Date:January 19, 2026

We are excited to share that our research team at the SUSTech School of Microelectronics has achieved major breakthroughs in broadband RF and millimeter-wave front-end modules. Supported by the NSFC, these innovations recently resulted in four publications across top-tier IEEE journals (T-MTT, SSCL, and MWTL).

1. Ultra-Wideband PA (0.6–3.6 GHz):

By proving a smooth, in-band mode transition between switchless Class-G and Doherty modes, our new PA delivers exceptional drain efficiencies of up to 57% at back-off. (Published in T-MTT)

Read the papers on IEEEXplore: UWB Back-Off Efficiency-Enhanced PA (T-MTT)

2. Linear & Wideband GaN MMIC DEPA:

Targeting 5G millimeter-wave systems, this DEPA achieves high linearity and over 20% average PAE in the 24.25–29 GHz band by effectively compensating for transistor gain compression. (Published in T-MTT)

Read the papers on IEEEXplore: Linear & Wideband GaN MMIC DEPA (T-MTT)

3. Compact SPDT Switch (10–28 GHz):

Utilizing a modified π-network, this GaN MMIC switch solves traditional high-frequency limitations, balancing low insertion loss (<2.1 dB) with outstanding isolation (>42 dB). (Published in SSCL)

Read the papers on IEEEXplore: Broadband Compact SPDT Switch (SSCL)

4. High-Performance LNA (10–30 GHz):

Featuring an innovative inductive feedback network,this ultra-wideband LNA perfectly balances high gain (25.1–28.1 dB) and remarkably low noise (2.1–3.4 dB). (Published in MWTL)

Read the papers on IEEEXplore: mm-Wave Wideband GaN LNA (MWTL)

Date:December 14, 2025

We are thrilled to share that our group's latest research, *"An Ultrawideband Back-Off Efficiency-Enhanced Power Amplifier Utilizing In-Band Mode Transition Between Switchless Class-G and Doherty,"* has been selected as a **Featured Article** by the editorial board of *IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques (T-MTT)*. Published in the August 2025 issue, this highlights a significant milestone for our team in the field of RF integrated circuit design.

As next-generation wireless communication systems demand increasingly higher spectral efficiency and broader modulation bandwidths, engineers frequently face strict bandwidth-efficiency trade-offs. Traditional two-way load-modulated power amplifiers, such as standard Doherty and switchless Class-G models, inherently suffer from bandwidth limitations caused by frequency-dependent phase shifts in their matching networks.

To overcome these fundamental constraints, our team introduced a multi-quadrant impedance modulation technique that enables seamless, switchless mode transitions, alongside a novel dual-bonding wire strategy to minimize auxiliary-path parasitic effects. Our prototype demonstrates an unprecedented combination of bandwidth and efficiency across a massive 0.6 to 3.6 GHz spectrum. It delivers 38.7–40.2 dBm saturated output power and maintains over 40% drain efficiency at 7.5 dB back-off, all while ensuring excellent signal integrity (EVM ≤ 1.1% under a 40-MHz 256-QAM signal).

By successfully eliminating the bandwidth constraints imposed by matching network phase variations, this research extends efficiency enhancement to its theoretical limit. We believe this innovation will serve as a game-changer for the development of future ultra-wideband and multi-standard wireless systems.

Read the Featured Article on IEEE Xplore ：[https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10900590]

Date:March 19, 2025

We are proud to announce that Assistant Professor Xiaohu Fang has been awarded the Second Prize in the 9th Young Teachers' Teaching Competition and the campus selection for the 3rd Guangdong Provincial Teaching Innovation Competition at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). Recognized for his outstanding pedagogical skills and innovative educational philosophy, Dr. Fang stood out among 21 outstanding candidates from various departments across the university to receive this prestigious honor.

The annual teaching competition aims to continuously enhance the instructional capabilities of young faculty members, promoting a student-centered approach and driving innovation in classroom design. Since joining the School of Microelectronics in September 2021, Dr. Fang has consistently embodied this student-first philosophy, particularly in his newly established course, "Fundamentals of Integrated Circuits I - Analog Integrated Circuits." Designed specifically for pre-major undergraduates, Dr. Fang continuously optimizes the course based on student feedback, leading to exceptional student reviews that ranked his class in the top 15% of all theoretical courses during the university's Spring 2024 teaching evaluations.

This award serves as a profound recognition of Dr. Fang's dedication to education and a great inspiration for our research group. Moving forward, he is committed to further exploring innovative teaching methodologies to provide even higher-quality educational experiences. Through continuous improvement in the classroom, Dr. Fang aims to effectively nurture the next generation of creative talents and future leaders in the field of microelectronics.

