Scalable periphery tunable matching power amplifier

US 9,294,056 B2
Filed: 03/12/2013
Issued: 03/22/2016
Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
Status: Active Grant

First Claim

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1. An amplifier, comprising:

a scalable periphery amplifier comprising one or more unit cells connected in parallel with each other and adapted to be selectively activated or deactivated, wherein each unit cell comprises;

i) a stack of a plurality of transistors configured to operate as an amplifier; and

ii) one or more gate capacitors connected to respective one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors;

an output tunable matching network operatively connected to an output of the scalable periphery amplifier, wherein the tunable matching network is configured to adjust an output load impedance seen by the output of the scalable periphery amplifier; and

an amplifier control circuitry configured to selectively activate or deactivate the one or more unit cells, thus varying a total output power from the amplifier,wherein;

an input transistor of the plurality of transistors in the stack is configured to receive an input signal of the scalable periphery amplifier;

the one or more gate capacitors are connected between one or more gates of the respective one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors in the stack and a reference ground with the exception of the input transistor; and

a gate capacitor of the one or more gate capacitors is configured to allow a gate voltage of a respective transistor of the one or more transistors to vary along with a radio frequency (RF) voltage at a drain of the respective transistor.

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Abstract

A scalable periphery tunable matching power amplifier is presented. Varying power levels can be accommodated by selectively activating or deactivating unit cells of which the scalable periphery tunable matching power amplifier is comprised. Tunable matching allows individual unit cells to see a constant output impedance, reducing need for transforming a low impedance up to a system impedance and attendant power loss. The scalable periphery tunable matching power amplifier can also be tuned for different operating conditions such as different frequencies of operation or different modes.

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175 Claims

1. An amplifier, comprising:
- a scalable periphery amplifier comprising one or more unit cells connected in parallel with each other and adapted to be selectively activated or deactivated, wherein each unit cell comprises;
  
  i) a stack of a plurality of transistors configured to operate as an amplifier; and
  
  ii) one or more gate capacitors connected to respective one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors;
  
  an output tunable matching network operatively connected to an output of the scalable periphery amplifier, wherein the tunable matching network is configured to adjust an output load impedance seen by the output of the scalable periphery amplifier; and
  
  an amplifier control circuitry configured to selectively activate or deactivate the one or more unit cells, thus varying a total output power from the amplifier,wherein;
  
  an input transistor of the plurality of transistors in the stack is configured to receive an input signal of the scalable periphery amplifier;
  
  the one or more gate capacitors are connected between one or more gates of the respective one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors in the stack and a reference ground with the exception of the input transistor; and
  
