Passive voltage-gain network

• US 9,800,282 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2016
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maxim, George, Leipold, Dirk Robert Walter, Granger-Jones, Marcus, Scott, Baker
• Primary Examiner(s): AKINYEMI, AJIBOLA A
• Application Number:
  US15/241,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 455341
• 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 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• 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 3/19 with semiconductor devices only
• 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 7/09 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: H04B 1/1607 Supply circuits converters H02M; filters therefor H02M1/14; voltage stabilisers G05F1/46
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

RF circuitry, which includes a first passive voltage-gain network and a first MOS-based RF receive amplifier, is disclosed. The first passive voltage-gain network provides a first passive RF receive signal using a first RF receive signal, such that an energy of the first passive RF receive signal is obtained entirely from the first RF receive signal by the first passive voltage-gain network. A voltage of the first passive RF receive signal is greater than a voltage of the first RF receive signal. The first MOS-based RF receive amplifier receives and amplifies the first passive RF receive signal to provide a first amplified RF receive signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first passive voltage-gain network configured to provide a first passive RF receive signal using a first RF receive signal, wherein an energy of the first passive RF receive signal is obtained entirely from the first RF receive signal by the first passive voltage-gain network, such that a voltage of the first passive RF receive signal is greater than a voltage of the first RF receive signal;

a first metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS)-based RF receive amplifier configured to receive and amplify the first passive RF receive signal to provide a first amplified RF receive signal; and

antenna-facing RF receive circuitry, wherein the first passive voltage-gain network is coupled between the antenna-facing RF receive circuitry and the first MOS-based RF receive amplifier;

such that the first passive voltage-gain network is configured to present an input impedance to the antenna-facing RF receive circuitry that is less than 200 ohms, and the first passive voltage-gain network is further configured to present an output impedance to the first MOS-based RF receive amplifier that is greater than 1000 ohms.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first passive voltage-gain network is further configured to present a power match to the antenna-facing RF receive circuitry, such that the power match is within 3 decibels of a power loss of the antenna-facing RF receive circuitry.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first passive voltage-gain network is further configured to at least partially decouple a loaded Q at an output from the antenna-facing RF receive circuitry from a loaded Q at an input to the first MOS-based RF receive amplifier.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first MOS-based RF receive amplifier is further configured to provide a current gain without a voltage gain.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first MOS-based RF receive amplifier is further configured to provide a current gain and a first voltage gain, and the first passive voltage-gain network is further configured to provide a second voltage gain, which is greater than the first voltage gain.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a first passive voltage-gain network configured to provide a first passive RF receive signal using a first RF receive signal, wherein an energy of the first passive RF receive signal is obtained entirely from the first RF receive signal by the first passive voltage-gain network, such that a voltage of the first passive RF receive signal is greater than a voltage of the first RF receive signal; and

a first metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS)-based RF receive amplifier configured to receive and amplify the first passive RF receive signal to provide a first amplified RF receive signal, wherein the first passive voltage-gain network comprises a first resonator, a second resonator, and a first coupling circuit, such that;

the first coupling circuit is coupled between the first resonator and the second resonator;

an Internal RF receive filter comprises the first resonator, the second resonator, and the first coupling circuit; and

the Internal RF receive filter is configured to receive and filter the first RF receive signal via the first resonator to provide the first passive RF receive signal via the second resonator.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first passive voltage-gain network further comprises a third resonator and a second coupling circuit, such that:

the first coupling circuit is further coupled between the first resonator and the third resonator;

the second coupling circuit is coupled between the third resonator and the second resonator; and

the Internal RF receive filter further comprises the third resonator and the second coupling circuit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first resonator and the third resonator are a pair of weakly coupled resonators configured to have a magnetic coupling coefficient that is less than or equal to 0.3.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first passive voltage-gain network further comprises a third coupling circuit coupled between the first resonator and the second resonator, such that an RF notch filter comprises the first resonator, the second resonator, and the third coupling circuit.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the Internal RF receive filter is an RF bandpass filter.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first passive RF receive signal is a differential RF signal.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a first passive voltage-gain network configured to provide a first passive RF receive signal using a first RF receive signal, wherein an energy of the first passive RF receive signal is obtained entirely from the first RF receive signal by the first passive voltage-gain network, such that a voltage of the first passive RF receive signal is greater than a voltage of the first RF receive signal;