Date: May 21, 2024

We are exceptionally proud to announce that our research group has won the prestigious Best Student Paper Award at the 2024 National Conference on Microwave and Millimeter Wave (NCMMW 2024). The conference, a core event of the 2024 China Microwave Week jointly hosted by the Chinese Institute of Electronics and the IEEE MTT-S, was held from May 16 to 19 at the Beijing International Convention Center. The competition was highly rigorous; out of 494 accepted papers and 79 entries in the student competition, our work was selected as one of only six to receive this top honor following an intense poster presentation and live defense before an international panel of experts.

The award-winning paper, titled "Ku-Band MMIC Doherty Power Amplifier with Novel Notch Filtering," was authored by Wenqi Dai, a 2022 Master's student in our group, under the guidance of Assistant Professor Xiaohu Fang. This research addresses a critical interference challenge in Ku-band satellite communications. Because the transmission (Tx) band 13.75-14.6GHz and the receiving (Rx) band 10.7-12.75GHz are situated extremely close to each other, traditional Doherty power amplifiers exhibiting non-zero gain in the Rx band often cause severe noise interference to the receiver.

To overcome this bottleneck, our team systematically investigated the impact of the order of a novel LC bias network with notch filtering capabilities on fundamental and harmonic impedances. Based on these insights, we proposed and implemented a Ku-band Doherty power amplifier that seamlessly integrates this zero-point (notch) filtering function. The final design not only achieves outstanding back-off efficiency but also effectively suppresses noise in the receive band, providing a highly robust and efficient solution for advanced satellite communication systems. We congratulate Wenqi Dai on this outstanding achievement!

Date: March 5, 2024

We are excited to share that our research group has published two new papers in the flagship journal IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques (T-MTT). Supported by the NSFC, Shenzhen STIC, and SUSTech, these works make significant strides in advanced high-performance power amplifier (PA) design.

Linear mm-Wave GaN Doherty PA:

Targeting 5G systems (24.25-29.5 GHz), we proposed a complex-to-real impedance modulation technique to tackle nonlinear distortion without increasing DPD complexity. It achieves an ACPR below -34 dB and an EVM of 2.8% under a 400 MHz 64QAM signal.

Read the papers on IEEE Xplore: Linear mm-Wave GaN Doherty PA

Read the Featured Article on IEEE Xplore: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10403646

Wideband Switchless Class-G (SLCG) PA:

We introduced a generic theory and design methodology for applying commercial packaged transistors to SLCG PAs. Operating across 1-3 GHz, the design eliminates abrupt efficiency drops, delivering outstanding back-off efficiencies of up to 51.2% at 6 dB and 49.1% at 7.5 dB.

Read the papers on IEEE Xplore: Wideband Switchless Class-G PA

Read the Featured Article on IEEE Xplore: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10406210

Date: October 28, 2023

We are extremely proud to announce that Jie Shi, a 2022 Ph.D. student in our research group advised by Assistant Professor Xiaohu Fang, has won the prestigious Best Paper Award at the 24th IEEE GZ/HK AP/MTT Postgraduate Conference. The event was held on October 28 at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. Jie earned this top honor in the Microwave Theory and Techniques (MTT) student competition following his excellent oral presentation of our group's paper, titled "Novel Wideband Fully Integrated GaN Power Amplifier Design using a Hybrid Bandpass-Lowpass Output Matching Network."

Targeting the critical demands for wide bandwidth, high energy efficiency, and exceptional linearity in modern wireless communication transmitters, this award-winning research overcomes the impedance transformation limitations found in traditional bandpass structures. The paper introduces a highly innovative wideband matching circuit that utilizes a hybrid bandpass-lowpass architecture. This novel design not only allows for flexible impedance transformation but also achieves a highly compact and low-loss chip footprint.

The IEEE GZ/HK AP/MTT Postgraduate Conference is a premier academic platform jointly hosted by the IEEE Guangzhou/Hong Kong AP and MTT chapters, designed specifically to foster exchange among graduate students in the antenna and microwave fields. This year's competition was incredibly fierce, featuring 39 shortlisted papers from over a dozen top-tier universities, including CUHK, HKUST, and PolyU. Winning one of only three Best Paper Awards out of such a highly competitive pool is a fantastic testament to Jie Shi's hard work and our group's ongoing commitment to excellence in RFIC and MMIC design.