  a gate capacitor of the one or more gate capacitors is configured to allow a gate voltage of a respective transistor of the one or more transistors to vary along with a radio frequency (RF) voltage at a drain of the respective transistor.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 122, 174)
- - 2. The amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the one or more gate capacitors control voltage drop across the one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors of the stack to substantially equalize an output voltage at an output terminal of the stack across the plurality of transistors of the stack.
  - 3. The amplifier according to claim 1, further comprising an input tunable matching network operatively connected to an input of the scalable periphery amplifier, wherein an impedance of the input tunable matching network is configured to adjust relative to an input impedance of the input of the scalable periphery amplifier.
  - 4. The amplifier according to claim 1, wherein each unit cell of the one or more unit cells is a biased unit cell, a bias being applied to said biased unit cell.
  - 5. The amplifier according to claim 3, wherein each unit cell of the one or more unit cells is a biased unit cell, a bias being applied to said biased unit cell.
  - 6. The amplifier according to any one of claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to be adjusted to switch an operation of the scalable periphery amplifier between two or more classes of amplifier operation.
  - 7. The amplifier according to claim 6, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to affect a harmonic termination of the amplifier according to a desired class of amplifier operation.
  - 8. The amplifier according to any one of claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the amplifier control circuitry is configured to switch an operation of one or more of the unit cells between two or more classes of amplifier operation.
  - 9. The amplifier according to any one of claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the amplifier control circuitry is configured to select a first class of amplifier operation in correspondence to a first group of unit cells and a second class of amplifier operation in correspondence to a second group of unit cells, wherein the first group of unit cells and the second group of unit cells comprise one or more unit cells from the one or more unit cells.
  - 10. The amplifier according to any one of claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, and b) the output tunable matching network, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence of an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 11. The amplifier according to claim 3 or claim 5, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, b) the input tunable matching network, and c) the output tunable matching network, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence of an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 12. The amplifier according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, b) the output tunable matching network, and c) the bias applied to the one or more unit cells, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence of an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 13. The amplifier according to claim 5, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, b) the input tunable matching network, c) the bias applied to the one or more unit cells, and d) the output tunable matching network, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence to an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 14. The amplifier according to claim 10, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 15. The amplifier according to claim 11, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 16. The amplifier according to claim 12, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 17. The amplifier according to claim 13, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 18. The amplifier according to claim 14, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 19. The amplifier according to claim 18, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 20. The amplifier according to claim 19, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 21. The amplifier according to claim 18, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, and c) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 22. The amplifier according to claim 15, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 23. The amplifier according to claim 22, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 24. The amplifier according to claim 23, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 25. The amplifier according to claim 22, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, c) the input tunable matching network in entirety or in part, and d) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 26. The amplifier according to claim 16, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 27. The amplifier according to claim 26, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 28. The amplifier according to claim 27, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 29. The amplifier according to claim 26, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, and c) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 30. The amplifier according to claim 17, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 31. The amplifier according to claim 30, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 32. The amplifier according to claim 31, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 33. The amplifier according to claim 30, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, c) the input tunable matching network in entirety or in part, and d) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 34. The amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the stack of a plurality of transistors is a stack of at least three transistors.
  - 35. The amplifier according to claim 34, further comprising an input tunable matching network operatively connected to an input of the scalable periphery amplifier, the input tunable matching network being configured to adjust an input impedance of the input of the scalable periphery amplifier.
  - 36. The amplifier according to claim 34, wherein each unit cell of the one or more unit cells is a biased unit cell, a bias being applied to said biased unit cell.
  - 37. The amplifier according to claim 35, wherein each unit cell of the one or more unit cells is a biased unit cell, a bias being applied to said biased unit cell.
  - 38. The amplifier according to any one of claim 34, 35, 36 or 37, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to be adjusted to switch an operation of the scalable periphery amplifier between two or more classes of amplifier operation.
  - 39. The amplifier according to claim 38, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to affect a harmonic termination of the amplifier according to a desired class of amplifier operation.
  - 40. The amplifier according to claim 38, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to affect a harmonic termination of the amplifier according to a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier.
  - 41. The amplifier according to claim 40, wherein the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprises one or more of:
    - a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence to an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 42. The amplifier according to any one of claim 34, 35, 36 or 37, wherein the amplifier control circuitry is configured to switch an operation of one or more of the unit cells between two or more classes of amplifier operation.
  - 43. The amplifier according to any one of claim 34, 35, 36 or 37, wherein the amplifier control circuitry is configured to select a first class of amplifier operation in correspondence of a first group of unit cells and a second class of amplifier operation in correspondence of a second group of unit cells, wherein the first group of unit cells and the second group of unit cells comprise one or more unit cells from the one or more unit cells.
  - 44. The amplifier according to any one of claim 34, 35, 36 or 37, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, and b) the output tunable matching network, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence of an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 45. The amplifier according to claim 35 or claim 37, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, b) the input tunable matching network, and c) the output tunable matching network, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence of an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 46. The amplifier according to claim 36 or claim 37, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, b) the output tunable matching network, and c) the bias applied to the one or more unit cells, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence of an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 47. The amplifier according to claim 37, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, b) the input tunable matching network, c) the bias applied to the one or more unit cells, and d) the output tunable matching network, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence of an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 48. The amplifier according to claim 44, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 49. The amplifier according to claim 45, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage used to provide main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 50. The amplifier according to claim 46, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage used to provide main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 51. The amplifier according to claim 47, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 52. The amplifier according to claim 48, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 53. The amplifier according to claim 52, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 54. The amplifier according to claim 53, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 55. The amplifier according to claim 52, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, and c) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 56. The amplifier according to claim 49, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 57. The amplifier according to claim 56, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 58. The amplifier according to claim 57, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 59. The amplifier according to claim 56, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, c) the input tunable matching network in entirety or in part, and d) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 60. The amplifier according to claim 50, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 61. The amplifier according to claim 60, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 62. The amplifier according to claim 61, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 63. The amplifier according to claim 60, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, and c) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 64. The amplifier according to claim 51, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 65. The amplifier according to claim 64, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 66. The amplifier according to claim 65, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 67. The amplifier according to claim 64, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, c) the input tunable matching network in entirety or in part, and d) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 68. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the amplifier control circuitry is configured to maintain an operation of the amplifier in an AB Null class of operation by selectively activating and/or deactivating one or more unit cells in response to a varying output power.
  - 69. The amplifier according to claim 68, wherein the varying output power is in correspondence of varying of one or more of:
    - a) a desired output power level of the amplifier, b) a battery voltage used to provide main power to the amplifier, c) a temperature of the amplifier, d) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, e) a band of operation of the amplifier, f) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, g) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, i) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and j) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 70. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein one or more of the one or more unit cells comprise an input coupling capacitor operatively connected in a series configuration between the input signal and the input transistor, wherein the coupling capacitor is configured to remove a DC content from the input signal.
  - 71. The amplifier according to any one of claim 1, 3, 4, 5, 34, 35, 36 or 37, wherein each of the one or more unit cells comprises a switch connected in series with a gate of the input transistor of the stack, the switch being configured to open or close the input signal path to the input transistor, thus selectively activating or deactivating the one or more unit cells.
  - 72. The amplifier according to claim 71, wherein a bias applied to a transistor of the stack other than the input transistor is configured to be adjusted in correspondence of activating or deactivating a corresponding unit cell.
  - 73. The amplifier according to claim 71, wherein the switch is configured to selectively connect the gate of the input transistor to either the input signal or to a fixed voltage so as to selectively activate or deactivate the one or more unit cells.
  - 74. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein each of the one or more unit cells comprises a switch connected in series with a gate of any transistor other than an input transistor of the stack, the switch being configured to turn ON or turn OFF the transistor thus selectively activating or deactivating the one or more unit cells.
  - 75. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, further comprising a current mirror operatively connected to the gates of the plurality of transistors of the stack, wherein the current minor is adapted to provide biasing to the plurality of transistors.
  - 76. The amplifier according to claim 75, wherein the current minor is configured to selectively activate or deactivate a unit cell in correspondence of the plurality of transistors.
  - 77. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the one or more unit cells have a same circuital arrangement.
  - 78. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the output tunable matching network comprises:
    - one or more tunable reactive elements connected between the output of the scalable periphery amplifier and a load; and
      
