Combined RF detector and RF attenuator with concurrent outputs

• US 9,048,787 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2011
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• 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: Jones, Paul D., Jones, David E., Southcombe, William David, Levesque, Chris, Yoder, Scott, Stockert, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannon, Christian
• Application Number:
  US13/288,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20120184233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 455/249.1, 455/289, 333/81, 333/103, 327/314, 327/308
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2200/111 the amplifier being a dual or triple band amplifier, e.g. 900 and 1800 MHz, e.g. switched or not switched, simultaneously or not
• 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 3/24 : of transmitter output stages
• 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

Radio Frequency (RF) signal conditioning circuitry, which includes RF detection circuitry and RF attenuation circuitry is disclosed. The RF detection circuitry receives and detects an RF sample signal to provide an RF detection signal. The RF attenuation circuitry has an attenuation circuitry input, and receives and attenuates the RF sample signal via the attenuation circuitry input to provide an attenuated RF signal. The RF attenuation circuitry presents an attenuation circuitry input impedance at the attenuation circuitry input. The attenuated RF signal and the RF detection signal are provided concurrently.

Claims

1. Radio frequency (RF) signal conditioning circuitry comprising:

RF detection circuitry adapted to receive and detect an RF sample signal to provide an RF detection signal; and

RF attenuation circuitry comprising an attenuation circuitry input, an attenuation circuitry output, a first series attenuation resistive element and a second series attenuation resistive element coupled in series between the attenuation circuitry input and the attenuation circuitry output, a first shunt attenuation resistive element coupled between a ground and a junction of the first series attenuation resistive element and the second series attenuation resistive element, and a second shunt attenuation resistive element coupled between the attenuation circuitry output and the ground, wherein the RF attenuation circuitry is adapted to;

receive and attenuate the RF sample signal via the attenuation circuitry input to provide an attenuated RF signal; and

present an attenuation circuitry input impedance at the attenuation circuitry input,

wherein the RF detection signal and the attenuated RF signal are provided concurrently, and the RF signal conditioning circuitry includes no switching devices.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the attenuation circuitry input impedance is substantially constant.

3. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the RF sample signal and the RF detection signal are provided concurrently.

4. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

the RF attenuation circuitry is further adapted to provide the attenuated RF signal via the attenuation circuitry output; and

the RF detection circuitry has a detection circuitry output, such that the RF detection circuitry is further adapted to provide the RF detection signal via the detection circuitry output,

wherein the detection circuitry output and the attenuation circuitry output are concurrent outputs.

5. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein a magnitude of the RF sample signal is greater than two times a magnitude of the attenuated RF signal.

6. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein a magnitude of the RF sample signal is greater than five times a magnitude of the attenuated RF signal.

7. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein a magnitude of the RF sample signal is greater than ten times a magnitude of the attenuated RF signal.

8. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising:

a first transmit path comprising a first RF coupler, which is adapted to extract a first portion of RF power flowing through the first transmit path from the first transmit path;

a second transmit path comprising a second RF coupler cascaded in series between the first RF coupler and the RF signal conditioning circuitry and adapted to extract a second portion of RF power flowing through the second transmit path from the second transmit path, such that the first RF coupler and the second RF coupler are further adapted to feed the first portion and the second portion to the RF signal conditioning circuitry; and

the RF signal conditioning circuitry adapted to;

receive and detect the first portion and the second portion to provide the RF detection signal; and

receive and attenuate the first portion and the second portion to provide the attenuated RF signal.

9. Circuitry comprising:

an RF switch semiconductor die comprising an alpha switch input and a beta switch input, wherein the RF switch semiconductor die is attached to a laminate such that the RF switch semiconductor die is over the laminate and the laminate comprises;

a first RF coupler embedded in the laminate underneath the RF switch semiconductor die, wherein a first RF signal path and a second RF signal path are routed through the first RF coupler such that RF power flowing through the first RF signal path is coupled to the second RF signal path and the first RF signal path is coupled to the alpha switch input; and

a second RF coupler embedded in the laminate underneath the RF switch semiconductor die, wherein a third RF signal path and a fourth RF signal path are routed through the second RF coupler such that RF power flowing through the third RF signal path is coupled to the fourth RF signal path, the third RF signal path is coupled to the beta switch input, and the fourth RF signal path is coupled to the second RF signal path; and

RF signal conditioning circuitry coupled to the fourth RF signal path and comprising;

RF detection circuitry including an attenuation circuitry input and adapted to receive and detect an RF sample signal from the fourth RF signal path to provide an RF detection signal;

RF attenuation circuitry adapted to;

receive and attenuate the RF sample signal to provide an attenuated RF signal; and

present an attenuation circuitry input impedance at the attenuation circuitry input

wherein the RF detection signal and the attenuated RF signal are provided concurrently.

10. The circuitry of claim 9 further comprising:

a first RF power amplifier (PA) comprising an output coupled to the first RF signal path such that the first RF signal path runs between the output of the first RF PA and the alpha switch input;

a second RF PA comprising an output coupled to the third RF signal path such that the third RF signal path runs between the output of the second RF PA and the beta switch input.

11. The circuitry of claim 10 wherein:

the first RF PA comprises 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; and

the circuitry further comprises;

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.

12. The circuitry of claim 10 wherein:

the first RF PA includes 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 a first final bias signal to bias the first final stage; and

the circuitry further comprises;

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

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.

13. The circuitry of claim 10 further comprising:

a direct current (DC)-DC converter comprising;

a power amplifier (PA) envelope power supply comprising a charge pump buck converter coupled to the first RF PA; and

a PA bias power supply comprising a charge pump coupled to the first RF PA.

14. The circuitry of claim 9 further comprising:

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

at least one of the plurality of RF outputs is associated with the alpha switch input;

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.

15. The circuitry of claim 9 wherein the second RF signal path is coupled to the fourth RF signal path.

16. A method comprising:

providing radio frequency (RF) detection circuitry and RF attenuation circuitry, wherein the RF attenuation circuitry comprises an attenuation circuitry input, an attenuation circuitry output, a first series attenuation resistive element and a second series attenuation resistive element coupled in series between the attenuation circuitry input and the attenuation circuitry output, a first shunt attenuation resistive element coupled between a ground and a junction of the first attenuation series resistive element and the second attenuation series resistive element, and a second shunt attenuation resistive element coupled between the attenuation circuitry output and the ground;

receiving and detecting an RF sample signal to provide an RF detection signal; and

receiving and attenuating the RF sample signal via the attenuation circuitry input to provide an attenuated RF signal; and

presenting an attenuation circuitry input impedance at the attenuation circuitry input,

wherein the RF detection signal and the attenuated RF signal are provided concurrently, and the RF signal conditioning circuitry includes no switching devices.