RF power transistor packages with internal harmonic frequency reduction and methods of forming RF power transistor packages with internal harmonic frequency reduction

• US 8,076,994 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Farrell, Donald, Wood, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): GLENN, KIMBERLY E
• Application Number:
  US11/767,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20080315392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 333 32- 34, 330/149, 330302-306
• US Class Current: 333/32
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6611 Wire connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6655 Matching arrangements, e.g. arrangement of inductive and capacitive components
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 of a plurality of wire connectors
• 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 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01023 Vanadium [V]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01057 Lanthanum [La]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01075 Rhenium [Re]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10329 Gallium arsenide [GaAs]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13063 : Metal-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MESFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13064 : High Electron Mobility Transistor [HEMT, HFET [heterostructure FET], MODFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19042 : being an inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30105 : Capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/565 : using inductive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/222 : A circuit being added at the input of an amplifier to adapt the input impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/225 : the input circuit of an amplifying stage comprising an LC-network
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/387 : A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/391 : the output circuit of an amplifying stage comprising an LC-network
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 : the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 : in integrated circuits

Abstract

A packaged RE power device includes a transistor having a control terminal and an output terminal and configured to operate at a fundamental operating frequency, an RF signal input lead coupled to the control terminal, and an RF signal output lead coupled to the output terminal. A harmonic reducer is coupled to the control terminal and/or the output terminal of the transistor and is configured to provide a short circuit or low impedance path from the control terminal and/or the output terminal to ground for signals at an Nth harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency, where N>1. The device further includes a package that houses the transistor and the harmonic reducer, with the input lead and the output lead extending from the package. Multi-chip packages are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A packaged device, comprising:

a transistor including a control terminal and an output terminal and configured to operate at a fundamental operating frequency;

a signal input lead coupled to the control terminal of the transistor;

a signal output lead coupled to the output terminal of the transistor;

a harmonic reducer coupled to the control terminal of the transistor and configured to provide a low impedance path from the control terminal to ground for signals at a harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency; and

a package that houses the transistor and the harmonic reducer, with the signal input lead and the signal output lead extending from the package;

wherein the harmonic reducer comprises a series resonant circuit including an inductive element and a shunt capacitor connected in series to a ground terminal.

2. The packaged power device of claim 1, further comprising an output-side harmonic reducer connected to the output terminal of the transistor.

3. The packaged power device of claim 1, further comprising an input matching circuit between the signal input lead and the control terminal of the transistor, wherein the harmonic reducer is coupled between the input matching circuit and the control terminal of the transistor.

4. The packaged RF power device of claim 1, further comprising an output matching circuit between the signal output lead and the output terminal of the transistor, wherein the harmonic reducer is coupled between the output matching circuit and the output terminal of the transistor.

5. The packaged power device of claim 1, further comprising an output matching circuit between the signal output lead and the output terminal of the transistor and/or an input matching circuit between the signal input lead and the control terminal of the transistor.

6. The packaged RF power device of claim 1, wherein the inductance of the inductive element and the capacitance of the capacitor are selected to provide a short circuit at the harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency.

7. The packaged power device of claim 1, wherein the harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency comprises the second harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency.

8. A packaged power device, comprising:

a transistor including a control terminal and an output terminal and configured to operate at a fundamental operating frequency;

a signal input lead coupled to the control terminal of the transistor;

a signal output lead coupled to the output terminal of the transistor;

an input-side harmonic reducer coupled to the control terminal of the transistor and configured to provide a short circuit or low impedance path from the control terminal to ground for signals at a harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency wherein the harmonic reducer is connected to the control terminal of the transistor;

a package that houses the transistor and the harmonic reducer, with the signal input lead and the signal output lead extending from the package; and

an output-side harmonic reducer connected to the output terminal of the transistor;

wherein the input-side harmonic reducer comprises a first capacitor having a first capacitance and the output-side harmonic reducer comprises a second capacitor having a second capacitance that is different from the first capacitance.

9. A packaged device, comprising:

a transistor including a control terminal and an output terminal and configured to operate at a fundamental operating frequency;

a signal input lead coupled to the control terminal of the transistor;

a signal output lead coupled to the output terminal of the transistor;

a harmonic reducer coupled to the control terminal of the transistor and configured to provide a short circuit or low impedance path from the control terminal to ground for signals at a harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency, wherein the harmonic reducer comprises a series resonant circuit including an inductive element and a shunt capacitor connected in series to a ground terminal;

a package that houses the transistor and the harmonic reducer, with the signal input lead and the signal output lead extending from the package; and

a base, wherein the transistor is on the base and wherein the shunt capacitor is on the base.

10. The packaged power device of claim 9, wherein the inductive element comprises a bond wire extending from the transistor to the shunt capacitor.

