Linear mode and non-linear mode quadrature PA circuitry

• US 8,892,063 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• 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: Jones, David E., Southcombe, William David, Levesque, Chris, Yoder, Scott, Stockert, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HANNON, CHRISTIAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/226,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20120223773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552.1, 455/127.4, 455/553.1, 455/114.2, 455/127.3
• US Class Current: 455/127.4
• 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

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to multi-mode multi-band radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) circuitry, which includes a multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA coupled to multi-mode multi-band switching circuitry via a single output. The switching circuitry provides at least one non-linear mode output and multiple linear mode outputs. The non-linear mode output may be associated with at least one non-linear mode RF communications band and each linear mode output may be associated with a corresponding linear mode RF communications band. The outputs from the switching circuitry may be coupled to an antenna port via front-end aggregation circuitry. The quadrature nature of the quadrature PA path may provide tolerance for changes in antenna loading conditions.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising:

a first multi-mode multi-band quadrature radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) coupled to multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry via a single alpha PA output, the multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry comprising;

a first alpha switching device comprising a plurality of switching elements coupled in series, the first alpha switching device coupled between the single alpha PA output and a first alpha non-linear mode output, wherein the first alpha non-linear mode output is associated with a first non-linear mode RF communications band; and

a plurality of alpha switching devices, each of the plurality of alpha switching devices comprising a plurality of switching elements coupled in series, wherein each one of the plurality of alpha switching devices are coupled between the single alpha PA output and a corresponding one of 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.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the single alpha PA output is a single-ended output.

3. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the first alpha non-linear mode output is associated with a first plurality of non-linear mode RF communications bands, which comprise the first non-linear mode RF communications band.

4. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising PA control circuitry and switch driver circuitry, such that the switch driver circuitry is coupled to a control input to the first alpha switching device and to a corresponding control input to each of the plurality of alpha switching devices.

5. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising front-end aggregation circuitry coupled between the multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry and an antenna port.

6. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry further has a second alpha non-linear mode output.

7. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising control circuitry adapted to select one of a plurality of communications modes comprising a first alpha non-linear mode and a plurality of alpha linear modes, such that:

during the first alpha non-linear mode and during each of the plurality of alpha linear modes, the first multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA is adapted to receive and amplify a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal via the single alpha PA output;

during the first alpha non-linear mode, the multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry is adapted to receive and forward the first RF output signal to provide a first alpha RF transmit signal via the first alpha non-linear mode output; and

during each of the plurality of alpha linear modes, the multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry is adapted to receive and forward the first RF output signal to provide a corresponding one of a plurality of alpha RF transmit signals via a corresponding one of the plurality of alpha linear mode outputs.

8. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein the first alpha non-linear mode is a half-duplex mode and each of the plurality of alpha linear modes is a full-duplex mode.

9. The circuitry of claim 7 further comprising:

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

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

a first beta non-linear mode output; and

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

10. The circuitry of claim 9 wherein the plurality of communications modes comprises the first alpha non-linear mode, the plurality of alpha linear modes, a first beta non-linear mode, and a plurality of beta linear modes, such that:

during the first beta non-linear mode and during each of the plurality of beta linear modes, the second multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA is adapted to receive and amplify a second RF input signal to provide a second RF output signal via the single beta PA output;

during the first beta non-linear mode, the multi-mode multi-band beta switching circuitry is adapted to receive and forward the second RF output signal to provide a first beta RF transmit signal via the first beta non-linear mode output; and

during each of the plurality of beta linear modes, the multi-mode multi-band beta switching circuitry is adapted to receive and forward the second RF output signal to provide a corresponding one of a plurality of beta RF transmit signals via a corresponding one of the plurality of beta linear mode outputs.

11. The circuitry of claim 10 wherein the first RF input signal is a highband RF input signal and the second RF input signal is a lowband RF input signal.

12. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein a difference between a frequency of the highband RF input signal and a frequency of the lowband RF input signal is greater than 500 megahertz, such that the frequency of the highband RF input signal is greater than the frequency of the lowband RF input signal.

13. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein a ratio of a frequency of the highband RF input signal divided by a frequency of the lowband RF input signal is greater than 1.5.

14. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising:

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 a first final bias input, such that the first multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA comprises a first final stage having the first final bias input, such that bias of the first final stage is via the first final bias input.

15. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising:

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

a direct current (DC)-DC converter 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, and the first multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA has a first final stage and is adapted to;

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

receive the first final bias signal to bias the first final stage.

16. Circuitry comprising:

a first multi-mode multi-band quadrature radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) coupled to multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry via a single alpha PA output, 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;

a second multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA coupled to multi-mode multi-band beta switching circuitry via a single beta PA output, the multi-mode multi-band beta switching circuitry having;

a first beta non-linear mode output; and

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

17. The circuitry of claim 16 wherein:

the first multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA comprises;

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

the second multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA comprises a second quadrature PA path coupled to the antenna port.

18. The circuitry of claim 17 wherein the first quadrature PA path has only one in-phase PA stage and only one quadrature-phase PA stage.

19. The circuitry of claim 17 wherein the first single-ended output is directly coupled to the first single-ended input.

20. A method comprising:

providing a first multi-mode multi-band quadrature radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) and multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry;

providing a second multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA and multi-mode multi-band beta switching circuitry;

selecting one of a plurality of communications modes comprising a first alpha non-linear mode, a plurality of alpha linear modes, a first beta non-linear mode, and a plurality of beta linear modes;

during the first alpha non-linear mode and during each of the plurality of alpha linear modes, receiving and amplifying a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal via a single alpha PA output;

during the first beta non-linear mode and during each of the plurality of beta linear modes, receiving and amplifying a second RF input signal to provide a second RF output signal via a single beta PA output;

during the first alpha non-linear mode, receiving and forwarding the first RF output signal to provide a first alpha RF transmit signal via a first alpha non-linear mode output;

during each of the plurality of alpha linear modes, receiving and forwarding the first RF output signal to provide a corresponding one of a plurality of alpha RF transmit signals via a corresponding one of a plurality of alpha linear mode outputs;

during the first beta non-linear mode, receiving and forwarding the second RF output signal to provide a first beta RF transmit signal via a first beta non-linear mode output; and

during each of the plurality of beta linear modes, receiving and forwarding the second RF output signal to provide a first beta transmit signal via a first beta non-linear mode output.