High frequency power amplifier circuit and electronic component for high frequency power amplifier

• US 20080068086A1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Hirokazu Tsurumaki, Hiroyuki Nagai, Makoto Ishikawa, Tomio Furuya
• Inventors: ISHIKAWA, Makoto, NAGAI, Hiroyuki, FURUYA, Tomio, TSURUMAKI, Hirokazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,443,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/277
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/301 in MOSFET amplifiers H03F1/303, H03F1/305, H03F1/308 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/372 Noise reduction and elimination in amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 1/0005 Circuits characterised by the type of controlling devices operated by a controlling current or voltage signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 2201/103 being an amplifying element
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 2201/206 being in radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 2201/307 being radio frequency signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 2201/40 Combined gain and bias control

Abstract

In a high frequency power amplifier circuit that supplies a bias to an amplifying FET by a current mirror method, scattering of a threshold voltage Vth due to the scattering of the channel impurity concentration of the FET, and a shift of a bias point caused by the scattering of the threshold voltage Vth and a channel length modulation coefficient λ due to a short channel effect are corrected automatically. The scattering of a high frequency power amplifying characteristic can be reduced as a result.

Claims

1. A high frequency power amplifier circuit, comprising:

a power amplifying element for amplifying a high frequency signal; and

a current-voltage converting element for converting a current into a voltage by applying a predetermined current,

wherein a voltage corresponding to the voltage generated by said current-voltage converting element is applied to a control pin of said amplifying transistor thereby to make flow a current that is proportional to the current flowing to said current-voltage converting element, and

wherein said power amplifying element comprises a field-effect transistor of a dual gate having a first gate and a second gate, and includes a bias control circuit that can independently set a bias voltage of said first gate and said second gate.

2. A high frequency power amplifier circuit according to claim 1, wherein said bias circuit includes:

a current simulating transistor of a dual gate having the same channel length and formed in the same process as said amplifying transistor of the dual gate; and

a diode-connected transistor having such a channel length in which a threshold voltage and a channel length modulation coefficient do not vary due to manufacturing scattering and connected in series to said current simulating transistor,

said high frequency power amplifier circuit further comprising;

a first bias generation circuit which compares a voltage formed based on the current flowing to said diode-connected transistor with a reference voltage generated by the current-voltage converting element that converts the current from a current control circuit into a voltage, and supplies such a bias that inhibits an idle current of said amplifying transistor from varying due to a short channel effect to a first gate to which a signal to be amplified of said amplifying transistor and the first gate to which the current simulating transistor corresponds; and

a second bias generation circuit which compares the voltage formed based on the current flowing to said diode-connected transistor with the reference voltage generated by the current-voltage converting element that converts the current from the current control circuit into the voltage, and supplies the bias to the second gates of said amplifying transistor and current simulating transistor.

3. A high frequency power amplifier circuit according to claim 2, wherein said first bias circuit comprises:

a first differential amplifier circuit which compares a voltage formed based on the current applied to said diode-connected transistor and a first reference voltage generated by a first current-voltage converting element for converting the current from a current control circuit into a voltage, and outputs the voltage that complies with a potential difference,

wherein said second bias circuit comprises;

a second differential amplifier circuit which compares the voltage formed based on the current flowing to said diode-connected transistor and a second reference voltage generated by a second current-voltage converting element that converts the current from a current control circuit into the voltage, and outputs the voltage that complies with the potential difference, and

wherein said first differential amplifier circuit operates so that the voltage formed based on the current flowing to said diode-connected transistor can match said first reference voltage, and the output voltage of said first differential amplifier circuit is applied to a first gate of said amplifying transistor, and said second differential amplifier circuit operates so that the voltage formed based on the current flowing to said diode-connected transistor can match said second reference voltage, and the output voltage of said second differential amplifier circuit is applied to a second gate of said amplifying transistor to make an idle current flow to said amplifying transistor.

4. A high frequency power amplifier circuit according to claim 3, wherein said current-voltage converting element is a diode-connected field-effect transistor, and said transistor allows the channel length to be formed longer than the channel length of said amplifying transistor.

5. A high frequency power amplifier circuit according to claim 4, wherein a diode-connected transistor connected in series to said current simulating transistor allows the channel length to be equal to or larger than the channel length of said current-voltage converting transistor.

6. A high frequency power amplifier circuit according to claim 2, wherein a voltage is generated that is compared with said first reference voltage in said first differential amplifier circuit by a first transistor connected to said diode-connected transistor by a current mirror method and a diode-connected second transistor connected in series to said first transistor, and a voltage is generated that is compared with said second reference voltage in said second differential amplifier circuit by a third transistor connected to said diode-connected transistor by the current mirror method and a diode-connected fourth transistor connected in series to said third transistor,

7. A high frequency power amplifier according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power amplifying element having a plurality of amplifier stages connected in a cascade and in which each amplifier stage amplifies a high frequency signal respectively; and

a current-voltage converting element that converts a current into a voltage by applying a predetermined current,

wherein a voltage corresponding to the voltage generated by said current-voltage converting element is applied to a control pin of said power amplifying element, thereby to make flow a current that is proportional to the current flowing to said current-voltage converting element, and

wherein said power amplifying element of an first-stage amplifier stage comprises a field-effect transistor of a dual gate having a first gate and a second gate.

8. A high frequency power amplifier circuit according to claim 1, wherein the amplifying transistor and the current simulating transistor of said dual gate comprise two field-effect transistors of a series form respectively.