Power Amplifier Architectures
First Claim
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1. A power amplifier system for amplifying an RF signal, comprising:
- an input port that receives an input RF signal;
a power divider including an input transmission line coupled to the input port to receive the input RF signal and output branch transmission lines that are coupled to the input transmission line to split the received input RF signal into branch RF signals that are respectively carried by the output branch transmission lines;
power amplifiers that are coupled to the output branch transmission lines of the power divider, respectively, each power amplifier receiving and amplifying a respective branch RF signal to produce an amplified branch RF signal; and
a power combiner including input branch transmission lines that are respectively coupled to the power amplifiers to receive amplified branch RF signals produced by the power amplifiers, and an output transmission line coupled to the input branch transmission lines to combine the received amplified branch RF signals into a combined output RF signal,wherein at least one of the power divider and the power combiner includes a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure.
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Abstract
Implementations and examples of power amplifier devices, systems and techniques for amplifying RF signals, including power amplifier systems based on Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) metamaterial (MTM) structures.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A power amplifier system for amplifying an RF signal, comprising:
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an input port that receives an input RF signal; a power divider including an input transmission line coupled to the input port to receive the input RF signal and output branch transmission lines that are coupled to the input transmission line to split the received input RF signal into branch RF signals that are respectively carried by the output branch transmission lines; power amplifiers that are coupled to the output branch transmission lines of the power divider, respectively, each power amplifier receiving and amplifying a respective branch RF signal to produce an amplified branch RF signal; and a power combiner including input branch transmission lines that are respectively coupled to the power amplifiers to receive amplified branch RF signals produced by the power amplifiers, and an output transmission line coupled to the input branch transmission lines to combine the received amplified branch RF signals into a combined output RF signal, wherein at least one of the power divider and the power combiner includes a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A device based on a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure, comprising:
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a first transmission line including a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure, a first terminal that is terminated at a first impedance and a second terminal; a plurality of second transmission lines of CRLH MTM structures that are coupled to the second terminal of the first transmission line to either split an input RF signal received from the second terminal of the first transmission line into a plurality of output RF signals in the second transmission lines, respectively, or combine a plurality of input RF signals in the second transmission lines into an output RF signal at the second terminal of the first transmission line, each second transmission line having a first terminal that is coupled to the second terminal of the first transmission line and a second terminal that is terminated at a respective second impedance, wherein the first transmission line and the second transmission lines are structured to provide impedance match between the first impedance at the first terminal of the first transmission line and a respective second impedance of each of the second transmission lines, and wherein the first transmission line and the second transmission lines are structured to be in a first configuration where the first transmission line is a CRLH MTM transmission line of an electrical length having a phase delay of ±
m90°
where m is a positive odd integer, and each of the second transmission lines is a CRLH MTM transmission line of an electrical length having a zero phase delay or a phase delay of ±
n180°
where n is a positive integer, orin a second configuration where the first transmission line is a CRLH MTM transmission line of an electrical length having a zero phase delay or a phase delay of ±
m180°
where m is a positive integer and each of the second transmission lines is a CRLH MTM transmission line having a phase delay of ±
n90°
where n is a positive odd integer. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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25. A power amplifier system, comprising:
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an RF input port for receiving an input RF signal; an envelope detector coupled to the RF input port to receive a first portion of the input RF signal to extract information on an amplitude envelope of the input RF signal to produce an envelope signal; a sigma-delta modulator coupled to the envelope detector to convert the envelope signal into a first signal; a limiter circuit coupled to the RF input port to receive a second portion of the input RF signal to eliminate amplitude modulation components of the input RF signal to produce a second signal that retains phase of the input RF signal; a time delay circuit coupled to the limiter circuit to cause a delay in the second amplifier input signal to synchronize with the first signal; a modulator coupled to receive the first and second signals and to combine the received first and second signals into a third signal; and a power amplifier coupled to the modulator to receive and amplify the third signal into an output RF signal which is proportional to the input RF signal, wherein the power amplifier is a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure power amplifier.
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26. A power amplifier system, comprising:
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an RF input port for receiving an input RF signal; an envelope detector coupled to the RF input port to receive a first portion of the input RF signal to extract information on an amplitude envelope of the input RF signal to produce an envelope signal; a sigma-delta modulator coupled to the envelope detector to convert the envelope signal into a first signal; a limiter circuit coupled to the RF input port to receive a second portion of the input RF signal to eliminate amplitude modulation components of the input RF signal to produce a second signal that retains phase of the input RF signal; a time delay circuit coupled to the limiter circuit to cause a delay in the second amplifier input signal to synchronize with the first signal; a power amplifier coupled to receive the first and second signals to produce an output RF signal which is proportional to the input RF signal; and a filter coupled to the power amplifier to filter the output RF signal and having a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A power amplifier system for amplifying an RF signal, comprising:
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an input port that receives an input RF signal; a plurality of transmission lines based on Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structures and connected in series to receive the input RF signal from the input port, each transmission line having a CRLH MTM structure to produce, at an operating frequency, a zero phase delay or a phase delay of n360°
where n is a positive or negative integer and including a branch output port that splits a portion of the RF signal as a respective branch RF signal for the transmission line and different transmission lines producing different respective branch RF signals;a plurality of power amplifiers that are coupled to the branch output ports of the transmission lines, respectively, each power amplifier receiving and amplifying a respective branch RF signal to produce an amplified branch RF signal; and a power combiner based on a CRLH MTM structure and coupled to receive the amplified branch RF signals from the power amplifiers and to combine the received amplified branch RF signals into a combined output RF signal. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A power amplifier system for amplifying an RF signal, comprising:
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a Zeroth order resonator power divider having a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure that receives an input RF signal and splits the received input RF signal into branch RF signals in phase with respective to one another; a plurality of transistors coupled to the Zeroth order resonator power divider to receive the branch RF signals, respectively, and to amplify the received branch RF signals; and a Zeroth order resonating antenna based on a CRLH MTM structure and coupled to transistors to receive amplified branch RF signals.
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33. A power amplifier system, comprising:
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an RF input for receiving an input RF signal; a first quadrature coupler based on a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure and having a first input port coupled to the RF input to receive the input RF signal, a second input port that is terminated, a first output port and a second output port, the first quadrature coupler splitting the input RF signal into a first RF signal at the first output port and a second RF signal at the second output port that has a phase shift of 90 degrees with respect to the first RF signal; a first power amplifier coupled to the first output port to receive and amplify the first RF signal; a second power amplifier coupled to the second output port to receive and amplify the second RF signal; and a second quadrature coupler based on a CRLH MTM structure and having a first input port coupled to receive the amplified first RF signal from the first power amplifier, a second input port coupled to receive the amplified second RF signal from the second power amplifier, a first output port that is terminated and a second output to produce an RF output signal, the second quadrature coupler combining signals received at the first and second input ports with a 90-degree phase shift to produce the RF output signal. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification