Characterization Method for Distortions in Multi-Port Amplifiers

Inhalt:
The rising need for user dedicated services has facilitated the deployment of High Throughput Satellites (HTS), which are able to provide high capacity and high flexibility according to the user’s demand. Multi-Port Amplifiers (MPAs) have become a key component of HTS, since they allow flexible allocation of resources in terms of bandwidth and power. Depending on the configuration (number of inputs/outputs, the quality of the components, etc.), MPAs may suffer from various distortions that impair the signals of the users. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model that can be used to compensate distortions digitally and further improve performances for future satellite systems. The model relies on the S-parameters composed of the so-called amplitude and phase balance, which disturb the process of signal cancellation/recombination. Another aspect that needs to be taken into account in the model is the gain difference between High Power Amplifiers, which also contributes to the MPA output interference. In the end, the model is evaluated in a HTS scenario, where we determine the performance loss caused by the different degradations in terms of Bit Error Rate.