System and Method of Transistor Switch Biasing in a High Power Semiconductor Switch
First Claim
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1. A method of biasing transistor switches in a high power switch, the method comprising:
- providing on-state Vgsd (gate to source/drain bias voltage) at an on-state Vgsd level to a first transistor switch of said transistor switches for biasing the first transistor switch in an on state; and
providing off-state Vgsd at an off-state Vgsd level to a second transistor switch of said transistor switches for biasing the second transistor switch in an off state, wherein a magnitude of the off-state Vgsd level is less than a magnitude of the on-state Vgsd level by only an amount sufficient for at least one of;
bringing spurious harmonic emissions of said second transistor switch when biased to the off state below a pre-identified upper limit of acceptable spurious harmonic emissions from the second transistor switch in the off state; and
bringing a linearity of the high power switch above a pre-identified lower limit of acceptable linearity for the high power switch.
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Abstract
A system and method are provided for biasing transistor switches in a semiconductor based high power switch. Off-state Vgsd biasing for the off transistor switches is based upon acceptable levels of spurious harmonic emissions and linearity.
15 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of biasing transistor switches in a high power switch, the method comprising:
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providing on-state Vgsd (gate to source/drain bias voltage) at an on-state Vgsd level to a first transistor switch of said transistor switches for biasing the first transistor switch in an on state; and providing off-state Vgsd at an off-state Vgsd level to a second transistor switch of said transistor switches for biasing the second transistor switch in an off state, wherein a magnitude of the off-state Vgsd level is less than a magnitude of the on-state Vgsd level by only an amount sufficient for at least one of; bringing spurious harmonic emissions of said second transistor switch when biased to the off state below a pre-identified upper limit of acceptable spurious harmonic emissions from the second transistor switch in the off state; and bringing a linearity of the high power switch above a pre-identified lower limit of acceptable linearity for the high power switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of biasing transistor switches in a high power switch, the method comprising:
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biasing at a gate of a first transistor switch of the transistor switches with a first biasing controller at a fixed primary biasing fraction of a first control voltage input to the first biasing controller; biasing at a source-drain of the first transistor switch with a second biasing controller at a fixed secondary biasing fraction of a second control voltage input to the second biasing controller; biasing at a gate of a second transistor switch of the transistor switches with the second biasing controller at the fixed primary biasing fraction of the second control voltage input; and biasing at a source-drain of the second transistor switch with the first biasing controller at the fixed secondary biasing fraction of the first control voltage; wherein when the high power switch is in a first switch state in which the first transistor switch is on and the second transistor switch is off; providing a high system control voltage as the first control voltage to the first basing controller; and providing a low system control voltage as the second control voltage to the second biasing controller, wherein when the high power switch is in a second switch state in which the first transistor switch is off and the second transistor switch is on; providing a low system control voltage as the first control voltage to the first basing controller; and providing a high system control voltage as the second control voltage to the second biasing controller, wherein; a magnitude of the difference between the product of the primary biasing fraction and the low system control voltage and the product of the secondary biasing fraction and the high system control voltage is less than a magnitude of the difference between the product of the primary biasing fraction and the high system control voltage and the product of the secondary biasing fraction and the low system control voltage by only an amount sufficient for at least one of; bringing spurious harmonic emissions of said second transistor switch when biased to the off state below a pre-identified upper limit of acceptable spurious harmonic emissions from the second transistor switch in the off state; and bringing a linearity of the high power switch above a pre-identified lower limit of acceptable linearity for the high power switch.
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16. A high power switch comprising:
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a plurality of transistor switches comprising; a first transistor switch; and a second transistor switch, biasing circuitry for providing, when the high power switch is in a first high power switch state; on-state Vgsd at a on-state Vgsd level to the first transistor switch for biasing the first transistor switch in an on state; and off-state Vgsd at a off-state Vgsd level to the second transistor switch for biasing the second transistor switch in an off state, wherein a magnitude of the off-state Vgsd level is less than a magnitude of the on-state Vgsd level by only an amount sufficient for at least one of; bringing spurious harmonic emissions of said second transistor switch when biased to the off state below a pre-identified upper limit of acceptable spurious harmonic emissions from the second transistor switch in the off state; and bringing a linearity of the high power switch above a pre-identified lower limit of acceptable linearity for the high power switch. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
wherein the first transistor switch is located along a first signal path from the antenna to the first input/output terminal, and the second transistor switch is located along a second signal path from the antenna to the second input/output terminal, wherein when the high power switch is in the first high power switch state the biasing circuitry; provides on-state Vgsd to the first transistor switch to provide a communication pathway between the antenna and the first input/output terminal; and provides off-state Vgsd to the second transistor switch to isolate the antenna and the first input/output terminal from the second input/output terminal.
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23. A switch according to claim 22 wherein the biasing circuitry is further for providing, when the high power switch is in a second high power switch state:
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on-state Vgsd at the on-state Vgsd level to the second transistor switch for biasing the second transistor switch in an on state; and off-state Vgsd at the off-state Vgsd level to the first transistor switch for biasing the first transistor switch in an off state, wherein when the high power switch is in the second high power switch state, the biasing circuitry; provides on-state Vgsd to the second transistor switch to provide a communication pathway between the antenna and the second input/output terminal; and provides off-state Vgsd to the first transistor switch to isolate the antenna and the second input/output terminal from the first input/output terminal.
