MTT-S Distinguished Lecture: Power Without Pain: High Power MMIC PA Design, the Pitfalls and how to Avoid Them
Atlanta's IEEE AP/MTT joint-chapter is hosting an MTT-S distinguished lecture event on April 10th (Fri.) from 11:00AM-12:00PM EST at the Georgia Institute of Technology main campus (Tech Square Research Building auditorium). We invited Dr. Michael Roberg to give a talk titled: "Power Without Pain: High Power MMIC PA Design, the Pitfalls and how to Avoid Them." Talk abstract and speaker bio can be read below. Anyone interested is welcome to attend!
This lecture is sponsored by IEEE MTT Society Distinguished Lecturer Program.
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Guest parking passes will not be provided. There are on-campus guest parking lots/decks that charges by the hour. (Note, Visitor Area 8 is the closest to the Tech Square Research Building, while Visitor Area 7 is relatively close and has a lower charge per hour.)
Visitor Area 8: Tech Square Deck (E81) - ~$6/hr (MAP LINK)
Visitor Area 7: Brittain Dr. Details - $2/hr (MAP LINK)
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What is IEEE AP/MTT?
In Atlanta, the local chapters for the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) and Microwave Theory and Technique Society (MTT-S) are merged to form the joint AP/MTT chapter. We are composed of members at various stages of their careers, who work and do research in various electromagnetics disciplines, like antenna design, microwave circuits, RF systems analysis, etc. We welcome any students, young professionals, researchers, and senior engineers in Atlanta to join our joint-chapter and participate in our technical and service activities.
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- 85 5th St NW
- Atlanta, Georgia
- United States 30332
- Building: Tech Square Research Building
- Room Number: Auditorium
- Click here for Map
- Starts 18 January 2026 05:00 AM UTC
- Ends 10 April 2026 04:00 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Dr. Michael Roberg of Qorvo
Power Without Pain: High Power MMIC PA Design, the Pitfalls and how to Avoid Them
This presentation discusses high power monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifier (PA) design in Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Gallium Nitride (GaN). At a high level, GaN versus GaAs semiconductor technology from the perspective of power amplifier design metrics is analyzed to help determine the relative advantages and disadvantages of each technology. This is followed with an introduction of the most prevalent MMIC design topologies for the bulk of microwave applications which include reactively matched, non-uniform distributed, balanced, push-pull, Doherty and serially combined. Following introduction of the main topologies, the presentation focuses on the potential pitfalls the MMIC designer can encounter with detailed discussion on how to avoid them with the goal of first past design success. The presentation relies on experience from the author’s career with over 20 years of experience in the defense and commercial industries as well as academia. MMIC designers will appreciate the candid explanation of the design topologies and pitfalls while non-designers will come away with a good working knowledge of what can be achieved and what to watch out for.
Biography:
Michael Roberg received the Ph.D. degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2012. From 2003 to 2009, he was an engineer at Lockheed Martin-MS2 in Moorestown, NJ working on advanced phased array radar systems. From 2012 to 2022 he worked for Qorvo in the High Performance Analog business unit as a MMIC Design Engineering Fellow. In 2021, he received the Outstanding Young Engineer award from MTT-S and in 2022 he won the industry paper competition at IMS in Denver. From 2022-2024 he was an Engineering Fellow at mmTron, Inc. where he focused on MMIC development for millimeter wave systems. Michael re-joined Qorvo as an engineering fellow in the research organization in 2024 and continues to focus on advanced MMIC development.
Agenda
11:00-11:10 AM - Updates on IEEE Atlanta AP/MTT joint-chapter's activities
11:10-12:10 PM - DL with Dr. Michael Roberg presenting: Power Without Pain: High Power MMIC PA Design, the Pitfalls and how to Avoid Them
12:10-12:30PM - Q/A, interaction with attendees, and wrap-up.