Is it safe to set VGG1 to -0.65V before turning on VDD for the ADPA7008, and what are the benefits and downsides of using an active bias controller like HMC980?

It is safe to set VGG1 to -0.65V before turning on VDD for the ADPA7008. However, using a fixed gate voltage can result in varying quiescent currents from part to part, which tends to affect performance parameters such as OP1dB and OIP3. An active bias controller like HMC980 can provide better device-to-device repeatability by adjusting the gate voltage to maintain a setpoint current. The HMC980 also handles safe sequencing of VDD and VGG voltages. A downside of using HMC980 is that it will maintain the set drain current regardless of the RF power level, which can be wasteful if the input power level is reduced or turned off. For example, to support output powers up to 32 dBm, the setpoint current must be 2.4A, but this current will still flow even when the output power is backed off to 25 dBm. With a fixed gate voltage, the drain current scales up and down as needed.