Method, system, and apparatus for RF switching amplifier

• US 8,368,462 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2010
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: pSemi Corporation (Murata Manufacturing Co Limited)
• Original Assignee: Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation (Murata Manufacturing Co Limited)
• Inventors: Sharma, Vikas, Adamski, Jaroslaw, Calanca, Neil, Broughton, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PATRICIA T
• Application Number:
  US12/924,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20120086512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 330/10, 330/149, 330/310
• US Class Current: 330/10
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3047 for intermittent signals, e.g. burst signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/62 for providing a predistortion of the signal in the transmitter and corresponding correction in the receiver, e.g. for improving the signal/noise ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0408 with power amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0416 having gain or transmission power control

Abstract

Embodiments of RF switching amplifiers are described generally herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for amplifying an RF modulated signal for transmission on a network having micro-burst transmission slots and having a minimum noise floor, including:

a gain signal module for receiving an RF signal amplification gain signal and generating a first pre-amplifier gain signal and a first amplifier gain signal;

a pre-amplifier module for receiving a first pre-amplifier gain signal and amplifying an RF modulated signal during a specific transmission slot based on the first pre-amplifier gain signal with a first noise floor outside the specific transmission slot;

an amplifier module for receiving a first amplifier gain signal and further amplifying the RF modulated signal during the specific transmission slot based on the first amplifier gain signal with a second noise floor outside the specific transmission slot;

wherein the second noise floor is greater than the first noise floor and the first noise floor is less than the minimum noise floor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a pre-amplifier gain control module for receiving a first pre-amplifier gain signal and generating a second pre-amplifier signal, the pre-amplifier module for receiving a second pre-amplifier gain signal and amplifying an RF modulated signal based on the second amplifier gain signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further including an amplifier gain control module for receiving a first amplifier gain signal and generating a second amplifier signal, the amplifier module for receiving a second amplifier gain signal and amplifying an RF modulated signal based on the second amplifier gain signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the amplifier module including at least one transistor.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, the pre-amplifier gain control module including at least one transistor.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, the amplifier gain control module including at least one transistor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the amplifier module including at least one CMOS transistor.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, the amplifier module including at least one CMOS transistor, the pre-amplifier gain control module including at least one CMOS transistor, and the amplifier gain control module including at least one CMOS transistor.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, the amplifier module including at least one N-type CMOS transistor, the pre-amplifier gain control module including at least one P-type CMOS transistor, and the amplifier gain control module including at least one P-type CMOS transistor.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the network is a GSM cellular network.

16. The method of claim 3, wherein the amplifier gain control module includes at least one transistor.

11. A method of amplifying an RF modulated signal for transmission on a network having time limited transmission slots and having a minimum noise floor, including:

employing a gain signal module to receive an RF signal amplification gain signal and generate a first pre-amplifier gain signal and a first amplifier gain signal;

employing a pre-amplifier module to receive a first pre-amplifier gain signal and amplify an RF modulated signal during a specific transmission slot based on the first pre-amplifier gain signal with a first noise floor outside the specific transmission slot;

employing an amplifier module to receive a first amplifier gain signal and further amplify the RF modulated signal during the specific transmission slot based on the first amplifier gain signal with a second noise floor outside the specific transmission slot;

wherein the second noise floor is greater than the first noise floor and the first noise floor is less than the minimum noise floor.

12. The method of claim 11, further including employing a pre-amplifier gain control module to receive a first pre-amplifier gain signal and generate a second pre-amplifier signal and employing the pre-amplifier module to receive a second pre-amplifier gain signal and amplify an RF modulated signal based on the second amplifier gain signal.

13. The method of claim 12, further including employing an amplifier gain control module to receive a first amplifier gain signal and generate a second amplifier signal and employing the amplifier module to receive a second amplifier gain signal and amplify an RF modulated signal based on the second amplifier gain signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the amplifier module includes at least one transistor.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the pre-amplifier gain control module includes at least one transistor.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the amplifier module includes at least one CMOS transistor.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the amplifier module includes at least one CMOS transistor, the pre-amplifier gain control module includes at least one CMOS transistor, and the amplifier gain control module includes at least one CMOS transistor.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the amplifier module includes at least one N-type CMOS transistor, the pre-amplifier gain control module includes at least one P-type CMOS transistor, and the amplifier gain control module includes at least one P-type CMOS transistor.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the network is a GSM cellular network.