Receive band selection and electrostatic discharge protection in a transceiver

• US 20120040632A1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mikhemar, Mohyee, Darabi, Hooman
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/217
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/60 Protection against electrostatic charges or discharges, e.g. Faraday shields
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an input control unit to provide isolation and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection for a circuit in an RF transceiver comprises a switching device coupled between an input of the circuit and ground. The switching device is configured to provide ESD protection while the circuit is activated. The switching device is further configured to ground the input while the circuit is non-activated, thereby concurrently isolating the input and providing ESD protection. A method for providing isolation and ESD protection for a circuit in an RF transceiver comprises activating the circuit, providing ESD protection while the circuit is activated, deactivating the circuit, and coupling an input of the circuit to ground, thereby concurrently isolating the input and providing ESD protection while the circuit is non-activated. The method and switching device can be used to provide isolation and ESD protection to receive bands in the RF transceiver.

Claims

1. An input control unit to provide isolation and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection for a circuit, said input control unit comprising:

a switching device coupled between an input of said circuit and ground;

said switching device configured to provide said ESD protection while said circuit is activated;

said switching device further configured to ground said input while said circuit is non-activated, thereby concurrently isolating said input and providing said ESD protection.

2. The input control unit of claim 1, wherein said circuit is part of a radio frequency (RF) receiver, said input control unit implemented to provide ESD protection and band isolation for a receive band of said RF receiver.

3. The input control unit of claim 1, wherein a control terminal of said switching device is selectably coupled to a supply voltage or to ground.

4. The input control unit of claim 3, wherein said control terminal being coupled to said supply voltage corresponds to said circuit being non-activated, and wherein said control terminal being coupled to ground corresponds to said circuit being activated.

5. The input control unit of claim 1, wherein said switching device is biased so as to maintain said switching device in a nominally non-conductive quiescent state when said circuit is activated.

6. The input control unit of claim 1, wherein said switching device comprises a field-effect transistor (FET).

7. The input control unit of claim 6, wherein a gate terminal of said FET is selectably coupled to a supply voltage or to ground.

8. The input control unit of claim 6, wherein a drain terminal of said FET is coupled to said input and a source terminal of said FET is grounded, said drain terminal being further coupled to a bias voltage for maintaining said FET in a nominally non-conductive quiescent state when said circuit is activated.

9. A radio frequency (RF) receiver comprising:

at least one receive band having an input selectably coupled to an antenna;

an input control unit including a switching device coupled between said input and ground;

said switching device configured to provide electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection when said at least one receive band is activated;

said switching device further configured to concurrently isolate said at least one receive band and provide ESD protection when said at least one receive band is non-activated.

10. The RF receiver of claim 9, wherein a control terminal of said switching device is selectably coupled to a supply voltage or to ground.

11. The RF receiver of claim 10, wherein said control terminal being coupled to said supply voltage corresponds to said at least one receive band being non-activated, and wherein said control terminal being coupled to ground corresponds to said at least one receive band being activated.

12. The RF receiver of claim 9, wherein said switching device is biased so as to maintain said switching device in a nominally non-conductive quiescent state when said at least one receive band is activated.

13. The RF receiver of claim 9, wherein said switching device comprises a field-effect transistor (FET).

14. The RF receiver of claim 9, wherein said RF receiver is part of a radio frequency transceiver implemented in a mobile communication device.

15. A method for providing isolation and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection for a circuit, said method comprising:

activating said circuit;

providing said ESD protection while said circuit is activated;

deactivating said circuit;

coupling an input of said circuit to ground, thereby concurrently isolating said input and providing said ESD protection while said circuit is non-activated.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said method is performed by a radio to frequency (RF) receiver configured to provide said isolation and said ESD protection to at least one receive band of said RF receiver.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said method is performed by a multi-band RF receiver configured to provide said isolation and said ESD protection to each of a plurality of receive bands of said multi-band RF receiver.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said method is performed by an RF receiver comprised by an RF transceiver implemented in a mobile communication device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein providing said ESD protection while said circuit is activated comprises switching an input control unit coupled between said input of said circuit and ground into a nominally non-conducting quiescent state.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein coupling said input of said circuit to ground comprises switching an input control unit coupled between said input and ground into a conducting state.