Linear High Powered Integrated Circuit Amplifier

• US 20090251222A1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khorram, Shahla
• Granted Patent: US 8,000,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/301
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45188 Non-folded cascode stages
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes

Abstract

A linear high powered integrated circuit amplifier includes a plurality of power amplifiers, balanced integrated circuit coupling, and a combining circuit. The balanced integrated circuit coupling couples a signal to the plurality of power amplifiers to the up-conversion module such that the power amplifiers amplify the signal to produce a plurality of amplified radio frequency (RF) signals. The combining circuit is operably coupled to combine the plurality of amplified RF signals to produce a high-powered amplified signal.

Claims

1. A linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier comprises:

a plurality of power amplifiers on an integrated circuit;

a substantially balanced integrated circuit coupling that provides a signal to the plurality of power amplifiers, wherein the plurality of power amplifiers amplify the signal to produce a plurality of amplified signals; and

a combining circuit operably coupled to combine the plurality of amplified signals to produce a high-powered amplified signal.

2. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 1, wherein the combining circuit comprises:

a plurality of baluns operably coupled to the plurality of power amplifiers, wherein the plurality of baluns converts differential signals into single-ended signals, wherein the plurality of power amplifiers provides the plurality of amplified signals as the differential signals; and

a combiner operably coupled to combine the single-ended signals into the high-powered amplified signal.

3. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of baluns further comprises at least one of:

a transformer balun; and

an inductor-capacitor circuit balun.

4. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 2 further comprises:

second balanced integrated circuit coupling that couples the plurality of power amplifiers to the plurality of baluns; and

third balanced integrated circuit coupling that couples the plurality of baluns to the combiner.

5. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 1 further comprises:

the plurality of power amplifiers provides the plurality of amplified signals as differential current signals to the combining circuit; and

the combining circuit includes directly coupling a current to voltage circuit and a balun, wherein the direct coupling couples positive outputs of the plurality of power amplifiers together to produce a positive combined current signal and couples negative outputs of the plurality of power amplifiers to produce a negative combined current signal, wherein the current to voltage circuit converts the first and second combined current signals into a differential voltage signal, and wherein the balun converts the differential voltage signal into the high-powered amplified signal.

6. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 1 further comprises being fabricated using CMOS technology.

7. A linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier comprises:

a plurality of power amplifiers;

a substantially balanced integrated circuit coupling operable to couple a signal to the plurality of power amplifiers, wherein the plurality of power amplifiers amplify the signal to produce a plurality of differential amplified signals; and

a plurality of baluns operably coupled to the plurality of power amplifiers, wherein the plurality of baluns converts the plurality of differential amplified signals into a single-ended signals, and wherein the plurality of baluns provides the single-ended signals off-chip for off-chip combining.

8. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of baluns further comprises at least one of:

a transformer balun; and

an inductor-capacitor circuit balun.

9. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 7 further comprises:

second balanced integrated circuit coupling that couples the plurality of power amplifiers to the plurality of baluns; and

third balanced integrated circuit coupling that couples the plurality of baluns to pads for off-chip coupling to a combiner.

10. The linear high-powered integrated circuit transmitter of claim 7 further comprises being fabricated using CMOS technology.

11. A linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier comprises:

a plurality of power amplifiers;

a substantially balanced integrated circuit coupling that couples a signal to the plurality of power amplifiers, wherein the plurality of power amplifiers amplify the signal to produce differential current signals;

a direct coupling that couples positive outputs of the plurality of power amplifiers together to produce a positive combined current signal and couples negative outputs of the plurality of power amplifiers to produce a negative combined current signal,

a current to voltage circuit operably coupled to convert the positive and negative combined current signals into a differential voltage signal, and

a balun operably coupled to convert the differential voltage signal into a single-ended high-powered amplified signal.

12. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 11, wherein the balun further comprises at least one of:

a transformer balun; and

an inductor-capacitor circuit balun.

13. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 11 further comprises:

second balanced integrated circuit coupling that couples the plurality of power amplifiers to the current to voltage circuit; and

third balanced integrated circuit coupling that couples the current to voltage circuit to the balun.

14. The linear high-powered integrated circuit amplifier of claim 11 further comprises being fabricated using CMOS technology.