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MESFET Amplifier Biasing AN-0002
Biasing Circuits and Considerations for GaAs MESFET Power Amplifiers
Summary In order to properly use any amplifier it is necessary to provide the correct operating environment, especially the DC bias. This application note outlines some of the considerations for biasing MESFET amplifiers. Items considered herein are: • Constant current operation, • Temperature compensation of the biasing network, and • Power sequencing of the applied voltages. Overview The I-V curves of Figure 1 represent a typical MESFET device in a common source configuration. For a typical device operating in Class A the desired current is 50% of the maximum current for any particular part.