
Power Spectral Density (dBm/Hz)

−10

f=2.0 GHz
1
−20

0 −30
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Vin (V) (b)
−40

Fig. 2. Neural network model constructed from 4 behavioural −50

models each at a different RF carrier frequency for the in-
phase (a) and quadrature (b) functions. −60

−70
−8 −6 −4 −2 0 2 4 6 8
To test the neural network the model was excited Frequecny (Hz) 6
x 10

with a W-CDMA signal, containing a long sequence

of symbols at a chip rate of 3.84 Mcps. The sequence Fig. 3. Baseband spectral output of PA models at RF carrier
was simulated to a length of 16.67µsec at a sample 1.95 GHz.
frequency of 31.457 GHz for each model on a Sun
Ultra Sparc 10 (containing 380 MB RAM), the re- The third-generation (3G) specifications of high
sults of which are illustrated in TABLE I. The sim- linearity on PA’s for modulation schemes such as W-
ulation time required for the neural network model CDMA [18] require an accurate measurement of this
is less than 7% of the time required for the equiv- linearity. This is supplied by the ACPR calculation
 Spectral Plot of PA output
20
Behavioural
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