      a tunable matching control circuit configured to tune the one or more tunable reactive elements to adjust the output load impedance seen by the output of the scalable periphery amplifier.
  - 79. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the output tunable matching network comprises:
    - a first set of one or more tunable reactive elements connected in series between the output of the scalable periphery amplifier and a load;
      
      a second set of one or more tunable reactive elements connected in parallel between the output of the scalable periphery amplifier and the load; and
      
      a tunable matching control circuitry configured to tune the first set of the one or more tunable reactive elements and the second set of the one or more tunable reactive elements, thus adjusting the output load impedance seen by the output of the scalable periphery amplifier.
  - 80. The amplifier according to claim 78, wherein the one or more tunable reactive elements comprise one or more of:
    - a) one or more digital tuning capacitors, and b) one or more digital tuning inductors.
  - 81. The amplifier according to claim 79, wherein the one or more tunable reactive elements comprise one or more of:
    - a) one or more digital tuning capacitors, and b) one or more digital tuning inductors.
  - 82. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the output tunable matching network comprises a plurality of tunable matching networks operatively coupled in one or more of:
    - a) a π
      
      -configuration, b) a t-configuration, and c) a cascade configuration, so as to achieve a desired bandwidth and/or quality factor.
  - 83. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the output tunable matching network comprises one or more switches, the one or more switches being configured to adjust the output load impedance seen by the output of the scalable periphery amplifier.
  - 84. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier is a monolithically integrated scalable periphery amplifier.
  - 85. The amplifier according to claim 68, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier is a monolithically integrated scalable periphery amplifier.
  - 86. The amplifier according to claim 3 or claim 35, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the input tunable matching network in entirety or in part, and b) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 87. The amplifier according to claim 79, wherein the scalable periphery amplifier and one or more of:
    - a) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, and b) the tunable matching control circuitry in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 88. The amplifier according to any one of claim 4, 5, 36 or 37, wherein a same bias is applied to each activated unit cell of the one or more unit cells.
  - 89. The amplifier according to any one of claim 4, 5, 36 or 37, wherein a direct current power P_DCof the amplifier is in correspondence of the bias applied to one or more activated unit cells of the one or more unit cells.
  - 90. The amplifier according to claim 89, wherein a same value P_DCoccurs upon activation of one of a plurality of groups of unit cells, each group of unit cells comprising one or more biased unit cells of the one or more unit cells.
  - 91. The amplifier according to claim 90, wherein each unit cell of each group has a same bias and each group is biased differently.
  - 92. The amplifier according to any one of claim 4, 5, 36 or 37, wherein bias adjustment for each unit cell is adapted to switch an operation of the scalable periphery amplifier between two or more classes of amplifier operation.
  - 93. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein each transistor of the plurality of stacked transistors is a biased transistor.
  - 94. The amplifier according to claim 93, wherein a bias applied to a transistor of the stack is configured to be adjusted in correspondence of activating or deactivating a corresponding unit cell.
  - 95. The amplifier according to claim 94, wherein the bias applied to the transistor of the stack is adjusted to control a voltage across each transistor of the plurality of transistors for a more efficient operation of the transistor based on whether the corresponding unit cell is activated or deactivated.
  - 96. The amplifier according to claim 95, wherein the bias is adjusted using one of:
    - a) a switch configured to select one of several bias voltages to be applied to the transistor, and b) a circuital arrangement configured to vary the bias voltage applied to the transistor.
  - 97. The amplifier according to claim 95, wherein a gate capacitor of the one or more gate capacitors at a gate of the transistor of the plurality of stacked transistors is configured to allow a voltage swing at the gate of said transistor in correspondence of an output voltage swing at output of the stack.
  - 98. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the one or more unit cells are made with a semiconductor process selected from the group consisting of:
    - a) gallium arsenide, b) complementary metal oxide semiconductor, c) silicon germanium, d) bipolar, e) gallium nitride, f) silicon on insulator (SOI) technology, and g) silicon on sapphire (SOS) technology.
  - 99. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the amplifier control circuitry comprises complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors fabricated using one or more of:
    - a) bipolar CMOS technology, b) silicon on insulator (SOI) technology, c) silicon on sapphire technology (SOS), and d) CMOS.
  - 100. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the plurality of stacked transistors are operatively configured in any one of or any combination of:
    - a) a cascode configuration, b) a push-pull configuration, and c) a differential configuration.
  - 101. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the plurality of stacked transistors are one of:
    - a) of a same type, and b) of different types.
  - 102. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein the plurality of stacked transistors are of N-type and P-type configured in a push-pull configuration.
  - 103. The amplifier according to claim 102 comprising further circuital arrangement, wherein the further circuital arrangement is configured to switch on/off one or more transistors of the stack such as to affect an operation of the stack.
  - 104. The amplifier according to claim 103, wherein the switching on/off of the one or more transistors of the stack affects a class of operation of the amplifier.
  - 105. An amplifier system, comprising:
    - a plurality of amplifiers operatively connected together, each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers comprising the amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34; and
      
