High frequency switch circuit and communications terminal using the same

• US 6,653,697 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hidaka, Kenichi, Nakatsuka, Tadayoshi, Tara, Katsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thinh T
• Application Number:
  US10/104,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20020140040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 257/393, 257/275, 455/78, 455/426, 333/262, 333/103, 307/115, 327/437, 327/534
• US Class Current: 257/393
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/693 Switching arrangements with several input- or output-terminals, e.g. multiplexers, distributors logic circuits H03K19/00; code converters H03M5/00, H03M7/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/48 in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter H04B1/46 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention is directed to the provision of a two-input, four-output high frequency switch circuit that can prevent the occurrence of in-band ripples of insertion loss in an ON path. The high frequency switch circuit is constructed from six field effect transistors, and a signal is passed through a selected one of signal paths in the two-input, four-output high frequency signal switch having a total of six signal terminals, wherein four additional field effect transistors, each of which, when ON, provides a characteristic impedance matched to the characteristic impedance of an external circuit, are respectively connected between ground and the signal paths leading to the remaining four signal terminals to which the signal is not passed and which therefore become open ends. When the signal is not passed, the respective four field effect transistors are put in operation, thereby eliminating the effects of standing waves occurring on the respective paths leading to the four signal terminals acting as open ends.

Claims

1. A high frequency switch circuit comprising:

first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth signal terminals;

a first field effect transistor circuit inserted in a first signal path connecting between the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal;

a second field effect transistor circuit inserted in a second signal path connecting between the second signal terminal and the third signal terminal;

a third field effect transistor circuit inserted in a third signal path connecting between the second signal terminal and the fourth signal terminal;

a fourth field effect transistor circuit inserted in a fourth signal path connecting between the fourth signal terminal and the fifth signal terminal;

a fifth field effect transistor circuit inserted in a fifth signal path connecting between the fifth signal terminal and the sixth signal terminal;

a sixth field effect transistor circuit inserted in a sixth signal path connecting between the second signal terminal and the sixth signal terminal;

a seventh field effect transistor circuit connected between the sixth signal terminal and a reference potential;

an eighth field effect transistor circuit connected between the first signal terminal and the reference potential;

a ninth field effect transistor circuit connected between the fourth signal terminal and the reference potential;

a tenth field effect transistor circuit connected between the third signal terminal and the reference potential;

first to tenth control lines for applying first to tenth control bias voltages to the control terminals of the first to tenth field effect transistor circuits; and

a logic circuit for generating the control bias voltages to be applied to the first to tenth field effect transistor circuits, wherein

each of the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth field effect transistor circuits, when ON, exhibits a characteristic impedance that satisfies a matching condition to the characteristic impedance of an associated one of first, second, third, and fourth external circuits connected to the sixth, first, fourth, and third signal terminals, respectively.

2. A high frequency switch circuit comprising:

first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth signal terminals;

a first field effect transistor circuit inserted in a first signal path connecting between the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal;

a second field effect transistor circuit inserted in a second signal path connecting between the second signal terminal and the third signal terminal;

a third field effect transistor circuit inserted in a third signal path connecting between the second signal terminal and the fourth signal terminal;

a fourth field effect transistor circuit inserted in a fourth signal path connecting between the fourth signal terminal and the fifth signal terminal;

a fifth field effect transistor circuit inserted in a fifth signal path connecting between the fifth signal terminal and the sixth signal terminal;

a sixth field effect transistor circuit inserted in a sixth signal path connecting between the second signal terminal and the sixth signal terminal;

a series circuit consisting of a seventh field effect transistor circuit and a first resistor, and connected between the sixth signal terminal and a reference potential;

a series circuit consisting of an eighth field effect transistor circuit and a second resistor, and connected between the first signal terminal and the reference potential;

a series circuit consisting of a ninth field effect transistor circuit and a third resistor, and connected between the fourth signal terminal and the reference potential;

a series circuit consisting of a tenth field effect transistor circuit and a fourth resistor, and connected between the third signal terminal and the reference potential; and

