High frequency power amplifier and wireless communication module

• US 20050200407A1
• Filed: 05/05/2005
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Renesas Technology Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Arai, Satoshi, Ohyama, Yasushi, Matsudaira, Nobuhiro, Maruyama, Masashi, Furuya, Tomio, Sekiguchi, Hitoshi, Shibuya, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,113,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/133
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19105 in a side-by-side arrangement on a common die mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/004 Control by varying the supply voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3047 for intermittent signals, e.g. burst signals

Abstract

The present invention provides a high frequency power amplifier of an open-loop type, which outputs a signal having a level corresponding to an output level required under control of a power supply voltage for each output power FET, based on a control signal for the output level. The high frequency power amplifier is provided with a bias voltage generating circuit which generates a gate bias voltage of each output power FET according to an output voltage of a power control circuit for controlling the power supply voltage for the output power FET, based on the control signal for the output level.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A high frequency power amplifier, comprising:

a plurality of amplifying transistors which are coupled in cascade and amplify an input signal to provide an output signal;

a control circuit which receives a control signal that controls an output power of the output signal output from the plurality of amplifying transistors and which supplies an operation voltage to the plurality of amplifying transistors based on the control signal;

a bias circuit which receives the operation voltage and supplies a bias signal to the plurality of amplifying transistors based on the operation voltage, and

wherein levels of both of the operation voltage and the bias signal are reduced when the control signal instructs that the output power of the output signal output from the plurality of amplifying transistors is to be reduced, and wherein levels of both of the operation voltage and the bias signal are increased when the control signal instructs that the output power of the output signal output from the plurality of amplifying transistors is to be increased.

13. A high frequency power amplifier according to claim 12, wherein the control circuit includes:

an operational amplifier circuit which amplifies the control signal,

a MOSFET whose gate voltage is controlled based on the output of the operational amplifier circuit for output the operation voltage from a drain terminal thereof, the drain voltage of the MOSFET being fed back to the operational amplifier circuit for setting the operation voltage to a predetermined voltage, and

a phase compensating circuit provided between the operational amplifier circuit and the gate terminal of the MOSFET.

14. A high frequency power amplifier according to claim 12, wherein the control circuit includes:

an operational amplifier circuit which amplifies the control signal,

a MOSFET whose gate voltage is controlled based on the output of the operational amplifier circuit for output the operation voltage from a drain terminal thereof, the drain voltage of the MOSFET being fed back to the operational amplifier circuit for setting the operation voltage to a predetermined voltage, and

a buffer circuit having a bipolar transistor and provided between the operational amplifier circuit and the gate terminal of the MOSFET which outputs the operating voltage for the power amplifying transistors.

15. A high frequency power amplifier according to claim 14, wherein the buffer circuit is an emitter follower circuit comprising:

the bipolar transistor whose base is coupled to an output terminal of the operational amplifier circuit, and

a current source coupled to the emitter of the bipolar transistor.

16. A high frequency power amplifier according to claim 15, wherein the MOSFET is a P-channel type MOSFET, and wherein the bipolar transistor constituting the buffer circuit is a PNP-type bipolar transistor.

18. A high frequency power amplifier module, comprising:

a plurality of amplifying transistors which are coupled in cascade and amplify an input signal to provide an output signal;

a control circuit which receives a control signal that controls an output power of the output signal output from the plurality of amplifying transistors and which supplies a operation voltage to the plurality of amplifying transistors based on the control signal;

a bias circuit which receives the operation voltage and supplies a bias signal to the plurality of amplifying transistors based on the operation voltage, and

wherein the plurality of amplifying transistors, the control circuit and the bias circuit are mounted on an insulated board that includes a plurality of conductor layers and a plurality of dielectric layers each of which is provided between the conductor layers,

wherein levels of both of the operation voltage and the bias signal are reduced when the control signal instructs that the output power the output power of the output signal output from the plurality of amplifying transistors is to be reduced, and wherein levels of both of the operation voltage and the bias signal are increased when the control signal instructs that the output power of the output signal output from the plurality of amplifying transistors is to be increased.

19. A high frequency power amplifier module, comprising:

a first power amplifying system which includes a plurality of amplifying transistors which are coupled in cascade and amplify a first signal having a first frequency to provide a first output;

a second power amplifying system which includes a plurality of amplifying transistors which are coupled in a cascade and amplify a second signal having a second frequency different from the first frequency to provide a second output;

a control circuit which receives a control signal that controls a first output power of the first output signal output from the first power amplifying system and a second output power of the second output signal output from the second power amplifying system and which supplies an operation voltage to the first power amplifying system and the second power amplifying system based on the control signal;

a bias circuit which receives the power supply voltage and supplies the bias signal to the first power amplifier system and the second power amplifying system based on the operation voltage, and

wherein the first power amplifying system, the second power amplifying system, the control circuit and the bias circuit are mounted on an insulated board that includes a plurality of conductor layers and a plurality of dielectric layers each of which is provided between the conductor layers, and

wherein levels of both of the operation voltage and the bias signal are reduced when the control signal instructs that the first output power and the second output power are to be reduced, and wherein levels of both the operation voltage and the bias signal are increased when the control signal instructs that the first output power and the second output power are to be increased.

20. A high frequency power amplifier module according to claim 19, comprising:

a select terminal which receives a select signal that indicates frequency bands for amplifying, and

a power amplifying system control circuit which includes the control circuit and the bias circuit and which is coupled to the select terminal and the first power amplifying system and the second power amplifying system,

wherein the power amplifying system control circuit activates the first power amplifying system or the second power amplifying system in accordance with the select signal.