POWER AMPLIFIER ARCHITECTURES

• US 20100176880A2
• Filed: 05/28/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Rayspan Corporation
• Inventors: Achour, Maha, Gummalla, Ajay, Lee, Cheng-Jung, Dupuy, Alexandre, Alidio, Raul, Zheng, Can
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/124.R
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0222 by using a signal derived from the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0288 using a main and one or several auxiliary peaking amplifiers whereby the load is connected to the main amplifier using an impedance inverter, e.g. Doherty amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0294 using vector summing of two or more constant amplitude phase-modulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/102 A non-specified detector of a signal envelope being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/171 A filter circuit coupled to the output of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/255 Amplifier input adaptation especially for transmission line coupling purposes, e.g. impedance adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/331 Sigma delta modulation being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/351 Pulse width modulation being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/387 A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/423 Amplifier output adaptation especially for transmission line coupling purposes, e.g. impedance adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/543 A transmission line being used as coupling element between two amplifying stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 in integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/602 Combinations of several amplifiers

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.

Claims

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.

2. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input transmission line and the output branch transmission lines of the power divider are CRLH MTM transmission lines and at least two of the output branch transmission lines are structured to have different impedances.

3. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input transmission line and the output branch transmission lines of the power divider are CRLH MTM transmission lines and the output branch transmission lines are structured to have substantially equal impedances.

4. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input transmission line and the output branch transmission lines of the power divider are CRLH MTM transmission lines and structured to render branch RF signals in at least two output branch transmission lines to have different power levels.

5. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input transmission line and the output branch transmission lines of the power divider are CRLH MTM transmission lines and structured to render the branch RF signals in all of the output branch transmission lines substantially equal in power.

6. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input transmission line of the power divider 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 output branch transmission line of the power divider is a CRLH MTM transmission line of an electrical length having a phase delay of ±

n90°

where n is a positive odd integer.

7. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input transmission line of the power divider 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 output branch transmission line of the power divider 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.

8. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input transmission line and the output branch transmission lines of the power divider are CRLH MTM transmission lines that have at least two different resonances at two RF frequencies, and

the power amplifiers and the power combiner are structured to operate at the two RF frequencies.

9. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input branch transmission lines and the output transmission line of the power combiner are CRLH MTM transmission lines and at least two of the input branch transmission lines are structured to have different impedances.

10. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input branch transmission lines and the output branch transmission line of the power combiner are CRLH MTM transmission lines and the input branch transmission lines are structured to have substantially equal impedances.

11. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

each input branch transmission line of the power combiner 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

the output transmission line of the power combiner is a CRLH MTM transmission line of an electrical length having a phase delay of ±

n90°

where n is a positive odd integer.

12. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

each input branch transmission line of the power combiner is a CRLH MTM transmission line of an electrical length having a phase delay of ±

m90°

where m is a positive odd integer, and

the output transmission line of the power combiner 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.

13. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the input branch transmission lines and the output branch transmission line of the power combiner are CRLH MTM transmission lines that have at least two different resonances at two different RF frequencies, and

the power amplifiers and the power divider are structured to operate at the two different RF frequencies.

14. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the power divider is a Wilkinson power splitter formed by Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) transmission lines.

15. The power amplifier system of claim 14, wherein:

the Wilkinson power splitter includes;

a first CRLH MTM transmission line as the input transmission line;

a second CRLH MTM transmission line as one of the branch output transmission lines having a first terminal coupled to the first CRLH MTM transmission line and a second terminal;

a third CRLH MTM transmission line as another one of the branch output transmission lines having a first terminal coupled to the first CRLH MTM transmission line and a second terminal;

a resistor having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second CRLH MTM transmission line and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the third CRLH MTM transmission line;

a fourth CRLH MTM transmission line coupled to the second terminal of the third CRLH MTM transmission line; and

a fifth CRLH MTM transmission line coupled to the second terminal of the third CRLH MTM transmission line.

16. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the power combiner is a Wilkinson power combiner formed by Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) transmission lines.

