Electric component for high frequency power amplifier

• US 20050280471A1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Hybrid Network Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.), Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Hybrid Network Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.), Renesas Technology Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimamoto, Kenichi, Tsutsui, Takayuki, Koshio, Kazuhiro, Matsushita, Kouichi, Ishimoto, Kazuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,271,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/289
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0211 with control of the supply voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/30 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce influence of variations of temperature or supply voltage or other physical parameters in differential amplifiers H03F3/45479
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/52 Circuit arrangements for protecting such amplifiers monitoring arrangements G01R31/28; increasing reliability in communication systems, e.g. using redundancy H04B1/74
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/447 the amplifier being protected to temperature influence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 in integrated circuits

Abstract

An RF power module in which operating voltage is controlled by a control signal based on amplitude information includes a temperature detecting device which is provided over a semiconductor chip formed with an amplifying transistor or a semiconductor chip formed with a power source circuit; and a detector having a hysteresis characteristic which is provided over the semiconductor chip formed with the device or a different semiconductor chip, applies a bias to the temperature detecting device to compare the state of the device at two reference levels, outputs a signal indicating abnormality when judging that the temperature of the semiconductor chip formed with the temperature detecting device is above a predetermined temperature, and outputs a signal indicating normality when judging that the temperature of the semiconductor chip is below a second predetermined temperature lower than the predetermined temperature.

Claims

1. An electric component for a high frequency power amplifier which incorporates a high frequency power amplifier as a semiconductor integrated circuit including an amplifying transistor and amplifying and outputting a transmitting signal, a power source circuit supplying operating voltage to the high frequency power amplifier in which the operating voltage produced by the power source circuit can be controlled by a control signal based on amplitude information, the electric component comprising:

a temperature detecting device which is provided over a semiconductor chip formed with the amplifying transistor; and

a temperature detector which is provided over the semiconductor chip formed with the temperature detecting device or a different semiconductor chip,

wherein temperature detecting device outputs a first signal in accordance with the semiconductor chip, and

wherein the temperature detector receives the first signal, compares the first signal with two different comparison levels based on the state of the temperature detecting device, judges the temperature of the semiconductor chip formed with the temperature detecting device is above a predetermined temperature or not, outputs a signal indicating abnormality above a first comparison level to the outside, and outputs a signal indicating normality below a second comparison level corresponding to a temperature lower than the temperature corresponding to the first comparison level to the outside.

2. The electric component for a high frequency power amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the high frequency power amplifier has a plurality of amplifying transistors coupled in series, last-stage of the amplifying transistor being formed over a semiconductor chip different from a semiconductor chip formed with other amplifying transistors, and wherein the temperature detecting device is formed over the semiconductor chip formed with last-stage of the amplifying transistor, and the temperature detector is formed over a semiconductor chip different from the semiconductor chip formed with last-stage of the amplifying transistor.

3. The electric component for a high frequency power amplifier according to claim 2, wherein the temperature detector is formed over the semiconductor chip formed with the amplifying transistors in the previous stage of the last-stage amplifying transistor.

4. The electric component for a high frequency power amplifier according to claim 2, wherein the power source circuit is formed over a third semiconductor chip different from the semiconductor chip formed with the last-stage amplifying transistor and the semiconductor chip formed with the amplifying transistors in the previous stage of the last-stage amplifying transistor.

5. An electric component for a high frequency power amplifier which incorporates a high frequency power amplifier as a semiconductor integrated circuit including an amplifying transistor and amplifying and outputting a transmitting signal, the electric component comprising:

a temperature detecting device which is provided over a semiconductor chip formed with the amplifying transistor; and

a temperature detector which is provided over the semiconductor chip formed with the temperature detecting device or a different semiconductor chip,

wherein temperature detecting device outputs a first signal in accordance with the semiconductor chip, and

wherein the temperature detector receives the first signal, compares the first signal with two different comparison levels based on the state of the temperature detecting device, judges the temperature of the semiconductor chip formed with the temperature detecting device is above a predetermined temperature or not, outputs a signal indicating abnormality above a first comparison level to the outside, and outputs a signal indicating normality below a second comparison level corresponding to a temperature lower than the temperature corresponding to the first comparison level to the outside.

6. The electric component for a high frequency power amplifier according to claim 5, wherein the high frequency power amplifier has a plurality of amplifying transistors coupled in series, last-stage of the amplifying transistor being formed over a semiconductor chip different from a semiconductor chip formed with other amplifying transistors, and wherein the temperature detecting device is formed over the semiconductor chip formed with last-stage of the amplifying transistor, and the temperature detector is formed over a semiconductor chip different from the semiconductor chip formed with last-stage of the amplifying transistor.

7. The electric component for a high frequency power amplifier according to claim 6, wherein the temperature detector is formed over the semiconductor chip formed with the amplifying transistors in the previous stage of the last-stage amplifying transistor.

8. An electric component for a high frequency power amplifier which incorporates a high frequency power amplifier as a semiconductor integrated circuit including an amplifying transistor and amplifying and outputting a transmitting signal and a power source circuit supplying operating voltage to the high frequency power amplifier in which the operating voltage produced by the power source circuit can be controlled by a control signal based on amplitude information, the electric component comprising:

a temperature detecting device which is provided over a semiconductor chip formed with the amplifying transistor; and

a temperature detector which is provided over the semiconductor chip formed with the power source circuit or a different semiconductor chip, judges, at two different comparison levels based on the state of the temperature detecting device, whether the temperature of the semiconductor chip formed with the temperature detecting device is above a predetermined temperature or not, outputs a signal indicating abnormality above a first comparison level to the outside, and outputs a signal indicating normality below a second comparison level corresponding to a temperature lower than the temperature corresponding to the first comparison level to the outside.

9. The electric component for a high frequency power amplifier according to claim 8, wherein the high frequency power amplifier has plural amplifying transistors connected in series, the last-stage amplifying transistor being formed over a semiconductor chip different from a semiconductor chip formed with other amplifying transistors, and the power source circuit and the temperature detecting device are formed over a semiconductor chip different from the semiconductor chip formed with the last-stage amplifying transistor.

10. The electric component for a high frequency power amplifier according to claim 9, wherein the temperature detector is formed over the semiconductor chip formed with the amplifying transistors in the previous stage of the last-stage amplifying transistor.

11. The electric component for a high frequency power amplifier according to claim 10, wherein the power source circuit is formed over a third semiconductor chip different from the semiconductor chip formed with the last-stage amplifying transistor and the semiconductor chip formed with the amplifying transistors in the previous stage of the last-stage amplifying transistor.