Nonlinear capacitance linearization

• US 9,484,879 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Scott, Baker, Maxim, George, Leipold, Dirk Robert Walter, Iversen, Christian Rye, Bolton, Eric K., Kerr, Daniel Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hieu
• Application Number:
  US14/298,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20140361839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 330/306, 330/285, 330/296, 330/277, 330/292
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4824 Pads with extended contours, e.g. grid structure, branch structure, finger structure
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/565 using inductive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/111 the amplifier being a dual or triple band amplifier, e.g. 900 and 1800 MHz, e.g. switched or not switched, simultaneously or not
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/267 A capacitor based passive circuit, e.g. filter, being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7209 the gated amplifier being switched from a first band to a second band
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/193 with field-effect devices H03F3/195 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 Combinations of amplifiers, e.g. multi-channel amplifiers for stereophonics power amplifiers using a combination of several semiconductor amplifiers H03F3/211; combinations of amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/602
• 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: H03H 2210/012 Centre frequency; Cut-off frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2210/025 Capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2210/04 Filter calibration method
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/0115 comprising only inductors and capacitors H03H7/075, H03H7/09, H03H7/12, H03H7/13 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/0153 Electrical filters; Controlling thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/09 Filters comprising mutual inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/1775 Parallel LC in shunt or branch path H03H7/1791 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/46 Networks for connecting several sources or loads, working on different frequencies or frequency bands, to a common load or source for use in multiplex transmission systems H04J1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/463 Duplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/465 having variable circuit topology, e.g. including switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 : assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 : Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H

Abstract

An apparatus, which includes a first electronic device, a first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit, and a capacitance compensation control circuit, is disclosed. The first electronic device has a first nonlinear capacitance and is coupled to the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit, which has a first compensation capacitance and receives a first compensation control signal. The capacitance compensation control circuit adjusts the first compensation capacitance using the first compensation control signal to at least partially linearize the first nonlinear capacitance.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first electronic device having a first nonlinear capacitance and coupled to a first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit;

a first replica circuit;

the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit having a first compensation capacitance and configured to receive a first compensation control signal; and

a capacitance compensation control circuit configured to adjust the first compensation capacitance based on the first replica circuit using the first compensation control signal to at least partially linearize the first nonlinear capacitance.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first electronic device is an RF amplifier and the first nonlinear capacitance is an amplifier output capacitance of the RF amplifier.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the RF amplifier is a power amplifier.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the RF amplifier is a low noise amplifier.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the RF amplifier is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) amplifier.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the RF amplifier is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) amplifier.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first electronic device further has a second nonlinear capacitance, the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit further has a second compensation capacitance and is further configured to receive a second compensation control signal, and the capacitance compensation control circuit is further configured to adjust the second compensation capacitance using the second compensation control signal to at least partially linearize the second nonlinear capacitance.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first electronic device is a first RF switch, which is a MOS transistor element comprising a drain, a source, and a body, such that the first nonlinear capacitance is a drain-to-body capacitance and the second nonlinear capacitance is a source-to-body capacitance.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a first capacitive element wherein the first electronic device is a first RF switch, which is coupled to the first capacitive element.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the capacitance compensation control circuit is further configured to adjust the first compensation capacitance using the first compensation control signal to substantially linearize the first nonlinear capacitance.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit comprises a varactor diode having the first compensation capacitance.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the capacitance compensation control circuit is further configured to adjust the first compensation capacitance via a varactor diode bias signal, which is substantially isolated from the first electronic device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the capacitance compensation control circuit is further configured to adjust the first compensation capacitance based on at least a first system factor.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the capacitance compensation control circuit is further configured to adjust the first compensation capacitance based on a piece-wise correction function.

15. An apparatus comprising a first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit, a capacitance compensation control circuit, and a plurality of electronic devices coupled in series between a first connection node and a second connection node, wherein:

the plurality of electronic devices comprises a first electronic device, which has a first nonlinear capacitance and is coupled to the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit;

the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit has a first compensation capacitance and is configured to receive a first compensation control signal;

the capacitance compensation control circuit is configured to adjust the first compensation capacitance using the first compensation control signal to at least partially linearize the first nonlinear capacitance;

each of the plurality of electronic devices has a corresponding one of a plurality of nonlinear capacitances;

the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit is coupled between the first connection node and the second connection node; and

the capacitance compensation control circuit is further configured to adjust the first compensation capacitance to at least partially linearize at least one of the plurality of nonlinear capacitances.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein:

the apparatus further comprises a plurality of nonlinear capacitance compensation circuits coupled in series, such that each of the plurality of electronic devices is coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of nonlinear capacitance compensation circuits;

the plurality of nonlinear capacitance compensation circuits comprises the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit;

each of the plurality of nonlinear capacitance compensation circuits has a corresponding one of a plurality of compensation capacitances; and

the capacitance compensation control circuit is further configured to adjust at least two of the plurality of compensation capacitances to at least partially linearize at least two of the plurality of nonlinear capacitances.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a fine nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit coupled between the first connection node and the second connection node, wherein:

the plurality of compensation capacitances are coarse compensation capacitances;

the fine nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit has a fine compensation capacitance; and

the capacitance compensation control circuit is further configured to adjust the fine compensation capacitance to further partially linearize at least a portion of the plurality of nonlinear capacitances.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the plurality of electronic devices comprises a plurality of amplifier stages coupled in series between the first connection node and the second connection node.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the plurality of electronic devices comprises a plurality of sub-switches coupled in series between the first connection node and the second connection node.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a first electronic device having a first nonlinear capacitance and coupled to a first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit;

a first replica circuit;

the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit having a first compensation capacitance; and

a bias circuit configured to provide a first bias signal to the first electronic device and further provide the first bias signal to the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit, which is configured to adjust the first compensation capacitance based on the first bias signal and the first replica circuit to at least partially linearize the first nonlinear capacitance.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein:

the first electronic device further has a second nonlinear capacitance and is further coupled to the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit;

the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit further has a second compensation capacitance; and

the bias circuit is further configured to provide a second bias signal to the first electronic device and further provide the second bias signal to the first nonlinear capacitance compensation circuit, which is configured to adjust the second compensation capacitance based on the second bias signal to at least partially linearize the second nonlinear capacitance.