Electronically reconfigurable matching network

• US 10,164,587 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Campbell, Charles Forrest, Kobayashi, Kevin Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): Choe, Henry
• Application Number:
  US15/802,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20180123533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 330302, 330311
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/565 using inductive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/423 Amplifier output adaptation especially for transmission line coupling purposes, e.g. impedance adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 in integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/213 in integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/601 using FET's, e.g. GaAs FET's H03F3/607, H03F3/608 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/383 comprising distributed impedance elements together with lumped impedance elements

Abstract

An electronically reconfigurable matching network having a plurality of electronically reconfigurable components is disclosed. Each of the plurality of electronically reconfigurable elements includes a plurality of selectable impedance elements coupled together. Each selectable impedance element includes an impedance element coupled between first and second end terminals and a field-effect transistor (FET)-based switch coupled between the first and second end terminals. The FET-based switch includes a first FET having first and second current terminals coupled to a first gate terminal and a second FET having a third current terminal coupled to the first gate terminal, a fourth current terminal, and a second gate terminal coupled to a first control terminal; and a third FET having a fifth current terminal coupled to the first end terminal, a sixth current terminal coupled to the second end terminal, and a third gate terminal coupled to the third current terminal.

Claims

1. An electronically reconfigurable matching network comprising:

a plurality of electronically reconfigurable components coupled to a power path between a first port and a second port, wherein each of the plurality of electronically reconfigurable elements comprises a plurality of selectable impedance elements coupled together, wherein each of the plurality of selectable impedance elements comprises;

an impedance element coupled between a first end terminal and a second end terminal; and

a field-effect transistor (FET)-based switch coupled between the first end terminal and the second end terminal and comprising;

a first FET having a first current terminal, a first gate terminal, and a second current terminal coupled to the first gate terminal;

a second FET having a third current terminal coupled to the first gate terminal, a fourth current terminal, and a second gate terminal coupled to a first control terminal; and

a third FET having a fifth current terminal coupled to the first end terminal, a sixth current terminal coupled to the second end terminal, and a third gate terminal coupled to the third current terminal, wherein the first end terminal and the second end terminal are configured to receive a portion of radio frequency power from the power path.

2. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 wherein the third FET is configured to provide an on-state that shunts the impedance element and an off-state that does not shunt the impedance element.

3. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 2 wherein the first FET and the second FET provide a bias to the third gate terminal to ensure the on-state of the third FET as voltage across the first current terminal and the fourth current terminal varies between 0 V and 1 V.

4. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 2 wherein the first FET and the second FET provide a bias to the third gate terminal to ensure the off-state of the third FET as voltage across the first current terminal and the fourth current terminal varies between −

70 V and −

15 V.

5. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 2 wherein the first FET and the second FET provide a bias to the third gate terminal to ensure the on-state and the off-state of the third FET as voltage across the first current terminal and the fourth current terminal varies between −

70 V and −

15 V.

6. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 wherein the impedance element is a capacitor.

7. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 6 wherein the capacitor is a metal-insulator-metal type capacitor.

8. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 wherein the impedance element is a distributed impedance element that includes resistance, capacitance, and inductance.

9. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 8 wherein the distributed impedance element is a microstrip.

10. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 wherein the impedance element is a resistor.

11. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 10 wherein the resistor is a thin-film type resistor.

12. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 wherein the third FET provides a tuning capacitance that comprises parasitic capacitance of the third FET in an off-state.

13. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 wherein the third FET provides a tuning resistance that comprises channel resistance of the third FET in an on-state.

14. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 13 wherein the third FET comprises an electronically tunable stability network coupled in series with the plurality of electronically reconfigurable components coupled in series in the power path.

15. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 further including a first resistor coupled between the second current terminal and the third current terminal and a second resistor coupled between the third current terminal and the third gate terminal.

16. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 further including at least one electronically reconfigurable component coupled between a fixed voltage node and at least one node between a pair of adjacent ones of the plurality of electronically reconfigurable components coupled in series in the power path.

17. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 wherein the electronically reconfigurable matching network is integrated into a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC).

18. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 17 wherein voltages applied to the first current terminal and the fourth current terminal during operation are on-chip voltages available to other circuitry integrated within the MMIC.

19. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 17 further including a gallium nitride FET having a power output coupled to the first port of the power path.

20. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electronically reconfigurable components is configured to match an output impedance of a power amplifier coupled to the first port to a load impedance of a load coupled to the second port during a first operation at a first frequency and a second operation at a second frequency that is separated from the first frequency by at least one octave.

21. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electronically reconfigurable components is configured to match an output impedance of a power amplifier coupled to the first port to a load impedance of a load coupled to the second port during a first operation at S-band frequencies and a second operation at X-band frequencies.

22. The electronically reconfigurable matching network of claim 20 wherein the power path provides no more than 0.6 dB of matching loss during either the first operation within the S-band or the second operation within the X-band.