PA bias power supply undershoot compensation

• US 8,958,763 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2011
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• 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: Williams, Stuart, Baxter, Brian, Hunkele, Brad, Honjo, Hirofumi, Arkiszewski, Roman Zbigniew, Jones, David E., Levesque, Chris, Southcombe, William David, Yoder, Scott, Stockert, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HANNON, CHRISTIAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/305,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 4551271-1275, 455/500, 455/91, 330/51, 330/285, 375/295, 375/297
• 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 charge pump of a power amplifier (PA) bias power supply and a process to prevent undershoot disruption of a bias power supply signal of the PA bias power supply are disclosed. The charge pump operates in one of multiple bias supply pump operating modes, which include at least a bias supply pump-up operating mode and a bias supply bypass operating mode. The process prevents selection of the bias supply pump-up operating mode from the bias supply bypass operating mode before charge pump circuitry in the charge pump is capable of providing adequate voltage to prevent undershoot disruption of the bias power supply signal.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising:

a power amplifier (PA) bias power supply adapted to provide a bias power supply signal, which is used to bias radio frequency (RF) PA circuitry; and

control circuitry adapted to;

select a bias supply bypass operating mode of a charge pump of the PA bias power supply;

enable charge pump circuitry of the charge pump; and

switch from the bias supply bypass operating mode to a bias supply pump-up operating mode of the charge pump after making sure that the charge pump circuitry is capable of providing a voltage greater than or equal to a direct current (DC) power supply voltage by obtaining a positive indication from the charge pump.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is further adapted to make sure that the charge pump circuitry is capable of providing the voltage greater than or equal to the DC power supply voltage by allowing sufficient time after enabling the charge pump circuitry of the charge pump.

3. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the making sure that the charge pump circuitry is capable of providing the voltage greater than or equal to the DC power supply voltage substantially prevents undershoot disruption of the PA bias power supply.

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

5. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein during the bias supply bypass operating mode, the charge pump is adapted to by-pass the charge pump circuitry of the charge pump to forward a DC power supply signal to provide the bias power supply signal, such that the DC power supply signal has the DC power supply voltage.

6. 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.

7. 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.

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

a first radio frequency (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.

9. 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;

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

the PA bias power supply 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 the DC power supply voltage.

10. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising:

a DC-DC converter comprising;

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

the PA bias power supply comprising the charge pump coupled to the RF PA circuitry; and

the RF PA circuitry.

11. 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);

power amplifier (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.

12. A method comprising:

selecting a bias supply bypass operating mode of a charge pump of a power amplifier (PA) bias power supply to provide a bias power supply signal, which is used to bias radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) circuitry;

enabling charge pump circuitry of the charge pump; and

switching from the bias supply bypass operating mode to a bias supply pump-up operating mode of the charge pump after making sure that the charge pump circuitry is capable of providing a voltage greater than or equal to a direct current (DC) power supply voltage by obtaining a positive indication from the charge pump circuitry.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising making sure that the charge pump circuitry is capable of providing the voltage greater than or equal to the DC power supply voltage by allowing sufficient time after enabling the charge pump circuitry.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing the RF PA circuitry.

15. The circuitry of claim 12 wherein the making sure that the charge pump circuitry is capable of providing a voltage greater than or equal to a DC power supply voltage substantially prevents undershoot disruption of the PA bias power supply.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising during the bias supply bypass operating mode, by-passing the charge pump circuitry to forward a DC power supply signal to provide the bias power supply signal, such that the DC power supply signal has the DC power supply voltage.