      a plurality of switches operatively connected between successive amplifiers, wherein each switch is configured to direct an output of an amplifier to a subsequent amplifier or bypass the subsequent amplifier.
  - 106. The amplifier system according to claim 105, wherein the plurality of amplifiers are operatively connected in a cascaded series.
  - 107. The amplifier system according to claim 105, wherein the plurality of amplifiers comprise a driver amplifier and a final amplifier.
  - 108. A cascaded series of amplifiers operatively coupled in series, wherein each amplifier of the cascaded series of amplifiers is the amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34.
  - 109. The cascaded series of amplifiers according to claim 108, comprising a driver stage amplifier and a final stage amplifier.
  - 122. The amplifier according to claim 1 or claim 34, wherein an output load in correspondence of the output load impedance is one of or a combination of:
    - a) an antenna, b) a low pass filter, c) an antenna switch, d) a duplexer, and e) a circuitry associated with an antenna.
  - 174. The amplifier according to claim 95, wherein the unit cell is activated and deactivated via a first transistor of the plurality of transistors closest to the input transistor and a switch coupled to a gate of the first transistor, the switch being configured to connect the gate of the first transistor to the reference ground to deactivate the unit cell and to connect the gate of the first transistor to a bias voltage to control a voltage drop across the first transistor when the unit cell is activated.

110. A method of biasing a scalable periphery amplifier, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of amplifiers of the scalable periphery amplifier, wherein each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers of the scalable periphery amplifier comprises a plurality of transistors configured in a stacked arrangement and one or more gate capacitors connected between gates of one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors and a reference ground, the one or more gate capacitors being configured to allow gate voltages of the one or more transistors to vary along with radio frequency (RF) voltages at drains of the one or more transistors and control voltage drops across the one or more transistors;
  
  operatively coupling the plurality of amplifiers in a parallel arrangement;
  
  providing an input power range for an input signal to the plurality of amplifiers of the scalable periphery amplifier;
  
  providing a desired power gain of the scalable periphery amplifier;
  
  obtaining an expected output power range of the scalable periphery amplifier based on the desired power gain and the input power range, andbased on the obtaining, activating one or more amplifiers from the plurality of amplifiers.
- View Dependent Claims (111, 112, 113, 116, 117, 118, 119)
- - 111. The method according to claim 110, further comprising:
    - coupling an output tunable matching network to an output of the amplifiers;
      
      coupling an input tunable matching network to an input of the amplifiers;
      
      providing a desired output signal characteristic of the output of the amplifiers, andadjusting one or more of;
      
      a) the input tunable matching network, b) the output tunable matching network, c) the number of the one or more activated amplifiers, and d) a DC bias current of the one or more activated amplifiers, wherein the adjusting is based on the desired output signal characteristic.
  - 112. The method according to claim 111, further comprising:
    - providing a set of varying parameters affecting an output signal characteristic of the output of the amplifiers;
      
      providing circuitry configured to detect the set of varying parameters;
      
      measuring a time varying value of the set of varying parameters;
      
      providing a desired operating margin in correspondence of the desired output signal characteristic;
      
      further adjusting one or more of a), b), c) or d) based upon the measuring; and
      
      operating within the desired operating margin as a consequence of the further adjusting.
  - 113. The method according to claim 112, further comprising:
    - providing control circuitry adapted to perform the further adjustment based on the set of varying parameters;
      
