Radio frequency front-end circuit

• US 10,680,556 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2018
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khlat, Nadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Patricia T
• Application Number:
  US16/180,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20200144966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 330127
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0211 with control of the supply voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0261 with control of the polarisation voltage or current, e.g. gliding Class A
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/102 A non-specified detector of a signal envelope being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/105 A non-specified detector of the power of a signal being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/19 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/21 with semiconductor devices only H03F3/245 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0408 with power amplifiers

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit is provided. A power management circuit is configured to output a first modulated voltage, a second modulated voltage, a first bias voltage, and a second bias voltage via a first voltage port(s), a second voltage port(s), a first bias voltage port(s), and a second bias voltage port(s), respectively. An amplifier circuit(s) is configured to amplify an RF signal based on a selected modulated voltage and a selected bias voltage outputted by a selected voltage port and a selected bias voltage port, respectively. The power management circuit can be controlled to dynamically increase the selected bias voltage at the selected bias voltage port in case the selected bias voltage drops below a defined bias voltage threshold. As such, it may be possible to maintain the selected bias voltage at a desirable level, thus enabling the amplifier circuit(s) to operate with improved linearity and efficiency.

Claims

1. A radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit comprising:

a power management circuit configured to;

output a first modulated voltage via a first voltage port;

output a second modulated voltage via a second voltage port;

output a first bias voltage via a first bias voltage port; and

output a second bias voltage via a second bias voltage port;

an amplifier circuit coupled to a selected voltage port among the first voltage port and the second voltage port and a selected bias voltage port among the first bias voltage port and the second bias voltage port, the amplifier circuit configured to;

receive a selected modulated voltage and a selected bias voltage from the selected voltage port and the selected bias voltage port, respectively; and

amplify an RF signal from an input power to an output power based on the selected modulated voltage and the selected bias voltage; and

a control circuit coupled to the power management circuit and configured to;

determine whether the selected bias voltage is lower than a defined bias voltage threshold; and

cause the power management circuit to increase the selected bias voltage at the selected bias voltage port to the defined bias voltage threshold in response to the selected bias voltage being lower than the defined bias voltage threshold.

2. The RF front-end circuit of claim 1 wherein the power management circuit comprises:

a first tracker coupled to the first voltage port and configured to generate the first modulated voltage;

a second tracker coupled to the second voltage port and configured to generate the second modulated voltage;

a first charge pump configured to receive a battery voltage and generate a first boosted voltage higher than the battery voltage;

a second charge pump configured to receive the battery voltage and generate a second boosted voltage higher than the battery voltage; and

a bias voltage circuit coupled to the first charge pump and the second charge pump, the bias voltage circuit configured to generate the selected bias voltage at the selected bias voltage port based on a selected input voltage among the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage.

3. The RF front-end circuit of claim 2 wherein the first boosted voltage and the second boosted voltage are both equal to two times the battery voltage.

4. The RF front-end circuit of claim 2 wherein:

the first tracker is further configured to generate a first envelope tracking (ET) modulated voltage based on a first modulated target voltage; and

the second tracker is further configured to generate a second ET modulated voltage based on a second modulated target voltage.

5. The RF front-end circuit of claim 2 wherein:

the first tracker is further configured to generate a first average power tracking (APT) modulated voltage; and

the second tracker is further configured to generate a second APT modulated voltage.

6. The RF front-end circuit of claim 2 wherein the bias voltage circuit comprises:

a first multiplexer configured to;

receive the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage; and

output a selected one of the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage as the first bias voltage;

a first regulator coupled to the first multiplexer and configured to regulate the first bias voltage to the defined bias voltage threshold;

a second multiplexer configured to;

receive the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage; and

output a selected one of the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage as the second bias voltage; and

a second regulator coupled to the second multiplexer and configured to regulate the second bias voltage to the defined bias voltage threshold.

7. The RF front-end circuit of claim 6 wherein the control circuit is further configured to selectively control at least one of the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer to output at least one of the first bias voltage and the second bias voltage.

8. The RF front-end circuit of claim 6 wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine whether the battery voltage is higher than or equal to the defined bias voltage threshold.

9. The RF front-end circuit of claim 8 wherein:

the amplifier circuit is coupled to the first voltage port and the first bias voltage port; and

the control circuit is further configured to;

control the first multiplexer via a first control signal to output the battery voltage as the first bias voltage in response to the battery voltage being greater than or equal to the defined bias voltage threshold; and

control the first multiplexer via the first control signal to output the first boosted voltage as the first bias voltage in response to the battery voltage being lower the defined bias voltage threshold.