17. The power amplifier system of claim 16, wherein:

the Wilkinson power combiner includes;

a first CRLH MTM transmission line having a first terminal coupled to a first power amplifier to receive a first amplified RF signal and a second terminal to output the first amplified RF signal;

a second CRLH MTM transmission line having a first terminal coupled to a second power amplifier to receive a second amplified RF signal and a second terminal to output the second amplified RF signal;

a resistor having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first CRLH MTM transmission line and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second CRLH MTM transmission line;

a third CRLH MTM transmission line coupled to the second terminal of the first CRLH MTM transmission line as one of the input branch transmission lines;

a fourth CRLH MTM transmission line coupled to the second terminal of the fourth CRLH MTM transmission line as another one of the input branch transmission lines; and

a fifth CRLH MTM transmission line forming the output transmission line and coupled to the third and fourth CRLH MTM transmission lines.

18. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the power divider and the power combiner is made of right handed components and is free of a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure.

19. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

the power amplifiers are power amplifiers having non-linear components to provide linear amplification.

20. The power amplifier system of claim 1, wherein:

each of the power amplifiers includes non-linear components to provide linear amplification and a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure.

21. A device based on a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) structure, comprising:

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, or

in 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.

22. The device as in claim 21, wherein:

the second transmission lines have different impedances.

23. The device as in claim 21, wherein:

the second transmission lines have substantially equal impedances.

24. The device as in claim 21, wherein:

the first transmission line has resonances at two or more different RF frequencies; and

each second transmission line is structured to have resonances at the two or more different RF frequencies of the first transmission line.

25. A power amplifier system, comprising:

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.

26. A power amplifier system, comprising:

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.

27. The system as in claim 26, wherein:

the power amplifier is a Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) power amplifier.

28. A power amplifier system for amplifying an RF signal, comprising:

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.

29. The system as in claim 28, wherein:

the transmission lines based on CRLH MTM structures have at least a first resonance and a second resonances in frequency, wherein each of the transmission lines is structured to produce a first phase delay at the first resonance and a second phase delay at the second resonance, and the first and second phase delays are two different values selected values from zero and n360°

where n is a positive or negative integer.

30. The system as in claim 28, wherein:

the power combiner includes input CRLH MTM transmission lines that are respectively coupled to the power amplifiers to receive amplified branch RF signals produced by the power amplifiers, and a CRLH MTM output transmission line coupled to the input CRLH MTM transmission lines to combine the received amplified branch RF signals into the combined output RF signal.

31. The system as in claim 28, wherein:

the power divider is a Wilkinson power splitter formed by Composite Right and Left Handed (CRLH) Metamaterial (MTM) transmission lines to receive amplified branch RF signals produced by the power amplifiers and to combine the received amplified branch RF signals into the combined output RF signal.

32. A power amplifier system for amplifying an RF signal, comprising:

a Zero^th 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 Zero^th order resonator power divider to receive the branch RF signals, respectively, and to amplify the received branch RF signals; and

a Zero^th order resonating antenna based on a CRLH MTM structure and coupled to transistors to receive amplified branch RF signals.

33. A power amplifier system, comprising:

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.

34. The power amplifier system as in claim 33, wherein:

one of the first and second quadrature couplers is a CRLH MTM branch line coupler formed by four CRLH MTM transmission lines.

35. The power amplifier system as in claim 34, wherein:

the first and second quadrature couplers have CRLH MTM structures with resonances at two or more RF frequencies.

36. The power amplifier system as in claim 33, wherein:

one of the first and second quadrature couplers is a planar forward-wave directional coupler based on a CRLH MTM structure that unit cells formed in common metallization layers at different horizontal locations in a plane of a substrate in which the unit cells are formed.

37. The power amplifier system as in claim 33, wherein:

one of the first and second quadrature couplers is a vertical forward-wave directional coupler based on a CRLH MTM structure that unit cells formed in different metallization layers along a vertical direction perpendicular to a place of a substrate in which the unit cells are formed.