High efficiency path based power amplifier circuitry

• US 9,077,405 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• 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, David E., Tattershall, Wayne D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US13/845,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20130217341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/127.1, 455/127.2, 455/127.3, 455/127.4, 455/103, 330/126, 330/129, 330/285, 330/295, 330/296
• 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 2200/171 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 : Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H

Abstract

A first transmit path, a second transmit path, and a third transmit path are disclosed. The first transmit path includes a first radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) and alpha switching circuitry, which is coupled to an output from the first RF PA. The second transmit path includes a second RF PA and beta switching circuitry, which is coupled to an output from the second RF PA. The third transmit path includes a third RF PA.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising:

a first transmit path comprising;

a first radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA); and

alpha switching circuitry, which is coupled to an output from the first RF PA;

a second transmit path comprising;

a second RF PA; and

beta switching circuitry, which is coupled to an output from the second RF PA; and

a third transmit path comprising a third RF PA.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising an RF PA module, which comprises the first transmit path, the second transmit path, and the third transmit path.

3. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the RF PA module further comprises a laminate, which comprises the first transmit path, the second transmit path, and the third transmit path.

4. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the third transmit path comprises no switching circuitry downstream from the third RF PA.

5. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein:

the first RF PA is coupled to the alpha switching circuitry via a single alpha PA output; and

the second RF PA is coupled to the beta switching circuitry via a single beta PA output.

6. The circuitry of claim 5 wherein:

the single alpha PA output is a single-ended output; and

the single beta PA output is a single-ended output.

7. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising a fourth transmit path, which comprises a fourth RF PA.

8. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein:

the first RF PA is adapted to receive and amplify a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal;

the second RF PA is adapted to receive and amplify a second RF input signal to provide a second RF output signal;

the third RF PA is adapted to receive and amplify a third RF input signal to provide a first RF transmit signal; and

the fourth RF PA is adapted to receive and amplify a fourth RF input signal to provide a second RF transmit signal.

9. The circuitry of claim 7 further comprising PA input switching circuitry adapted to receive and forward a selected one of a first RF input signal, a second RF input signal, a third RF input signal, and a fourth RF input signal to a selected one of the first RF PA, the second RF PA, the third RF PA, and the fourth RF PA.

10. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising PA input switching circuitry adapted to receive and forward a selected one of a first RF input signal, a second RF input signal, a third RF input signal, and a fourth RF input signal to a selected one of the first RF PA, the second RF PA, and the third RF PA.

11. The circuitry of claim 10 wherein:

the first RF input signal is a highband RF input signal;

the second RF input signal is a lowband RF input signal;

the third RF input signal is a lowband RF input signal and is associated with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communications protocol; and

the fourth RF input signal is a highband RF input signal and is associated with an LTE communications protocol.

12. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein:

the first RF input signal is associated with a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) communications protocol; and

the second RF input signal is associated with a WCDMA communications protocol.

13. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein:

the first RF input signal is associated with a Global System of Mobile Communications (GSM) communications protocol; and

the second RF input signal is associated with a GSM communications protocol.

14. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising PA input switching circuitry adapted to receive and forward a selected one of a first RF input signal, a second RF input signal, and a third RF input signal to a selected one of the first RF PA, the second RF PA, and the third RF PA.

15. The circuitry of claim 14 wherein:

the first RF input signal is a highband RF input signal;

the second RF input signal is a lowband RF input signal; and

the third RF input signal is associated with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communications protocol.

16. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising PA input switching circuitry adapted to receive and forward a selected one of a first RF input signal and a second RF input signal to a selected one of the first RF PA, the second RF PA, and the third RF PA.

17. The circuitry of claim 16 wherein:

the first RF input signal is a highband RF input signal; and

the second RF input signal is a lowband RF input signal.

18. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising PA input switching circuitry adapted to receive and forward a first RF input signal to a selected one of the first RF PA, the second RF PA, and the third RF PA.

19. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising:

PA input switching circuitry adapted to receive and forward a selected one of a plurality of RF input signals to a selected one of the first RF PA, the second RF PA, and the third RF PA; and

PA control circuitry adapted to select the one of the plurality of RF input signals and further adapted to select the one of the first RF PA, the second RF PA, and the third RF PA based on a PA configuration control signal.

20. The circuitry of claim 19 wherein transceiver circuitry is adapted to provide the plurality of RF input signals and the PA configuration control signal.

21. The circuitry of claim 20 further comprising the transceiver circuitry.

22. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

the first RF PA is a multi-mode multi-band RF PA;

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

the second RF PA is a multi-mode multi-band RF PA; and

the beta switching circuitry is multi-mode multi-band switching circuitry.