Radio frequency switch

• US 10,659,031 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2018
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Franck, Stephen James, Scott, Baker, Maxim, George, Desikan, Padmmasini
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai L
• Application Number:
  US16/048,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20200036370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/04106 in field-effect transistor switches H03K17/0412, H03K17/0416 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/102 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 2217/0018 Special modifications or use of the back gate voltage of a FET

Abstract

A radio frequency switch made up of a plurality of switch cells coupled in series between a first node and a second node is disclosed. Each of the plurality of switch cells has a switch field-effect transistor (FET) having a switch drain terminal, a switch source terminal, a switch gate terminal, and a switch body terminal. A body bias network having a first body bias FET with a first drain terminal coupled to the switch body terminal includes a first cross-FET with a second drain terminal coupled to a first source terminal of the first bias body FET and a second source terminal coupled to the switch gate terminal. A second body bias FET has a third drain terminal coupled to the switch body terminal, and a second cross-FET has a fourth drain terminal coupled to a third source terminal of the second body bias FET.

Claims

1. A radio frequency switch comprising a first node, a second node, and a plurality of switch cells that is coupled in series between the first node and the second node, wherein each of the plurality of switch cells comprises:

a switch field-effect transistor (FET) comprising a switch drain terminal, a switch source terminal, a switch gate terminal, and a switch body terminal; and

a body bias network comprising;

a first body bias FET having a first drain terminal coupled to the switch body terminal, a first gate terminal, and a first source terminal;

a first cross-FET having a second drain terminal coupled to the first source terminal, a second source terminal coupled to the switch gate terminal, and a second gate terminal;

a second body bias FET having a third drain terminal coupled to the switch body terminal, a third gate terminal, and a third source terminal; and

a second cross-FET having a fourth drain terminal coupled to the third source terminal, a fourth source terminal coupled to the switch gate terminal, and a fourth gate terminal, wherein the first gate terminal of the first body bias FET is coupled to the fourth gate terminal of the second cross-FET, and the third gate terminal of the second body bias FET is coupled to the second gate terminal of the first cross-FET.

2. The radio frequency switch of claim 1 further comprising:

a first adjacent switch FET through which the second gate terminal of the first cross-FET is coupled to the switch drain terminal of the switch FET; and

a second adjacent switch FET through which the fourth gate terminal of the second cross-FET is coupled to the switch source terminal of the switch FET.

3. The radio frequency switch of claim 1 wherein the second gate terminal of the first cross-FET is coupled to the switch body terminal of the switch FET, and the fourth gate terminal of the second cross-FET is coupled to the switch body terminal of the switch FET.

4. The radio frequency switch of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes a gate resistor coupled to the switch gate terminal of the switch FET.

5. The radio frequency switch of claim 4 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes an acceleration FET coupled across the gate resistor to short the gate resistor as the radio frequency switch transitions from an off-state to an on-state.

6. The radio frequency switch of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes a drain-to-source resistor coupled across the switch FET from switch drain terminal to switch source terminal.

7. The radio frequency switch of claim 6 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes an acceleration FET coupled across the drain-to-source resistor to short the drain-to-source resistor as the radio frequency switch transitions from an off-state to an on-state.

8. The radio frequency switch of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes a gate resistor coupled to the switch gate terminal of the switch FET and further includes a drain-to-source resistor coupled across the switch FET from switch drain terminal to switch source terminal.

9. The radio frequency switch of claim 8 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes a first acceleration FET coupled across the gate resistor to short the gate resistor as the radio frequency switch transitions from an off-state to an on-state and a second acceleration FET coupled across the drain-to-source resistor to short the gate resistor as the radio frequency switch transitions from an off-state to an on-state.

10. The radio frequency switch of claim 1 further comprising a first diode stack and a second diode stack having a shared anode terminal that is coupled to the switch body terminal.

11. The radio frequency switch of claim 10 wherein a cathode of the second diode stack is coupled to the second gate terminal of the first cross-FET.

12. A radio frequency switch comprising a first node, a second node, and a plurality of switch cells that is coupled in series between the first node and the second node, wherein each of the plurality of switch cells comprises:

a switch field-effect transistor (FET) comprising a switch drain terminal, a switch source terminal, a switch gate terminal, and a switch body terminal; and

a body bias network comprising;

a first body bias FET having a first drain terminal coupled to the switch body terminal, a first gate terminal, and a first source terminal;

a first cross-FET having a second drain terminal coupled to the first source terminal, a second source terminal coupled to the switch gate terminal, and a second gate terminal;

a second body bias FET having a third drain terminal coupled to the switch body terminal, a third gate terminal, and a third source terminal;

a second cross-FET having a fourth drain terminal coupled to the third source terminal, a fourth source terminal coupled to the switch gate terminal, and a fourth gate terminal, wherein the first gate terminal of the first body bias FET is coupled to the fourth gate terminal of the second cross-FET, and the third gate terminal of the second body bias FET is coupled to the second gate terminal of the first cross-FET; and

a first adjacent switch FET through which the second gate terminal of the first cross-FET is coupled to the switch drain terminal of the switch FET; and

a second adjacent switch FET through which the fourth gate terminal of the second cross-FET is coupled to the switch source terminal of the switch FET.

13. The radio frequency switch of claim 12 wherein the second gate terminal of the first cross-FET is coupled to the switch body terminal of the switch FET, and the fourth gate terminal of the second cross-FET is coupled to the switch body terminal of the switch FET.

14. The radio frequency switch of claim 12 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes a gate resistor coupled to the switch gate terminal of the switch FET.

15. The radio frequency switch of claim 14 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes an acceleration FET coupled across the gate resistor to short the gate resistor as the radio frequency switch transitions from an off-state to an on-state.

16. The radio frequency switch of claim 12 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes a drain-to-source resistor coupled across the switch FET from switch drain terminal to switch source terminal.

17. The radio frequency switch of claim 16 wherein each of the plurality of switch cells includes an acceleration FET coupled across the drain-to-source resistor to short the drain-to-source resistor as the radio frequency switch transitions from an off-state to an on-state.

18. The radio frequency switch of claim 12 wherein the third gate terminal of the second body bias FET of one of the plurality of switch cells is coupled to the switch drain terminal of the switch FET of an adjacent one of the plurality of switch cells.

19. The radio frequency switch of claim 12 further comprising a first diode stack with a first cathode and a second diode stack with a second cathode having a shared anode terminal that is coupled to the switch body terminal of the switch FET.

20. The radio frequency switch of claim 19 wherein the second cathode of the second diode stack is coupled to the second gate terminal of the first cross-FET.

21. The radio frequency switch of claim 20 wherein the switch source terminal of a first one of the plurality of switch cells is coupled to the first node and the first cathode of the first diode stack is coupled to the second cathode of the second diode stack.