Radio frequency antenna switch

• US 10,505,537 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2018
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yang, Jinger, Chi, Yusong, Fan, Jinhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Liao, Hsinchun
• Application Number:
  US16/106,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20180358963A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/102 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/145 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/6871 the output circuit comprising more than one controlled field-effect transistor
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/48 in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter H04B1/46 takes precedence

Abstract

A radio frequency antenna switch includes an antenna port, a radio frequency signal port, and at least one branch coupled to the antenna port or the radio frequency signal port, where each branch includes multiple transistors which are coupled in a stack manner, channel width to length ratios of a preset number of transistors in the transistors progressively decrease in a direction away from the antenna port, where the preset number is less than or equal to the total number of the transistors. With the radio frequency antenna switch, capacitances of the preset number of transistors close to the antenna port increase, and distributed voltages that these transistors close to an antenna end in an off state need to bear are reduced.

Claims

1. A radio frequency antenna switch, comprising:

an antenna port configured to either receive or transmit a radio frequency signal;

a radio frequency signal port coupled to the antenna port and configured to receive the radio frequency signal from the antenna port, or send the radio frequency signal to the antenna port; and

at least one branch coupled between the antenna port and the radio frequency signal port, wherein each branch comprises a plurality of transistors, wherein the transistors are coupled in a stack manner, wherein each branch selectively couples and decouples the antenna port with the radio frequency signal port, wherein channel width to length ratios of a preset number of transistors in the transistors progressively decrease in a direction away from the antenna port, and wherein the preset number is less than or equal to a total number of the transistors.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein when the preset number of transistors is less than the total number of the transistors, wherein at least one transistor not included within the preset number of transistors and another transistor that is in the preset number of transistors and that is farthest away from the antenna port have same channel width to length ratios.

3. The switch of claim 1, wherein a gate of each transistor in the transistors is coupled to a gate resistor corresponding to the gate, wherein a body of each transistor is coupled to a body resistor corresponding to the body, and wherein resistance values of corresponding gate resistors and corresponding body resistors of the preset number of transistors progressively decrease in the direction away from the antenna port.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein a decreasing degree of the channel width to length ratios of the preset number of transistors increases with an increase of a number of the at least one branch.

5. The switch of claim 1, wherein metal wires that do not affect an electrical coupling relationship among the transistors separately cover the preset number of transistors, and wherein coverage areas of the metal wires progressively decrease in the direction away from the antenna port.

6. The switch of claim 5, wherein each metal wire covers a gate or at least one of a source electrode or a drain electrode of a transistor corresponding to the metal wire.

7. The switch of claim 5, wherein when the preset number of transistors is less than the total number of the transistors, metal wires with same coverage areas are disposed above at least one other transistor except the preset number of transistors in the transistors and another transistor in the transistors and farthest away from the antenna port.

8. The switch of claim 5, wherein a gate of each transistor in the transistors is coupled to a corresponding gate resistor of the gate, wherein a body of each transistor is coupled to a corresponding body resistor of the body, and wherein resistance values of corresponding gate resistors and corresponding body resistors of the preset number of transistors progressively decrease in the direction away from the antenna port.

9. The switch of claim 5, wherein a decreasing degree of the coverage areas of the metal wires increases with an increase in a number of the at least one branch.

10. The switch of claim 5, wherein when the preset number of transistors is less than the total number of the transistors, no metal wires with same coverage areas are disposed above at least one other transistor except the preset number of transistors in the transistors and another transistor in the transistors and farthest away from the antenna port.

11. The switch of claim 1, wherein each transistor in the transistors has a multi-finger structure comprising at least one first finger used as a source and at least one second finger used as a drain, wherein each first finger being coupled to a common source point, wherein each second finger being coupled to a common drain point, wherein each first finger is coupled, using a plurality of first vias, to a source corresponding to the first finger, wherein each second finger is coupled, using a plurality of second vias, to a drain corresponding to the second finger, and wherein numbers of the first vias and the second vias of the preset number of transistors in the transistors progressively decrease in the direction away from the antenna port.

12. The switch of claim 11, wherein when the preset number is less than the total number of the transistors, at least one other transistor except the preset number of transistors in the transistors and another transistor in the transistors and farthest away from the antenna port have a same number of the first vias and a same number of the second vias.

13. The switch of claim 11, wherein a gate of each transistor in the transistors is coupled to a gate resistor corresponding to the gate, wherein a body of each transistor is coupled to a body resistor corresponding to the body, and wherein resistance values of gate resistors and body resistors corresponding to the preset number of transistors progressively decrease in the direction away from the antenna port.

14. The switch of claim 11, wherein decreasing degrees of the numbers of the first vias and the second vias of the preset number of transistors increase with an increase in a number of the at least one branch.

15. The switch of claim 1, wherein each branch is configured to selectively couple or decouple the antenna port with the radio frequency signal port under an action of a control signal.

16. A system, comprising:

an amplifier; and

a radio frequency antenna switch coupled to the amplifier, wherein the radio frequency antenna switch comprises;

an antenna port configured to either receive or transmit a radio frequency signal;

a radio frequency signal port coupled to the amplifier and configured to receive the radio frequency signal from the antenna port, or send the radio frequency signal to the antenna port; and

at least one branch coupled between the antenna port and the radio frequency signal port, wherein each branch comprises a plurality of transistors, wherein the transistors are coupled in a stack manner, wherein each branch selectively couples and decouples the antenna port with the radio frequency signal port, wherein channel width to length ratios of a preset number of transistors in the transistors progressively decrease in a direction away from the antenna port, and wherein the preset number is less than or equal to a total number of the transistors.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein metal wires that do not affect an electrical coupling relationship among the transistors separately cover the preset number of transistors, and wherein coverage areas of the metal wires progressively decrease in the direction away from the antenna port.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein each transistor in the transistors has a multi-finger structure comprising at least one first finger used as a source and at least one second finger used as a drain, wherein each first finger is coupled to a common source point, wherein each second finger is coupled to a common drain point, wherein each first finger is coupled, using a plurality of first vias, to a source corresponding to the first finger, wherein each second finger is coupled, using a plurality of second vias, to a drain corresponding to the second finger, and wherein numbers of the first vias and the second vias of the preset number of transistors in the transistors progressively decrease in the direction away from the antenna port.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the amplifier comprises a power amplifier.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the amplifier comprises a low noise amplifier.