first to tenth control lines for applying first to tenth control bias voltages to the control terminals of the first to tenth field effect transistor circuits, wherein

sum of an ON-state characteristic impedance of the seventh field effect transistor circuit and a resistance value of the first resistor satisfies a matching condition to the characteristic impedance of a first external circuit connected to the sixth signal terminal,

sum of an ON-state characteristic impedance of the eighth field effect transistor circuit and a resistance value of the second resistor satisfies a matching condition to the characteristic impedance of a second external circuit connected to the first signal terminal,

sum of an ON-state characteristic impedance of the ninth field effect transistor circuit and a resistance value of the third resistor satisfies a matching condition to the characteristic impedance of a third external circuit connected to the fourth signal terminal, and

sum of an ON-state characteristic impedance of the tenth field effect transistor circuit and a resistance value of the fourth resistor satisfies a matching condition to the characteristic impedance of a fourth external circuit connected to the third signal terminal.

3. A high frequency switch circuit as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a logic circuit for generating the control bias voltages to be applied to the first to tenth field effect transistor circuits.

4. A high frequency switch circuit as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first to tenth field effect transistor circuits are each constructed from a single field effect transistor or a series circuit of a plurality of field effect transistors.

5. A high frequency switch circuit as set forth in claim 2, wherein field effect transistors forming the first to tenth field effect transistor circuits are single-gate field effect transistors or multi-gate field effect transistors.

6. A high frequency switch circuit as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first to tenth field effect transistor circuits and the first to fourth resistors are formed on a semiconductor substrate.

7. A communications terminal comprising:

a high frequency switch circuit having first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth signal terminals;

first, second, third, and fourth antennas electrically connected to the first, third, fourth, and sixth signal terminals, respectively;

a receiver section which is connected to the second signal terminal, and to which high frequency signals received at the first, second, third, and fourth antennas are input; and

a transmitter section which is connected to the fifth signal terminal, and which outputs high frequency signals to the third and fourth antennas, and wherein

the high frequency switch circuit comprises;

a first field effect transistor circuit inserted in a first signal path connecting between the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal;

a second field effect transistor circuit inserted in a second signal path connecting between the second signal terminal and the third signal terminal;

a third field effect transistor circuit inserted in a third signal path connecting between the second signal terminal and the fourth signal terminal;

a fourth field effect transistor circuit inserted in a fourth signal path connecting between the fourth signal terminal and the fifth signal terminal;

a fifth field effect transistor circuit inserted in a fifth signal path connecting between the fifth signal terminal and the sixth signal terminal;

a sixth field effect transistor circuit inserted in a sixth signal path connecting between the second signal terminal and the sixth signal terminal;

a series circuit consisting of a seventh field effect transistor circuit and a first resistor, and connected between the sixth signal terminal and a reference potential;

a series circuit consisting of an eighth field effect transistor circuit and a second resistor, and connected between the first signal terminal and the reference potential;

a series circuit consisting of a ninth field effect transistor circuit and a third resistor, and connected between the fourth signal terminal and the reference potential;

a series circuit consisting of a tenth field effect transistor circuit and a fourth resistor, and connected between the third signal terminal and the reference potential; and

first to tenth control lines for applying first to tenth control bias voltages to the control terminals of the first to tenth field effect transistor circuits, wherein

sum of an ON-state characteristic impedance of the seventh field effect transistor circuit and a resistance value of the first resistor satisfies a matching condition to the characteristic impedance of a first external circuit connected to the sixth signal terminal,

sum of an ON-state characteristic impedance of the eighth field effect transistor circuit and a resistance value of the second resistor satisfies a matching condition to the characteristic impedance of a second external circuit connected to the first signal terminal,

sum of an ON-state characteristic impedance of the ninth field effect transistor circuit and a resistance value of the third resistor satisfies a matching condition to the characteristic impedance of a third external circuit connected to the fourth signal terminal, and

sum of an ON-state characteristic impedance of the tenth field effect transistor circuit and a resistance value of the fourth resistor satisfies a matching condition to the characteristic impedance of a fourth external circuit connected to the third signal terminal.