Award Recognition at the 2025 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium

We are pleased to announce that the team has been recognized with the IEEE Microwave Prize at the 2025 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS).

This prestigious annual award acknowledges the most significant contribution to the field of Microwave engineering through a published paper.Our paper, published in IEEE T-MTT (accessible here), introduces a Coupler-Balun Load-Modulated Power Amplifier (PA) that achieves active load modulation across a wide 3:1 bandwidth (30–100 GHz), setting a new benchmark in the field.

Building on previous work with the LMBA PA and its successes in GaN PAs, our research presents an innovative approach using a 180-degree balun coupler for enhancing broadband back-off efficiency. This new class of wideband load modulation PAs is particularly well-suited for Si PAs and high-frequency PAs, offering substantial performance improvements and supporting differential PAs.

This work was supported by DARPA's Young Faculty Award (YFA) and Director’s Fellowship Programs, with special thanks to Dr. Timothy Hancock, Dr. Steve Gross, and Mr. Tony Quach for their invaluable support. We also extend our gratitude to the co-authors and former PhD students who contributed significantly to this achievement: Dr. Tzu-Yuan Huang, Dr. Naga Sasikanth Mannem, Dr. Sensen Li, Dr. Doohwan Jung, and Dr. Min-Yu Huang. Their ongoing contributions to the MTT-S community, in roles such as start-up founders, professors, and industry experts, continue to drive innovation forward.