      feeding the measured time varying value of the set of varying parameters to the control circuitry; and
      
      operating within the desired operating margin in a close loop configuration as a consequence of the feeding.
  - 116. The method according to any one of claim 111, 112, 113, or 114, wherein the desired output signal characteristic is one of:
    - a) adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) in correspondence of the output signal power level, and b) power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 117. The method according to claim 112 or claim 113, wherein the set of varying parameters comprises one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the plurality of amplifiers, b) a temperature of the plurality of amplifiers, c) manufacturing tolerances of the plurality of amplifiers, d) a band of operation of the plurality of amplifiers, e) a frequency of operation of the plurality of amplifiers, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the plurality of amplifiers, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the plurality of amplifiers, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the plurality of amplifiers, and i) an output power level of the plurality of amplifiers.
  - 118. The method according to claim 110, wherein the activating shifts an AB Null characteristic of the scalable periphery amplifier within the expected output power range.
  - 119. The method according to claim 110 or claim 118, wherein activating is further based on data stored within a lookup table.

114. A method of amplifying an input signal, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of amplifiers, wherein each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers comprises a plurality of transistors configured in a stacked arrangement and one or more gate capacitors connected between gates of one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors and a reference ground, the one or more gate capacitors being configured to allow gate voltages of the one or more transistors to vary along with radio frequency (RF) voltages at drains of the one or more transistors and control voltage drops across the one or more transistors;
  
  operatively coupling the plurality of amplifiers in a parallel arrangement;
  
  providing a plurality of switches configured to selectively activate or deactivate the plurality of amplifiers;
  
  coupling a tunable matching network to an input port of the plurality of amplifiers;
  
  inputting an input signal to the tunable matching network;
  
  measuring the input signal power level;
  
  activating one or more amplifiers from the plurality of amplifiers based on the input signal power level and on a desired output signal power level, andadjusting an impedance of the tunable matching network in correspondence of an input signal power level shift in correspondence of further activating or deactivating of the one or more amplifiers from the plurality of amplifiers, wherein the further activating or deactivating of the one or more amplifiers is in correspondence of a desired output signal characteristic.
- View Dependent Claims (115)
- - 115. The method according to claim 114 further comprising:
    - coupling a tunable matching network to an output of the plurality of amplifiers;
      
      tuning the tunable matching network as a consequence of the activating of the one or more amplifiers, andproviding a constant output load to an output of each of the one or more activated amplifiers as a consequence of the tuning.

120. A method of affecting a class of operation of an scalable periphery amplifier, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of amplifiers, wherein each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers comprises a plurality of transistors configured in a stacked arrangement and one or more gate capacitors connected between gates of one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors and a reference ground, the one or more gate capacitors being configured to allow gate voltages of the one or more transistors to vary along with radio frequency (RF) voltages at drains of the one or more transistors and control voltage drops across the one or more transistors;
  
  operatively coupling the plurality of amplifiers in a parallel arrangement;
  
  providing a plurality of switches configured to selectively activate or deactivate the plurality of amplifiers;
  
  coupling a tunable matching network to an output port of the plurality of amplifiers;
  
  providing a desired class of operation of the scalable periphery amplifiertuning the tunable matching network;
  
  based on the tuning, adjusting a harmonic termination at the output of the plurality of amplifiers, andbased on the adjusting, affecting a class of operation of the scalable periphery amplifier, wherein the affecting changes the class of operation of the SP amplifier to the desired class of operation.

121. A system comprising:
- an amplifying arrangement comprising one or more amplifying components connected with each other and adapted to be independently activated or deactivated, each amplifying component comprising one or more transistors configured to operate as amplifiers;
  
  an output tunable matching network operatively connected to an output of the amplifying arrangement, the tunable matching network being configured to adjust an output load impedance seen by the output of the amplifying arrangement; and
  
  control circuitry configured to independently activate or deactivate the one or amplifying components, thus varying a total output power from the amplifying arrangement,wherein at least one amplifying component of the one or more amplifying components comprises a stack of a plurality of transistors and one or more capacitors connected between gate terminals of respective one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors of the stack and a reference ground with the exception of an input transistor of the stack, the one or more capacitors being configured to control voltage drops across the plurality of transistors of the stack when the at least one amplifying component is activated and when the at least one amplifying component is deactivated.

