KEYNOTE: Stability Analysis Methods for Microwave Power Amplifiers: A Modern Perspective

This work walks through a brief history of stability methods for amplifying circuits, and discusses how the concept of nodal transfer functions can be completely generalized and used as a mathematical framework for constructing these historical stability analysis methods. A demonstration of this capability is found with the WSProbe in Keysight’s PathWave Advanced Design System[14]. The WSProbe is used to identify a subset of circuit nodes from which generalized transfer function matrices are derived. From the availability of these transfer function matrices, not only can advanced stability analysis be demonstrated, but many other in-situ and powerful design techniques be unleashed with minimal effort and easy access for designers at all levels of expertise.