Bias enhancement circuit for linear amplifiers

• US 6,472,937 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2000
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyworks Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Conexant Systems Incorporated (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gerard, Michael L., Shie, Terry J., Thompson, Philip H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choe, Henry
• Application Number:
  US09/715,871
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 330/133, 330/285, 330/296, 330/302, 330/310, 330/85, 330/134
• US Class Current: 330/133
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/302 in bipolar transistor amplifiers H03F1/303, H03F1/305, H03F1/307 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/3432 with bipolar transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04

Abstract

The invention includes an amplifier and a biasing circuit. The amplifier may have one or more driver stages and a final stage. Each stage may be connected in series to pass along and amplify an input signal from one stage to the next. The input signal level may increase over time. The biasing circuit may include a voltage follower having an output and a reference transistor. Each stage may include a transistor having a base that is connected to the output of the voltage follower. A resistor may be placed between each transistor stage base and the output of the voltage follower. The base of the final stage transistor may be DC connected to the reference transistor base. In operation, the reference transistor collector current and thus the final stage base bias voltage may be maintained at fixed level by feedback through the voltage follower. However, the base bias current of the final stage and, thus, the voltage drop across the final stage base bias resistor and the voltage follower output voltage may increase with the input signal level. The increase in the voltage follower output voltage, in turn, may increase the base bias voltage of one or more driver stages. The increase of the base bias voltage of a driver stage as a function of an increase in the input signal level may extend the amplifier gain compression point to a higher output power level.

Claims

1. A circuit comprising:

a voltage follower having an output;

a reference transistor having a base coupled to the output of the voltage follower;

a first stage transistor having a base coupled to the output of the voltage follower through a first resistor; and

a second stage transistor having a base coupled to the output of the voltage follower through a second resistor,

wherein a ratio of a first resistor value of the first resistor and a second resistor value of the second resistor is scaled by a ratio of an area of the second stage transistor to an area of the first stage transistor.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first resistor and the second resistor is an electrical device having components that resist the flow of electrical current.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first resistor value of the first resistor and the second resistor value of the second resistor is derived from a plurality of resistors.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first resistor value of the first resistor and the second resistor value of the second resistor is derived from a variable resistor.

5. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the variable resistor is at least one of a potentiometer, a voltage divider, and a rheostat.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the base of the reference transistor is coupled to the output of the voltage follower through the second resistor.

7. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the ratio of the first resistor value to the second resistor value is one to ten.

8. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a first choke disposed between the output of the voltage follower and the base of the first stage transistor;

a second choke disposed between the output of the voltage follower and the base of the second stage transistor;

an input matching network coupled to the base of the first stage transistor;

an interstage matching network coupled to the base of the second stage transistor; and

an output matching network coupled to a collector of the second stage transistor.

9. A circuit comprising:

a voltage follower having an output;

a reference transistor having a base coupled to the output of the voltage follower;

a first stage transistor having a base coupled to the output of the voltage follower through a first means for resisting; and

a second stage transistor having a base coupled to the output of the voltage follower through a second means for resisting,

wherein a ratio of a first resistor value of the first means for resisting and a second resistor value of the second means for resisting is scaled by a ratio of an area of the second stage transistor to an area of the first stage transistor.

10. The circuit of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first means for resisting and the second means for resisting is an electrical device having components that resist the flow of electrical current.

11. The circuit of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first means for resisting and the second means for resisting is at least one of a potentiometer, a voltage divider, and a rheostat.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving an interstage signal at a base of a second stage transistor from a collector of a first stage transistor;

drawing current from an output of a voltage follower through a second resistor to the base of the second stage transistor so as to form a voltage drop over the second resistor;

in response to the voltage drop over the second resistor, forming a voltage drop over a first resistor coupled to the output of the voltage follower so as to generate a first resistor current at the first resistor; and

passing the first resistor current to a base of the first stage transistor so as to increase a current in the collector of the first stage transistor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the interstage signal is based on a first portion of an input signal, wherein the first portion defines a first amplitude, the method further comprising:

subsequent to passing the first resistor current to the base of the first stage transistor, receiving a second portion of the input signal at the base of the first stage transistor, where the second portion defines a second amplitude that is greater than the first amplitude.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein forming a voltage drop over a first resistor includes forming a voltage drop over a first resistor having a value that is scaled by the ratio of the area of the second stage transistor to the area of the first stage transistor times a value of the second resistor.