10. The RF front-end circuit of claim 8 wherein:

the amplifier circuit is coupled to the second voltage port and the second bias voltage port; and

the control circuit is further configured to;

control the second multiplexer via a second control signal to output the battery voltage as the second bias voltage in response to the battery voltage being greater than or equal to the defined bias voltage threshold; and

control the second multiplexer via the second control signal to output the second boosted voltage as the second bias voltage in response to the battery voltage being lower the defined bias voltage threshold.

11. The RF front-end circuit of claim 6 further comprising a second amplifier circuit, wherein:

the amplifier circuit is coupled to the first voltage port and the first bias voltage port, the amplifier circuit configured to amplify the RF signal from the input power to the output power based on the first modulated voltage and the first bias voltage; and

the second amplifier circuit is coupled to the second voltage port and the second bias voltage port, the second amplifier circuit configured to amplify a second RF signal from a second input power to a second output power based on the second modulated voltage and the second bias voltage.

12. The RF front-end circuit of claim 11 wherein the control circuit is further configured to control the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer to output the battery voltage as the first bias voltage and the second bias voltage, respectively, in response to the battery voltage being higher than or equal to the defined bias voltage threshold.

13. The RF front-end circuit of claim 11 wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine which of the output power and the second output power is higher in response to the battery voltage being lower than the defined bias voltage threshold.

14. The RF front-end circuit of claim 13 wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

determine that the output power of the amplifier circuit is higher than the second output power of the second amplifier circuit in response to the output power being higher than a defined power threshold and the second output power being lower than or equal to the defined power threshold; and

determine that the output power of the amplifier circuit is lower than the second output power of the second amplifier circuit in response to the output power being lower than or equal to the defined power threshold and the second output power being higher than the defined power threshold.

15. The RF front-end circuit of claim 14 wherein the defined power threshold is predetermined as being 3 decibels (dB) below a defined power ceiling for the RF front-end circuit.

16. The RF front-end circuit of claim 13 wherein, in response to the output power being higher than the second output power, the control circuit is further configured to:

control the first multiplexer to output the second boosted voltage as the first bias voltage; and

control the second multiplexer to output the battery voltage as the second bias voltage.

17. The RF front-end circuit of claim 13 wherein, in response to the output power being lower than the second output power, the control circuit is further configured to:

control the first multiplexer to output the battery voltage as the first bias voltage; and

control the second multiplexer to output the first boosted voltage as the second bias voltage.

18. The RF front-end circuit of claim 1 wherein the power management circuit and the control circuit are integrated into a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

19. A radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit comprising:

a power management circuit configured to;

output a first modulated voltage via a first voltage port;

output a second modulated voltage via a second voltage port;

output a first bias voltage via a first bias voltage port; and

output a second bias voltage via a second bias voltage port;

an amplifier circuit coupled to a selected voltage port among the first voltage port and the second voltage port and a selected bias voltage port among the first bias voltage port and the second bias voltage port, the amplifier circuit configured to;

receive a selected modulated voltage and a selected bias voltage from the selected voltage port and the selected bias voltage port, respectively; and

amplify an RF signal from an input power to an output power based on the selected modulated voltage and the selected bias voltage; and

wherein the power management circuit is further configured to;

determine whether the selected bias voltage is lower than a defined bias voltage threshold; and

increase the selected bias voltage at the selected bias voltage port to the defined bias voltage threshold in response to the selected bias voltage being lower than the defined bias voltage threshold.

20. The RF front-end circuit of claim 19 wherein the power management circuit comprises:

a first tracker coupled to the first voltage port and configured to generate the first modulated voltage;

a second tracker coupled to the second voltage port and configured to generate the second modulated voltage;

a first charge pump configured to receive a battery voltage and generate a first boosted voltage higher than the battery voltage;

a second charge pump configured to receive the battery voltage and generate a second boosted voltage higher than the battery voltage; and

a bias voltage circuit coupled to the first charge pump and the second charge pump, the bias voltage circuit configured to generate the selected bias voltage at the selected bias voltage port based on a selected input voltage among the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage.

21. The RF front-end circuit of claim 20 wherein the bias voltage circuit comprises:

a first multiplexer configured to;

receive the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage; and

output a selected one of the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage as the first bias voltage;

a first regulator coupled to the first multiplexer and configured to regulate the first bias voltage to the defined bias voltage threshold;

a second multiplexer configured to;

receive the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage; and

output a selected one of the first boosted voltage, the second boosted voltage, and the battery voltage as the second bias voltage; and

a second regulator coupled to the second multiplexer and configured to regulate the second bias voltage to the defined bias voltage threshold.