a first metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS)-based RF receive amplifier configured to receive and amplify the first passive RF receive signal to provide a first amplified RF receive signal;

antenna-facing RF receive circuitry comprising a plurality of RF de-multiplexing receive switches;

a plurality of MOS-based RF receive amplifiers comprising the first MOS-based RF receive amplifier; and

a plurality of passive voltage-gain networks comprising the first passive voltage-gain network, wherein each of the plurality of passive voltage-gain networks is coupled between a corresponding one of the plurality of RF de-multiplexing receive switches and a corresponding one of the plurality of MOS-based RF receive amplifiers.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein:

the plurality of MOS-based RF receive amplifiers has a corresponding plurality of amplifier outputs, which are coupled to one another; and

a selected one of the plurality of MOS-based RF receive amplifiers is configured to be active and a balance of the plurality of MOS-based RF receive amplifiers is configured to be inactive, such that the plurality of MOS-based RF receive amplifiers is configured to provide multiplexing of the plurality of amplifier outputs.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the antenna-facing RF receive circuitry further comprises a plurality of RF receive filters, such that each of the plurality of RF receive filters is coupled between a corresponding one of the plurality of RF de-multiplexing receive switches and a corresponding one of the plurality of passive voltage-gain networks.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein each of the plurality of passive voltage-gain networks comprises a corresponding one of a plurality of Internal RF receive filters.

16. A multi-layer structure comprising an auto-transformer having a first common section connection node, a second common section connection node, an alpha connection node, and a beta connection node;

wherein the auto-transformer comprises;

a common section comprising a first common section segment stack, a second common section segment stack, a third common section segment stack, and a fourth common section segment stack electrically coupled in series between the first common section connection node and the second common section connection node;

an alpha end section comprising a first alpha section segment stack and a second alpha section segment stack electrically coupled in series between the alpha connection node and the first common section connection node; and

a beta end section comprising a first beta section segment stack and a second beta section segment stack electrically coupled in series between the beta connection node and the second common section connection node, wherein the alpha end section is magnetically coupled to the common section and the beta end section is magnetically coupled to the common section.

17. The multi-layer structure of claim 16 further comprising a first insulating layer and a first conducting layer on the first insulating layer, wherein the first conducting layer comprises:

a first common section segment;

a second common section segment, which is perpendicular to the first common section segment within 10 degrees;

a third common section segment, which is parallel to the first common section segment within 10 degrees;

a fourth common section segment, which is perpendicular to the first common section segment within 10 degrees;

a first alpha section segment, which is parallel to the first common section segment within 10 degrees and is between the first common section segment and the third common section segment;

a second alpha section segment, which is parallel to the second common section segment within 10 degrees and is between the second common section segment and the fourth common section segment;

a first beta section segment, which is parallel to the third common section segment within 10 degrees and is between the third common section segment and the first alpha section segment; and

a second beta section segment, which is parallel to the fourth common section segment within 10 degrees and is between the fourth common section segment and the second alpha section segment, wherein a plurality of common section segments comprises the first common section segment, the second common section segment, the third common section segment, and the fourth common section segment;

a plurality of alpha section segments comprises the first alpha section segment and the second alpha section segment; and

a plurality of beta section segments comprises the first beta section segment and the second beta section segment.

18. The multi-layer structure of claim 17 further comprising an N^TH insulating layer over the first conducting layer, an N^TH conducting layer on the N^TH insulating layer, and a plurality of inter-conducting layer electrical interconnects coupled between the first conducting layer and the N^TH conducting layer;

wherein the N^TH conducting layer comprises;

a fifth common section segment;

a sixth common section segment, which is perpendicular to the fifth common section segment within 10 degrees;

a seventh common section segment, which is parallel to the fifth common section segment within 10 degrees; and

an eighth common section segment, which is perpendicular to the fifth common section segment within 10 degrees, wherein the plurality of common section segments further comprises the fifth common section segment, the sixth common section segment, the seventh common section segment, and the eighth common section segment.

19. The multi-layer structure of claim 17 wherein the first insulating layer has a first edge, such that a first angle between the first edge and the first common section segment is between 35 degrees and 55 degrees.