Radio frequency switch apparatus with improved harmonic attenuation characteristics

• US 10,270,405 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2017
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Jo, Byeong Hak, Kim, Jeong Hoon, Paek, Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Takaoka, Dean O
• Application Number:
  US15/813,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20190007006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 333103, 257532, 257541
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/211 the input of an amplifier can be attenuated by a continuously controlled transistor attenuator
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/387 A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/411 the output amplifying stage of an amplifier comprising two power stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/193 with field-effect devices H03F3/195 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/0014 using bulk acoustic wave devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/0028 using surface acoustic wave devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/693 Switching arrangements with several input- or output-terminals, e.g. multiplexers, distributors logic circuits H03K19/00; code converters H03M5/00, H03M7/00

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) switch apparatus includes a signal input terminal; a signal output terminal; a first transistor including a first input terminal connected to the signal input terminal, a first output terminal connected to the signal output terminal, a first gate terminal, and a first body terminal, wherein one of the first input terminal and the first output terminal is a source terminal and another one of the first input terminal and the first output terminal is a drain terminal; a first capacitor circuit connected between the first input terminal and the first body terminal; and a second capacitor circuit connected between the first body terminal and the first output terminal; wherein a first capacitance of the first capacitor circuit is greater than a second capacitance of the second capacitor circuit.

Claims

1. A radio frequency (RF) switch apparatus comprising:

a signal input terminal;

a signal output terminal;

a first transistor comprising a first input terminal connected to the signal input terminal, a first output terminal connected to the signal output terminal, a first gate terminal, and a first body terminal, wherein one of the first input terminal and the first output terminal is a source terminal and another one of the first input terminal and the first output terminal is a drain terminal;

a first capacitor circuit connected between the first input terminal and the first body terminal; and

a second capacitor circuit connected between the first body terminal and the first output terminal;

wherein a first capacitance of the first capacitor circuit is greater than a second capacitance of the second capacitor circuit.

2. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first capacitor circuit comprises:

a first junction capacitor connected between the first body terminal and the first input terminal; and

a first phase compensating capacitor connected in parallel with the first junction capacitor.

3. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first phase compensating capacitor comprises a variable capacitor circuit having a capacitance that varies in response to a first external control signal.

4. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first transistor further comprises:

a body pattern corresponding to the first body terminal; and

a drain pattern corresponding to the first input terminal; and

a capacitance of the first phase compensating capacitor depends on an area of an overlap between the body pattern corresponding to the first body terminal and the drain pattern corresponding to the first input terminal.

5. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second capacitor circuit comprises a second junction capacitor connected between the first body terminal and the first output terminal.

6. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first capacitance is greater than the second capacitance and less than three times the second capacitance.

7. A radio frequency (RF) switch apparatus comprising:

a signal input terminal;

a signal output terminal; and

first to n-th switches connected in series between the signal input terminal and the signal output terminal, where n is a natural number of two or more;

wherein the first switch comprises;

a first transistor comprising a first input terminal connected to the signal input terminal, a first output terminal, a first gate terminal, and a first body terminal, wherein one of the first input terminal and the first output terminal is a source terminal and another one of the first input terminal and the first output terminal is a drain terminal;

a first capacitor circuit connected between the first input terminal and the first body terminal; and

a second capacitor circuit connected between the first body terminal and the first output terminal; and

a first capacitance of the first capacitor circuit of the first switch is greater than a second capacitance of the second capacitor circuit of the first switch.

8. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first capacitor circuit comprises:

a first junction capacitor connected between the first body terminal and the first input terminal; and

a first phase compensating capacitor connected in parallel with the first junction capacitor.

9. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first phase compensating capacitor comprises a variable capacitor circuit having a capacitance that varies in response to a first external control signal.

10. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first transistor further comprises:

a body pattern corresponding to the first body terminal; and

a drain pattern corresponding to the first input terminal; and

a capacitance of the first phase compensating capacitor depends on an area of an overlap between the body pattern corresponding to the first body terminal and the drain pattern corresponding to the first input terminal.

11. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 8, wherein the n-th switch comprises:

an n-th transistor comprising an n-th input terminal connected to an n-1-th output terminal of an n-1-th switch of the first to n-th switches, an n-th output terminal connected to the signal output terminal, an n-th gate terminal, and an n-th body terminal, wherein one of the n-th input terminal and the n-th output terminal is a source terminal and another one of the n-th input terminal and the n-th output terminal is a drain terminal;

a first capacitor circuit connected between the n-th input terminal and the n-th body terminal; and

a second capacitor circuit connected between the n-th body terminal and the n-th output terminal;

wherein a first capacitance of the first capacitor circuit of the n-th switch is greater than a second capacitance of the second capacitor circuit of the n-th switch.

12. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second capacitor circuit comprises a second junction capacitor connected between the first body terminal and the first output terminal.

13. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first capacitance is greater than the second capacitance and less than three times the second capacitance.

14. A radio frequency (RF) switch apparatus comprising:

a signal input terminal;

a signal output terminal;

a transistor comprising an input terminal connected to the signal input terminal, an output terminal connected to the signal output terminal, a gate terminal, and a body terminal, wherein one of the input terminal and the output terminal is a source terminal and another one of the input terminal and the output terminal is a drain terminal; and

a capacitor connected between the input terminal and the body terminal and having a capacitance that causes a difference between a gate leakage current of the transistor and a body leakage current of the transistor to occur at substantially a zero crossing point of an RF signal applied to the signal input terminal.

15. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 14, wherein a sum of the capacitance of the capacitor and a first junction capacitance between the body terminal and the input terminal is greater than a second junction capacitance between the body terminal and the output terminal.

16. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sum of the capacitance of the capacitor and the first junction capacitance is greater than the second junction capacitance and less than three times the second junction capacitance.

17. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sum of the capacitance of the capacitor and the first junction capacitance is substantially two times the second junction capacitance.

18. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 14, wherein the capacitance of the capacitor causes a phase of a gate voltage of the gate terminal to be equal to a phase of a body voltage of the body terminal.

19. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 14, wherein the capacitor comprises a variable capacitor circuit having a capacitance that varies in response to an external control signal.

20. The radio frequency switch apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transistor further comprises:

a body pattern corresponding to the body terminal; and

a drain or source pattern corresponding to the input terminal; and

the capacitance of the capacitor depends on an area of an overlap between the body pattern corresponding to the body terminal and the drain or source pattern corresponding to the input terminal.