GaN HEMT-Based Frequency Quadrupler Up-Converting from S Band to X Band with Conversion Gain in Narrowband

Morales-Fernandez, Ainhoa; Marante-Boado, Maria; Fernandez-Barciela, Monica; Martin-Rodriguez, Fernando

doi:10.3390/electronics15132893

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Open AccessArticle

GaN HEMT-Based Frequency Quadrupler Up-Converting from S Band to X Band with Conversion Gain in Narrowband

by

Ainhoa Morales-Fernandez

,

Maria Marante-Boado

,

Monica Fernandez-Barciela

^*

and

Fernando Martin-Rodriguez

atlanTTic Research Center for Telecommunication Technologies, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Electronics 2026, 15(13), 2893; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15132893

Submission received: 26 May 2026 / Revised: 23 June 2026 / Accepted: 29 June 2026 / Published: 1 July 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in GaN Semiconductors Technology: Materials & Devices for the Next Generation of High-Efficiency Power Electronics)

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Abstract

This work presents the first design of an active frequency quadrupler based on GaN HEMTs. It is based on two cascaded frequency doubler stages that allow up-conversion from the S band to the X band, obtaining conversion gain in narrowband without the need for any additional buffer amplifier. A hybrid prototype of the quadrupler provides, at the input fundamental frequency of 2.5 GHz, a measuredfourthharmonic maximum conversion gain of 13.7 dB and an output power of 23.5 dBm, with suppression of both fundamental andsecondharmonic above 14 dBc. To obtain these results, due to its impact in the final quadrupler behavior, a prototype of the higher frequency second stage doubler was designed and manufactured separately to assess its RF performance. The experimental results of this standalone prototype are highly competitive with the current state of the art in frequency doublers at the C band.

Keywords: frequency quadrupler; frequency doubler; gallium nitride; hybrid circuit; microwaves

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MDPI and ACS Style

Morales-Fernandez, A.; Marante-Boado, M.; Fernandez-Barciela, M.; Martin-Rodriguez, F. GaN HEMT-Based Frequency Quadrupler Up-Converting from S Band to X Band with Conversion Gain in Narrowband. Electronics 2026, 15, 2893. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15132893

AMA Style

Morales-Fernandez A, Marante-Boado M, Fernandez-Barciela M, Martin-Rodriguez F. GaN HEMT-Based Frequency Quadrupler Up-Converting from S Band to X Band with Conversion Gain in Narrowband. Electronics. 2026; 15(13):2893. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15132893

Chicago/Turabian Style

Morales-Fernandez, Ainhoa, Maria Marante-Boado, Monica Fernandez-Barciela, and Fernando Martin-Rodriguez. 2026. "GaN HEMT-Based Frequency Quadrupler Up-Converting from S Band to X Band with Conversion Gain in Narrowband" Electronics 15, no. 13: 2893. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15132893

APA Style

Morales-Fernandez, A., Marante-Boado, M., Fernandez-Barciela, M., & Martin-Rodriguez, F. (2026). GaN HEMT-Based Frequency Quadrupler Up-Converting from S Band to X Band with Conversion Gain in Narrowband. Electronics, 15(13), 2893. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15132893

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GaN HEMT-Based Frequency Quadrupler Up-Converting from S Band to X Band with Conversion Gain in Narrowband

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