123. An amplifier, comprising:
- a unit cell adapted to be selectively activated or deactivated, wherein the unit cell comprises;
  
  i) a stack of a plurality of transistors configured to operate as an amplifier; and
  
  ii) one or more gate capacitors connected to respective one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors;
  
  an output tunable matching network operatively connected between an output of the unit cell and an output load, wherein the tunable matching network is configured to adjust an output impedance seen by the output of the unit cell and match the output impedance to the output load; and
  
  an amplifier control circuitry configured to selectively activate or deactivate the unit cell, thus varying a total output power from the amplifier, wherein;
  
  an input transistor of the plurality of transistors in the stack is configured to receive an input signal of the unit cell;
  
  the one or more gate capacitors are connected between one or more gates of the respective one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors in the stack and a reference ground with the exception of the input transistor; and
  
  a gate capacitor of the one or more gate capacitors is configured to allow a gate voltage of a respective transistor of the one or more transistors to vary along with a radio frequency (RF) voltage at a drain of the respective transistor.
- View Dependent Claims (124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 175)
- - 124. The amplifier according to claim 123, wherein the one or more gate capacitors control voltage drop across the one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors of the stack to substantially equalize an output voltage at an output terminal of the stack across the plurality of transistors of the stack.
  - 125. The amplifier according to claim 123, wherein the output load comprises one of or a combination of:
    - a) an antenna, b) a low pass filter, c) an antenna switch, d) a duplexer, and e) a circuitry associated with an antenna.
  - 126. The amplifier according to claim 123, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to be adjusted to switch an operation of the scalable periphery amplifier between two or more classes of amplifier operation.
  - 127. The amplifier according to claim 126, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to affect a harmonic termination of the amplifier according to a desired class of amplifier operation.
  - 128. The amplifier according to claim 123, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, and b) the output tunable matching network, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence of an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 129. The amplifier according to claim 128, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 130. The amplifier according to claim 129, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 131. The amplifier according to claim 130, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 132. The amplifier according to claim 131, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 133. The amplifier according to claim 130, wherein the unit cell and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, and c) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 134. The amplifier according to claim 123, wherein the stack of a plurality of transistors is a stack of at least three transistors.
  - 135. The amplifier according to claim 134, further comprising an input tunable matching network operatively connected to an input of the scalable periphery amplifier, the input tunable matching network being configured to adjust an input impedance of the input of the scalable periphery amplifier.
  - 136. The amplifier according to claim 134, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to be adjusted to switch an operation of the unit cell between two or more classes of amplifier operation.
  - 137. The amplifier according to claim 136, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to affect a harmonic termination of the amplifier according to a desired class of amplifier operation.
  - 138. The amplifier according to claim 136, wherein the output tunable matching network is configured to affect a harmonic termination of the amplifier according to a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier.
  - 139. The amplifier according to claim 138, wherein the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprises one or more of:
    - a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence to an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 140. The amplifier according to claim 134 or claim 135, wherein one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry, and b) the output tunable matching network, are configured to affect a desired operating characteristic of the amplifier, the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier comprising one or more of;
      
      a) an adjacent channel leakage ratio in correspondence of an output signal power level, b) a power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 141. The amplifier according to claim 140, further configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over a range of varying parameters, the varying parameters comprising one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the amplifier, b) a temperature of the amplifier, c) manufacturing tolerances of the amplifier, d) a band of operation of the amplifier, e) a frequency of operation of the amplifier, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the amplifier, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the amplifier, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the amplifier, and i) an input power level of the amplifier.
  - 142. The amplifier according to claim 141, further comprising auxiliary circuitry, wherein the auxiliary circuitry is configured to maintain the desired operating characteristic of the amplifier over the range of varying parameters in one or more of:
    - a) a closed loop control configuration, and b) an open loop control configuration.
  - 143. The amplifier according to claim 142, wherein the open/closed loop control configurations comprise lookup tables and/or calibration tables stored in hardware and/or software.
  - 144. The amplifier according to claim 143, wherein the auxiliary circuitry further comprises the hardware lookup tables and/or calibration tables.
  - 145. The amplifier according to claim 142, wherein the unit cell and one or more of:
    - a) the amplifier control circuitry in entirety or in part, b) the auxiliary circuitry in entirety or in part, and c) the output tunable matching network in entirety or in part, are monolithically integrated.
  - 146. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134, wherein the output tunable matching network comprises:
    - one or more tunable reactive elements connected between the output of the unit cell and the output load; and
      
      a tunable matching control circuit configured to tune the one or more tunable reactive elements to adjust the output impedance seen by the output of the scalable periphery amplifier.
  - 147. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134, wherein the output tunable matching network comprises:
    - a first set of one or more tunable reactive elements connected in series between the output of the unit cell and the output load;
      
      a second set of one or more tunable reactive elements connected in parallel between the output of the scalable periphery amplifier and the output load; and
      
      a tunable matching control circuitry configured to tune the first set of the one or more tunable reactive elements and the second set of the one or more tunable reactive elements, thus adjusting the output impedance seen by the output of the unit cell.
  - 148. The amplifier according to claim 146, wherein the one or more tunable reactive elements comprise one or more of:
    - a) one or more digital tuning capacitors, and b) one or more digital tuning inductors.
  - 149. The amplifier according to claim 147, wherein the one or more tunable reactive elements comprise one or more of:
    - a) one or more digital tuning capacitors, and b) one or more digital tuning inductors.
  - 150. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134, wherein the output tunable matching network comprises a plurality of tunable matching networks operatively coupled in one or more of:
    - a) a π
      