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24. A switch according to claim 16 further comprising:
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an antenna; a first input/output terminal; and a first ground connection, wherein the first transistor switch is located along a signal path from the first input/output terminal to the antenna, and the second transistor switch is located along a shunt path from the first input/output terminal to the first ground connection, and wherein when the high power switch is in the first high power switch state, the biasing circuitry; provides on-state Vgsd to the first transistor switch to provide a communication pathway between the first input/output terminal and the antenna; and provides off-state Vgsd to the second transistor switch to isolate the antenna and the first input/output terminal from the first ground connection.
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25. A switch according to claim 24 further comprising:
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a second input/output terminal; and a third transistor switch of the plurality of transistor switches, wherein the third transistor switch is located along a signal path from the antenna to the second input/output terminal, wherein the biasing circuitry is further for providing, when the high power switch is in the first high power switch state, off-state Vgsd at the off-state Vgsd level to the third transistor switch for biasing the third transistor switch in the off state, and wherein when the high power switch is in the first high power switch state, the biasing circuit provides off-state Vgsd to the third transistor switch to isolate the antenna and the first input/output terminal from the second input/output terminal.
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26. A switch according to claim 25 wherein the biasing circuitry is further for providing, when the high power switch is in a second high power switch state:
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on-state Vgsd at the on-state Vgsd level to the second transistor switch for biasing the second transistor switch in an on state; and off-state Vgsd at the off-state Vgsd level to the first transistor switch for biasing the first transistor switch in an off state, and on-state Vgsd at the on-state Vgsd level to the third transistor switch for biasing the third transistor switch to an on state, wherein when the high power switch is in the second high power switch state, the biasing circuitry; provides on-state Vgsd to the second transistor switch to provide a shunt pathway between the first input/output terminal and the first ground connection; provides on-state Vgsd to the third transistor switch to provide a communication pathway between the second input/output terminal and the antenna; and provides off-state Vgsd to the first transistor switch to isolate the antenna and the second input/output switch from the first input/output terminal and the first ground connection.
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27. A switch according to claim 25 further comprising:
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a second ground connection; and a fourth transistor switch of the plurality of transistor switches, wherein the fourth transistor switch is located along a signal path from the second input/output terminal to the second ground connection, wherein the biasing circuit is further for providing, when the high power switch is in the first high power switch state, on-state Vgsd at the on-state Vgsd level to the fourth transistor switch for biasing the fourth transistor switch in the on state, wherein when the high power switch is in the first high power switch state, the biasing circuitry provides off-state Vgsd to the third transistor switch also to isolate the antenna and the first input/output terminal from the second ground connection, and the biasing circuitry provides an on-state Vgsd to the fourth transistor switch to provide a shunt pathway from the second input/output terminal to the second ground connection.
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28. A switch according to claim 27 the biasing circuitry is further for providing, when the high power switch is in a second high power switch state:
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on-state Vgsd at the on-state Vgsd level to the second transistor switch for biasing the second transistor switch in an on state; off-state Vgsd at the off-state Vgsd level to the first transistor switch for biasing the first transistor switch in an off state; on-state Vgsd at the on-state Vgsd level to the third transistor switch for biasing the third transistor switch to an on state; and off-state Vgsd at the off-state Vgsd level to the fourth transistor switch for biasing the fourth transistor switch in an off state, wherein when the high power switch is in a second high power switch state the biasing circuitry; provides on-state Vgsd to the second transistor switch to provide a shunt pathway between the first input/output terminal and the first ground connection; provides on-state Vgsd to the third transistor switch to provide a communication pathway between the second input/output terminal and the antenna; provides off-state Vgsd to the first transistor switch to isolate the antenna and the second input/output terminal from the first input/output terminal and the first ground connection; and provides off-state Vgsd to the fourth transistor switch to isolate the antenna and the second input/output switch from the second ground connection.
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29. A high power switch comprising:
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a first transistor switch; a second transistor switch; a first biasing controller for receiving a first control voltage and for; biasing at a gate of the first transistor switch at a fixed primary biasing fraction of the first control voltage; and biasing at a source-drain of the second transistor switch at a fixed secondary biasing fraction of the first control voltage, a second biasing controller for receiving a second control voltage and for; biasing at a source-drain of the first transistor switch at the fixed secondary biasing fraction of the second control voltage; and biasing at a gate of the second transistor switch at the fixed primary biasing fraction of the second control voltage input, wherein the first control voltage and the second control voltage are each a different one of a high system control voltage and a low system control voltage, and wherein; a magnitude of the difference between the product of the primary biasing fraction and the low system control voltage and the product of the secondary biasing fraction and the high system control voltage is less than a magnitude of the difference between the product of the primary biasing fraction and the high system control voltage and the product of the secondary biasing fraction and the low system control voltage by only an amount sufficient for at least one of; bringing spurious harmonic emissions of said second transistor switch when biased to the off state below a pre-identified upper limit of acceptable spurious harmonic emissions from the second transistor switch in the off state; and bringing a linearity of the high power switch above a pre-identified lower limit of acceptable linearity for the high power switch.
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Specification