Quadrature power amplifier architecture
First Claim
1. Circuitry comprising:
- a first radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) comprising;
a first non-quadrature PA path having a first single-ended output; and
a first quadrature PA path coupled between the first non-quadrature PA path and an antenna port, such that the first quadrature PA path has a first single-ended input, which is coupled to the first single-ended output; and
a second RF PA comprising a second quadrature PA path coupled to the antenna port,wherein the antenna port is configured to be coupled to an antenna.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a quadrature RF power amplifier (PA) architecture that uses a single-ended interface to couple a non-quadrature PA path to a quadrature PA path, which may be coupled to an antenna via an antenna port. The quadrature nature of the quadrature PA path provides tolerance for changes in antenna loading conditions. An RF splitter in the quadrature PA path presents a relatively stable input impedance, which is predominantly resistive, to the non-quadrature PA path over a wide frequency range, thereby substantially isolating the non-quadrature PA path from changes in the antenna loading conditions. Further, the input impedance substantially establishes a load line slope of a feeder PA stage in the non-quadrature PA path, thereby simplifying the quadrature RF PA architecture. One embodiment of the quadrature RF PA architecture uses two separate PA paths, either of which may incorporate a combined non-quadrature and quadrature PA architecture.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. Circuitry comprising:
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a first radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) comprising; a first non-quadrature PA path having a first single-ended output; and a first quadrature PA path coupled between the first non-quadrature PA path and an antenna port, such that the first quadrature PA path has a first single-ended input, which is coupled to the first single-ended output; and a second RF PA comprising a second quadrature PA path coupled to the antenna port, wherein the antenna port is configured to be coupled to an antenna. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
wherein the first quadrature-phase RF input signal is nominally phase-shifted from the first in-phase RF input signal by about 90 degrees.
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18. Circuitry having RF power amplifier (PA) circuitry comprising:
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a feeder PA stage having a single-ended output and adapted to receive and amplify an RF feeder input signal to provide an RF feeder output signal via the single-ended output, such that the feeder PA stage has an output load line having a load line slope; and a quadrature RF splitter having a single-ended input coupled to the single-ended output, such that the quadrature RF splitter is adapted to; receive the RF feeder output signal via the single-ended input, such that the quadrature RF splitter has an input impedance presented at the single-ended input; and split and phase-shift the RF feeder output signal into an in-phase RF input signal and a quadrature-phase RF input signal, such that the input impedance substantially establishes the load line slope, wherein the quadrature-phase RF input signal is nominally phase-shifted from the in-phase RF input signal by about 90 degrees. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method comprising:
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determining an operating power range of a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA), which has a feeder PA stage feeding a quadrature RF splitter; determining a target load line slope for the feeder PA stage based on the operating power range; and determining an input impedance to the quadrature RF splitter that substantially provides the target load line slope. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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Specification