      -configuration, b) a t-configuration, and c) a cascade configuration, so as to achieve a desired bandwidth and/or quality factor.
  - 151. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134, wherein the output tunable matching network comprises one or more switches, the one or more switches being configured to adjust the output impedance seen by the output of the unit cell.
  - 152. The amplifier according to claim 124 or claim 134, wherein each transistor of the plurality of stacked transistors is a biased transistor.
  - 153. The amplifier according to claim 152, wherein a bias applied to a transistor of the stack is configured to be adjusted in correspondence of activating or deactivating the unit cell.
  - 154. The amplifier according to claim 153, wherein the bias applied to the transistor of the stack is adjusted to control a voltage across each transistor of the plurality of transistors for a more efficient operation of the transistor based on whether the unit cell is activated or deactivated.
  - 155. The amplifier according to claim 154, wherein the bias is adjusted using one of:
    - a) a switch configured to select one of several bias voltages to be applied to the transistor, and b) a circuital arrangement configured to vary the bias voltage applied to the transistor.
  - 156. The amplifier according to claim 154, wherein a gate capacitor of the one or more gate capacitors at a gate of the transistor of the plurality of stacked transistors is configured to allow a voltage swing at the gate of said transistor in correspondence of an output voltage swing at output of the stack.
  - 157. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134, further comprising a switch connected in series to a gate of a transistor of the plurality of transistors except the input transistor, the switch being configured to turn ON or turn OFF the transistor thus selectively activating or deactivating the unit cell.
  - 158. The amplifier according to claim 157, wherein the transistor of the plurality of transistors is connected to the input transistor.
  - 159. The amplifier according to claim 157, wherein during operation, the switch is configured to couple the gate of the transistor to a reference ground and thereby turn the transistor OFF.
  - 160. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134, wherein the unit cell is made with a semiconductor process selected from the group consisting of:
    - a) gallium arsenide, b) complementary metal oxide semiconductor, c) silicon germanium, d) bipolar, e) gallium nitride, f) silicon on insulator (SOI) technology, and g) silicon on sapphire (SOS) technology.
  - 161. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134 wherein the amplifier control circuitry comprises complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors fabricated using one or more of:
    - a) bipolar CMOS technology, b) silicon on insulator (SOI) technology, c) silicon on sapphire technology (SOS), and d) CMOS.
  - 162. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134, wherein the plurality of stacked transistors are operatively configured in any one of or any combination of:
    - a) a cascode configuration, b) a push-pull configuration, and c) a differential configuration.
  - 163. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134, wherein the plurality of stacked transistors are one of:
    - a) of a same type, and b) of different types.
  - 164. The amplifier according to claim 125 or claim 134, wherein the plurality of stacked transistors are of N-type and P-type configured in a push-pull configuration.
  - 165. The amplifier according to claim 164 comprising further circuital arrangement, wherein the further circuital arrangement is configured to switch on/off one or more transistors of the stack such as to affect an operation of the stack.
  - 166. The amplifier according to claim 165, wherein the switching on/off of the one or more transistors of the stack affects a class of operation of the amplifier.
  - 175. The amplifier according to claim 154, wherein the unit cell is activated and deactivated via a first transistor of the plurality of transistors closest to the input transistor and a switch coupled to a gate of the first transistor, the switch being configured to connect the gate of the first transistor to the reference ground to deactivate the unit cell and to connect the gate of the first transistor to a bias voltage to control a voltage drop across the first transistor when the unit cell is activated.

167. A method of amplification of a radio frequency (RF) signal, the method comprising:
- providing a scalable periphery amplifier of a single unit cell, wherein the single unit cell comprises a plurality of transistors configured in a stacked arrangement and one or more gate capacitors connected between gates of one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors and a reference ground, the one or more gate capacitors being configured to allow gate voltages of the one or more transistors to vary along with radio frequency (RF) voltages at drains of the one or more transistors and control voltage drops across the one or more transistors;
  
  coupling an output tunable matching network between an output of the single unit cell and an output load, wherein the output tunable matching network matches an output impedance of the scalable periphery amplifier to the output load;
  
  providing a desired output signal characteristic of the output of the single unit cell, andadjusting one or more of;
  
  a) the output tunable matching network, and b) a DC bias current of the single unit cell, wherein the adjusting is based on the desired output signal characteristic.
- View Dependent Claims (168, 169, 170, 171, 173)
- - 168. The method according to claim 167, further comprising:
    - providing a set of varying parameters affecting an output signal characteristic of the output of the single unit cell;
      
      providing circuitry configured to detect the set of varying parameters;
      
      measuring a time varying value of the set of varying parameters;
      
