Carolina Pedrosa, former EMIMEP student (NXP Semiconductors – EMIMEP associated partner) delivered a conference entitled « Phase Shift Happens: Predistortion of Power Amplifiers » at the University of the Basque Country (Spain) during our 2025 Summer School on August 27th, 2025.

Abstract. The presentation « Phase Shift Happens: Predistortion of Power Amplifiers », addresses the fundamental challenge of achieving both high efficiency and linearity in RF power amplifiers for modern wireless communication systems. With the exponential growth in mobile data traffic, power amplifiers—responsible for a significant share of base station energy consumption—must operate efficiently without degrading signal quality. The session introduces the principles of power amplifier nonlinearity, its impact on spectral regrowth and adjacent channel leakage, and the role of digital predistortion (DPD) in mitigating these effects. It reviews established modeling techniques such as Generalized Memory Polynomial (GMP) models and explores advanced approaches leveraging artificial intelligence and multi-objective optimization to enhance model accuracy and reduce complexity. The presentation concludes with insights into emerging methods, including genetic algorithms and unsupervised learning, aimed at developing standard-compliant, wideband DPD solutions for 5G and future networks.

Bio. Carolina Pedrosa is a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering at Institut Polytechnique de Paris, conducting a CIFRE doctorate in collaboration with NXP Semiconductors. Her research focuses on AI-assisted digital predistortion and behavioral modeling of RF power amplifiers for 5G systems, combining advanced signal processing and machine learning techniques to improve linearity and efficiency. She holds an Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Embedded Microwave Electronics and Optics (EMIMEO), and a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil. Carolina has professional experience in RF and microwave circuit design, hardware and firmware development, and automated RF testing, and has authored multiple IEEE publications on power amplifier modeling, microwave sensing, and RFID antenna design. Fluent in Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish, she has worked and studied across Brazil and Europe.