Radio frequency multi-port switches

• US 9,143,184 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyworks Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RFaxis, Inc. (Skyworks Solutions Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gorbachov, Oleksandr, Jeon, Okjune, Jung, Taewon
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Stephen E
• Application Number:
  US13/273,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20120262217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 333/101, 333/124, 333/112, 455/84, 455/78, 455/552, 455/83, 370/280, 330/283
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/15 by semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/48 in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter H04B1/46 takes precedence

Abstract

A multiport radio frequency (RF) switch circuit is disclosed. The switch circuit includes a first transistor that is connected to a first port, a common antenna port, and a first enable line. The first transistor is selectively activatable in response to a first enable signal applied to the first enable line. There is also a second transistor connected to a second port, the common antenna port, and a second enable line. The second transistor is selectively activatable in response to a second enable signal applied to the second enable line. A first inductor connected to the first port and the second port compensates for parasitic capacitance between the first port and the second port from an inactive one of the transistors.

Claims

1. A radio frequency (RF) switch circuit with a first port, a first enable line, a second port, a second enable line, and a common antenna port, the switch circuit comprising:

a first transistor connected to the first port, the common antenna port, and the first enable line, the first transistor being selectively activatable in response to a first enable signal applied to the first enable line;

a second transistor connected to the second port, the common antenna port, and the second enable line, the second transistor being selectively activatable in response to a second enable signal applied to the second enable line; and

a first inductor connected across the first port to the second port to compensate for parasitic capacitance between the first port and the second port from an inactive one of the first and second transistors.

2. The switch circuit of claim 1, wherein the first inductor phase shifts a first signal on the first port and is applied to the second port, with the first transistor being activated and the second transistor being deactivated, a leakage of the first signal through the second transistor on the second port being minimized by the phase shifted first signal.

3. The switch circuit of claim 1, wherein capacitive impedance of the second transistor is tuned with inductive impedance of the first inductor at a first operating frequency to generate a parallel resonance isolating the first port from the second port.

4. The switch circuit of claim 1, wherein the activated first transistor is defined by a first equivalent resistance and a first equivalent capacitance, and the deactivated second transistor is defined by a second equivalent resistance and a second equivalent capacitance, the first inductor having a value selected to define a resonance together with the second equivalent capacitance at a first operating frequency.

5. The switch circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a first electrostatic discharge inductor connected to the antenna port.

6. The switch circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a first electrostatic discharge inductor connected in series with the first inductor.

7. The switch circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a first shunt capacitor connected to the first enable line and the first transistor; and

a second shunt capacitor connected to the second enable line and the second transistor.

8. The switch circuit of claim 1, wherein the first port is a transmit port and the second port is a receive port.

9. The switch circuit of claim 1, wherein:

the first port is solely connected to the first transistor and the first inductor; and

the second port is solely connected to the second transistor and the first inductor.

10. The switch circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second transistors each include a gate connected to the respective first and second enable lines, a source connected to the respective first and second ports, and a drain connected to the antenna port.

11. The switch circuit of claim 10, further comprising:

a first port decoupling capacitor connected to the first port and the source of the first transistor; and

a second port decoupling capacitor connected to the second port and the source of the second transistor.

12. The switch circuit of claim 10, further comprising:

a first antenna port decoupling capacitor connected to the drain of the first transistor and the antenna port; and

a second antenna port decoupling capacitor connected to the drain of the second transistor and the antenna port.

13. The switch circuit of claim 10, further comprising a feed-forward capacitor connected to the gate and the source of the second transistor.

14. The switch circuit of claim 10, wherein the first and second transistors have a structure selected from a group consisting of:

metal oxide semiconductor field effect (MOSFET), metal semiconductor field effect (MESFET), and high electron mobility (HEMT).

15. The switch circuit of claim 14, further comprising:

a second electrostatic discharge inductor connected in series with the first inductor.

16. The switch circuit of claim 10, wherein the first and second transistors have a triple-well negative metal oxide semiconductor (N-MOS) field effect structure.

17. The switch circuit of claim 16, further comprising a feed-forward capacitor connected to the gate and the source of the second transistor.

18. The switch circuit of claim 1, wherein:

the first inductor is split and is comprised of a first inductor segment connected to the first port and a second inductor segment connected to the second port, a split junction being defined between the first inductor segment and the second inductor segment.

19. The switch circuit of claim 18, further comprising:

a compensation capacitor connected in parallel to the first inductor.

20. The switch circuit of claim 18, further comprising:

a third transistor connected to the split junction and the second port, the third transistor being selectively activatable to set an overall inductance value of the first inductor equivalent to an inductance value of the first inductor segment, and to set the overall inductance value of the first inductor equivalent to a combination of the inductance value of the first inductor segment and an inductance value of the second inductor segment.

21. The switch circuit of claim 20, wherein the first port corresponds to a first operating frequency and the second port corresponds to a second operating frequency, the third transistor being activated in a first mode for the first operating frequency and the third transistor being deactivated in a second mode for the second operating frequency.

22. The switch circuit of claim 20, wherein the first port is a transmit port and the second port is a receive port, the third transistor being activated in a first mode for a first operating frequency and deactivated in a second mode for the second operating frequency.

23. The switch circuit of claim 1, wherein:

the first inductor is split and is comprised of a first inductor segment connected to the first port, a second inductor segment, and a third inductor segment connected to the second port, a first split junction being defined between the first inductor segment and the second inductor segment, and a second split junction being defined between the second inductor segment and the third inductor segment.

24. The switch circuit of claim 23, further comprising:

a third transistor connected to the first split junction and the second split junction, the third transistor being selectively activatable to set an overall inductance value of the first inductor equivalent to a combination of an inductance value of the first inductor segment and an inductance value of the third inductor segment, and to set the overall inductance value of the first inductor equivalent to a combination of the inductance value of the first inductor segment, an inductance value of the second inductor segment, and the inductance value of the third inductor segment.

25. The switch circuit of claim 23, further comprising:

a compensation capacitor connected in parallel to the first inductor.

26. The switch circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a third transistor connected in series with the second transistor to the common antenna port, the third transistor being selectively activatable in response to the second enable signal applied to the second enable line;

wherein the first, second, and third transistors have a triple-well negative field effect structure.

27. The switch circuit of claim 26, wherein the first, second, and third transistors each include a gate, a drain, and a source, the gate of the first transistor being connected to the first enable line, the gates of the second and third transistors being connected to the second enable line, the source of the first transistor being connected to the first port, the drains of the first and third transistors being connected to the antenna port, the source of the second transistor being connected to the second port, and the drain of the first transistor being connected to the source of the third transistor.

28. The switch circuit of claim 27, further comprising:

a first port decoupling capacitor connected to the first port and the source of the first transistor; and

an antenna port decoupling capacitor connected to the drain of the first transistor and the antenna port;

wherein the first port decoupling capacitor and the antenna port decoupling capacitor have respective capacitance values selected to minimize insertion loss by compensating for the first inductor.

29. The switch circuit of claim 27, further comprising:

a second port decoupling capacitor connected to the first port and the source of the second transistor; and

an antenna port decoupling capacitor connected to the drain of the third transistor and the antenna port;

wherein the second port decoupling capacitor and the antenna port decoupling capacitor have respective capacitance values selected to minimize insertion loss by compensating for the first inductor.

30. The switch circuit of claim 27, further comprising a feed-forward capacitor connected to the gate and the source of the second transistor.