      providing a desired operating margin in correspondence of the desired output signal characteristic;
      
      further adjusting one or more of a) or b) based upon the measuring; and
      
      operating within the desired operating margin as a consequence of the further adjusting.
  - 169. The method according to claim 168, further comprising:
    - providing control circuitry adapted to perform the further adjustment based on the set of varying parameters;
      
      feeding the measured time varying value of the set of varying parameters to the control circuitry; and
      
      operating within the desired operating margin in a close loop configuration as a consequence of the feeding.
  - 170. The method according to claim 168 or claim 169, wherein the desired output signal characteristic is one of:
    - a) adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) in correspondence of the output signal power level, and b) power added efficiency (PAE) in correspondence of the output signal power level, c) an output power level, d) a drain current at an output of the amplifier, e) an out of band emission in correspondence of the output signal power level, f) an R_Xband noise, in correspondence of the output signal power level, and g) an error vector magnitude in correspondence of the output signal power level.
  - 171. The method according to claim 168 or claim 169, wherein the set of varying parameters comprises one or more of:
    - a) a battery voltage providing main power to the single unit cell, b) a temperature of the single unit cell, c) manufacturing tolerances of the single unit cell, d) a band of operation of the single unit cell, e) a frequency of operation of the single unit cell, f) a peak-to-average ratio of the input signal to the single unit cell, g) a modulation scheme of the input signal to the single unit cell, h) a bandwidth of the input signal to the single unit cell, and i) an output power level of the single unit cell.
  - 173. The method according to any one of claim 167-169 or 172, wherein the output load comprises one of or a combination of:
    - a) an antenna, b) a low pass filter, c) an antenna switch, d) a duplexer and e) a circuitry associated with an antenna.

172. A method of affecting a class of operation of a scalable periphery amplifier, the method comprising:
- providing a scalable periphery amplifier of a single unit cell, wherein the single unit cell comprises a plurality of transistors configured in a stacked arrangement and one or more gate capacitors connected between gates of one or more transistors of the plurality of transistors and a reference ground, the one or more gate capacitors being configured to allow gate voltages of the one or more transistors to vary along with radio frequency (RF) voltages at drains of the one or more transistors and controlling voltage drops across the one or more transistors;
  
  providing a switch configured to selectively activate or deactivate the single unit cell;
  
  coupling a tunable matching network between an output port of the single unit cell and an output load;
  
  providing a desired class of operation of the scalable periphery amplifiertuning the tunable matching network;
  
  based on the tuning, adjusting a harmonic termination at the output of the single unit cell, andbased on the adjusting, affecting a class of operation of the scalable periphery amplifier, wherein the affecting changes the class of operation of the SP amplifier to the desired class of operation.

Specification

Resources

Litigation Campaign Assessment

Current Assignee
pSemi Corporation (Murata Manufacturing Co Limited)
Original Assignee
Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation (Murata Manufacturing Co Limited)
Inventors
Nobbe, Dan William, Halchin, David, Dykstra, Jeffrey A., Gaynor, Michael P., Kovac, David, Mekechuk, Kelly Michael, Kaatz, Gary Frederick, Olson, Chris
Primary Examiner(s)
NGUYEN, HIEU P

Application Number

US13/797,779
Publication Number

US 20140266460A1
Time in Patent Office

1,106 Days
Field of Search

330/295, 330/124.R, 330/84, 330/53, 330/286, 330/311
US Class Current

1/1
CPC Class Codes

H03F 1/0205   in transistor amplifiers

H03F 1/0261   with control of the polaris...

H03F 1/0277   Selecting one or more ampli...

H03F 1/223   with MOSFET's

H03F 1/56   Modifications of input or o...

H03F 2200/108   A coil being added in the d...

H03F 2200/222   A circuit being added at th...

H03F 2200/27   A biasing circuit node bein...

H03F 2200/387   A circuit being added at th...

H03F 2200/411   the output amplifying stage...

H03F 2200/432   Two or more amplifiers of d...

H03F 2200/451   the amplifier being a radio...

H03F 2203/21109   An input signal being distr...

H03F 2203/7215   the gated amplifier being s...

H03F 2203/7221   the gated amplifier being s...

H03F 3/193   with field-effect devices H...

H03F 3/195   in integrated circuits

H03F 3/211   using a combination of seve...

H03F 3/2176   Class E amplifiers

H03F 3/245   with semiconductor devices ...

H03F 3/72 : Gated amplifiers, i.e. ampl...

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Scalable periphery tunable matching power amplifier

First Claim

2 Assignments

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Abstract

74 Citations

175 Claims

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Scalable periphery tunable matching power amplifier

First Claim

2 Assignments

Subscription Required

Subscription Required

0 Petitions

Subscription Required

Accused Products

Subscription Required

Abstract

74 Citations

175 Claims

Specification

Subscription Required

Solutions

Use Cases

Quick Links