Radio frequency integrated circuit

• US 7,945,208 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GCT Semiconductor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GCT Semiconductor Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Jeong Woo, Lee, Kyeongho, Park, Joonbae, Koo, Yido
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US11/889,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20080161073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 455/78, 455/566, 455/41.2, 715/783, 701/208, 708/206
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1607 Supply circuits converters H02M; filters therefor H02M1/14; voltage stabilisers G05F1/46

Abstract

Embodiments of an RFIC and methods for same and mobile terminals can internally reduce an input voltage to provide a prescribed voltage to a radio frequency transceiver. Embodiments of an RFIC can have a high efficiency and/or a low noise. In one embodiment, a device can include a PMIC and an RFIC. The RFIC can include an RF transceiver to carry out an RF transmission and an RF reception, a DC-DC converter to lower a voltage provided by the PMIC, and an LDO regulator to regulate the lowered voltage to a fixed voltage used by the RF transceiver.

Claims

1. A radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) for use in a device powered by a battery, the RFIC configured to receive a first voltage from a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) of the device, the RFIC comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver configured to perform an RF transmission and an RF reception;

a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter configured to reduce the first voltage and output a second voltage lower than the first voltage; and

a low dropout (LDO) regulator configured to receive the second voltage from the DC-DC converter and output a third voltage to the RF transceiver,

wherein the ratio of the first voltage to the second voltage is at least 1/n, wherein n is an integer that is 2 or higher, and the third voltage is lower than the second voltage and is greater than zero.

2. The RFIC in accordance with claim 1, wherein the PMIC is coupled to an input of the DC-DC converter and manufactured via high voltage process and the RF transceiver, the DC-DC converter, and the LDO regulator are manufactured via a standard CMOS process.

3. The RFIC in accordance with claim 1, wherein the DC-DC converter is inductorless.

4. The RFIC in accordance with claim 3, wherein the ratio is 0.5.

5. The RFIC in accordance with claim 4, wherein the first voltage is between 2.4V and 3.3V.

6. The RFIC in accordance with claim 5, wherein the first voltage is 2.8V.

7. The RFIC in accordance with claim 1, wherein the PMIC and the RFIC are included in separate chips.

8. The RFIC in accordance with claim 1, wherein the PMIC and the RFIC are included on separate dies.

9. The RFIC of claim 1, wherein:

the RF transceiver is configured to perform operations using the third voltage, and the third voltage is a different voltage from voltages used to operate other parts of the device.

10. The RFIC of claim 1, wherein:

the first voltage is between 2.4V and 3.3V, the second voltage is greater than 1.2V, and the third voltage 1.2V or lower.