Temperature correcting an envelope power supply signal for RF PA circuitry

• US 8,731,498 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Southcombe, William David, Baxter, Brian, Jones, David E., Levesque, Chris, Yoder, Scott, Stockert, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US13/304,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 4551271-1275, 455/272.1, 4553431-3436, 323/207
• US Class Current: 455/127.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0227 using supply converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0261 with control of the polarisation voltage or current, e.g. gliding Class A
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0277 Selecting one or more amplifiers from a plurality of amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/171 A filter circuit coupled to the output of an amplifier
• 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 2200/27 A biasing circuit node being switched in an amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/318 A matching circuit being used as coupling element between two amplifying stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/336 A I/Q, i.e. phase quadrature, modulator or demodulator being used in an amplifying circuit
• 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 2200/411 the output amplifying stage of an amplifier comprising two power stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/414 A switch being coupled in the output circuit of an amplifier to switch the output on/off
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/417 A switch coupled in the output circuit of an amplifier being controlled by a circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/504 the supply voltage or current being continuously controlled by a controlling signal, e.g. the controlling signal of a transistor implemented as variable resistor in a supply path for, an IC-block showed amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/534 Transformer coupled at the input of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/537 A transformer being used as coupling element between two amplifying stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/541 Transformer coupled at the output of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21106 An input signal being distributed in parallel over the inputs of a plurality of power amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21142 Output signals of a plurality of power amplifiers are parallel combined to a common output
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21157 A filter circuit being added at the output of a power amplifier stage
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 : in integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/211 : using a combination of several amplifiers H03F3/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 : with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/602 : Combinations of several amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 : Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal

Abstract

A direct current (DC)-DC converter and radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) circuitry are disclosed. The DC-DC converter provides an envelope power supply signal to the RF PA circuitry based on a first power supply output control signal. As a temperature of the RF PA circuitry changes, the envelope power supply signal may need to be adjusted to meet temperature compensation requirements of the RF PA circuitry. With adequate thermal coupling between the DC-DC converter and the RF PA circuitry, adjustments to the envelope power supply signal may be based on temperature measurements of the DC-DC converter. A desired correction of the first power supply output control signal is determined based on a measured temperature of the DC-DC converter and the temperature compensation requirements of the RF PA circuitry. The first power supply output control signal is adjusted based on the desired correction.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising a direct current (DC)-DC converter, which comprises:

direct current (DC)-DC control circuitry adapted to;

provide a first power supply output control signal;

determine a desired correction of the first power supply output control signal based on a measured temperature and temperature compensation requirements of radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) circuitry; and

adjust the first power supply output control signal based on the desired correction;

DC-DC converter temperature measurement circuitry adapted to measure a temperature of the DC-DC converter to obtain the measured temperature; and

a PA envelope power supply adapted to provide an envelope power supply signal to RF PA circuitry based on the first power supply output control signal.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the RF PA circuitry is adapted to use the envelope power supply signal to provide RF transmit signals.

3. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising the RF PA circuitry.

4. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the DC-DC converter temperature measurement circuitry is further adapted to provide a DC-DC converter temperature signal to the DC-DC control circuitry, wherein the DC-DC converter temperature signal is representative of the measured temperature.

5. The circuitry of claim 4 wherein the DC-DC converter further comprises signal conditioning circuitry, such that the DC-DC control circuitry is adapted to use the signal conditioning circuitry to adjust the first power supply output control signal based on the desired correction.

6. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the DC-DC converter further comprises signal conditioning circuitry, such that the DC-DC control circuitry is adapted to use the signal conditioning circuitry to adjust the first power supply output control signal based on the desired correction.

7. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the RF PA circuitry comprises:

a first RF 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.

8. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the RF PA circuitry comprises:

a first multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA coupled to multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry via a single alpha PA output; and

the multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry having;

a first alpha non-linear mode output associated with a first non-linear mode RF communications band; and

a plurality of alpha linear mode outputs, such that each of the plurality of alpha linear mode outputs is associated with a corresponding one of a first plurality of linear mode RF communications bands.

9. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the RF PA circuitry comprises:

a first RF PA comprising a first final stage having a first final bias input, such that bias of the first final stage is via the first final bias input;

PA control circuitry;

a PA-digital communications interface (DCI) coupled between a digital communications bus and the PA control circuitry; and

a final stage current digital-to-analog converter (IDAC) coupled between the PA control circuitry and the first final bias input.

10. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

the RF PA circuitry comprises;

a first RF PA having a first final stage and adapted to;

receive and amplify a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal; and

receive a first final bias signal to bias the first final stage; and

PA bias circuitry adapted to receive a bias power supply signal and provide the first final bias signal based on the bias power supply signal; and

the DC-DC converter is further adapted to receive a DC power supply signal from a DC power supply and provide the bias power supply signal based on the DC power supply signal, such that a voltage of the bias power supply signal is greater than a voltage of the DC power supply signal.

11. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

the PA envelope power supply comprises a charge pump buck converter coupled to the RF PA circuitry; and

the DC-DC converter further comprises a PA bias power supply comprising a charge pump coupled to the RF PA circuitry.

12. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the RF PA circuitry comprises:

multi-mode multi-band RF power amplification circuitry having at least a first RF input and a plurality of RF outputs, such that;

configuration of the multi-mode multi-band RF power amplification circuitry associates one of the at least the first RF input with one of the plurality of RF outputs; and

the configuration is associated with at least a first look-up table (LUT);

PA control circuitry coupled between the multi-mode multi-band RF power amplification circuitry and a PA-digital communications interface (DCI), such that the PA control circuitry has at least the first LUT, which is associated with at least a first defined parameter set; and

the PA-DCI, which is coupled to a digital communications bus.

13. A method comprising:

providing a direct current (DC)-DC converter;

providing an envelope power supply signal to radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) circuitry based on a first power supply output control signal;

measuring a temperature of the DC-DC converter to obtain a measured temperature;

determining a desired correction of the first power supply output control signal based on the measured temperature and temperature compensation requirements of the RF PA circuitry; and

adjusting the first power supply output control signal based on the desired correction.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing the RF PA circuitry.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising using the envelope power supply signal to provide RF transmit signals.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

providing DC-DC control circuitry; and

providing the first power supply output control signal using the DC-DC control circuitry.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining the desired correction of the first power supply output control signal based on the measured temperature and the temperature compensation requirements of the RF PA circuitry using the DC-DC control circuitry.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising adjusting the first power supply output control signal based on the desired correction using the DC-DC control circuitry.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing DC-DC converter temperature measurement circuitry and measuring the temperature of the DC-DC converter to obtain the measured temperature using the DC-DC converter temperature measurement circuitry.

20. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing DC-DC converter temperature measurement circuitry and measuring the temperature of the DC-DC converter to obtain the measured temperature using the DC-DC converter temperature measurement circuitry.