11. The packaged power device of claim 10, further comprising a second bond wire extending over the shunt capacitor from the transistor to the RF output lead.

12. A packaged device, comprising:

a transistor including a control terminal and an output terminal and configured to operate at a fundamental operating frequency;

a signal input lead coupled to the control terminal of the transistor;

a signal output lead coupled to the output terminal of the transistor;

a harmonic reducer coupled to the control terminal of the transistor and configured to provide a short circuit or low impedance path from the control terminal to around for signals at a harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency; and

a package that houses the transistor and the harmonic reducer, with the signal input lead and the signal output lead extending from the package;

wherein the harmonic reducer comprises an open circuit quarter-wave transmission line stub.

13. The packaged power device of claim 12, wherein the open circuit quarter-wave transmission line stub has a length selected to provide the short circuit or low impedance path to ground for signals at the harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency.

14. A packaged RF power device, comprising:

a transistor including a control terminal and an output terminal and configured to operate at a fundamental operating frequency;

an RF signal input lead coupled to the control terminal of the transistor;

an RF signal output lead coupled to the output terminal of the transistor;

a harmonic reducer coupled to the control terminal and/or the output terminal of the transistor and configured to provide a short circuit or low impedance path from the control terminal and/or the output terminal to ground for signals at an Nth harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency; and

a package that houses the transistor and the harmonic reducer, with the RF signal input lead and the RF signal output lead extending from the package;

wherein the transistor comprises a first transistor and the harmonic reducer comprises a first harmonic reducer, the package further comprising;

a second transistor including a control terminal and an output terminal and configured to operate at the fundamental operating frequency, wherein the RF signal input lead is coupled to the control terminal of the second transistor, and the RF signal output lead is coupled to the output terminal of the second transistor; and

a second harmonic reducer coupled to the control terminal and/or the output terminal of the second transistor and configured to provide a short circuit or low impedance path from the control terminal and/or the output terminal of the second transistor to ground for signals at an Mth harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency;

wherein the package also houses the second transistor and the second harmonic reducer.

15. A packaged power device, comprising:

a transistor including a control terminal and an output terminal and configured to operate at a fundamental operating frequency;

a signal input lead coupled to the control terminal of the transistor;

a signal output lead coupled to the output terminal of the transistor;

a harmonic reducer coupled to a first one of the control terminal or the output terminal of the transistor and configured to provide a short circuit or low impedance path from the control terminal and/or the output terminal to ground for signals at an Nth harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency, where N>

1;

a package that houses the transistor and the harmonic reducer, with the input lead and the output lead extending from the package; and

a further harmonic reducer housed in the package and coupled to a second one of the control terminal or the output terminal of the transistor, wherein the further harmonic reducer is configured to provide a second short circuit or low impedance path from the control terminal or the second output terminal to ground for signals at an Mth harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency, where M>

1 and M≠

N.

16. The packaged power device of claim 15, wherein the harmonic reducer and the further harmonic reducer each include a series resonant circuit including an inductive element and a capacitor.

17. The packaged power device of claim 15, wherein at least one of the harmonic reducer and the further harmonic reducer includes an open circuit quarter-wave transmission line stub.

18. A method of forming a packaged power device, comprising:

mounting a transistor on a base, the transistor including a control terminal and an output terminal and being configured to operate at a fundamental operating frequency;

forming a harmonic signal reducer on the base and connecting the harmonic signal reducer to the control terminal of the transistor, wherein the harmonic signal reducer is configured to provide a short circuit or low impedance path from the control terminal to ground for signals at an Nth harmonic frequency of the fundamental operating frequency, where N>

1;

providing a signal input lead and a signal output lead on opposite sides of the base;

connecting the signal input lead to the control terminal and connecting the signal output lead to the output terminal; and

forming a package housing on the transistor and the harmonic reducer, with the signal input lead and the signal output lead extending from the package;

wherein forming the harmonic signal reducer comprises providing a capacitor on the base and forming a wire bond connection between the capacitor and the transistor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the capacitor on the base comprises providing the capacitor on the base between the output terminal of the transistor and the signal output lead, and wherein forming the wire bond connection comprises forming the wire bond connection between the capacitor and the output terminal of the transistor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein connecting the RF signal output lead to the output terminal comprises forming a second wire bond connection, the second wire bond connection including a bond wire extending over the capacitor from the output terminal to the signal output lead.

21. A packaged device, comprising:

a transistor including a control terminal and an output terminal;

a signal input lead coupled to the control terminal of the transistor;

a signal output lead coupled to the output terminal of the transistor;

a harmonic reducer coupled to the control terminal of the transistor; and

a base, wherein the transistor and the harmonic reducer are on the base, wherein the harmonic reducer includes an inductive element and a shunt capacitor.

22. The packaged device of claim 21, wherein the shunt capacitor is connected to a ground terminal.