Power amplifier

• US 9,831,833 B1
• Filed: 01/28/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Xie, Chenggang
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B
• Application Number:
  US15/009,378
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 4551142, 4551143, 4551272, 4551273, 375296, 375297, 330278, 330295, 330296
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0205 in transistor amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3205 in field-effect transistor amplifiers
• 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 2203/21142 Output signals of a plurality of power amplifiers are parallel combined to a common output
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/193 with field-effect devices H03F3/195 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/211 using a combination of several amplifiers H03F3/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 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: H04B 1/10 Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0408 with power amplifiers

Abstract

A power amplifier including a power amplifier stage. The power amplifier stage may be configured to receive a signal, amplify the signal at saturation with substantially zero amplitude-phase (AM-PM) distortion, and output the amplified signal as an output signal. The power amplifier may be a single stage power amplifier or a multi-stage power amplifier.

Claims

1. A power amplifier, comprising:

a power amplifier stage; and

a matching circuit coupled to the power amplifier stage, the matching circuit configured to;

receive a signal;

perform at least one signal matching operation on the signal; and

output the signal to the power amplifier stage;

wherein the power amplifier stage is configured to;

receive the signal from the matching circuit;

amplify the signal at saturation with substantially zero amplitude-phase (AM-PM) distortion; and

output the amplified signal as an output signal;

wherein the power amplifier stage comprises;

a gate bias voltage line comprising a gate bias resistor assembly having a resistance; and

a transistor comprising a gate coupled to and biased by the gate bias voltage line such that the power amplifier stage is configured to amplify the output signal at saturation with substantially zero AM-PM distortion based at least on the resistance of the gate bias resistor assembly.

2. The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier stage is further configured to amplify signals in a linear state with substantially zero AM-PM distortion.

3. The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier is a multi-stage power amplifier, the power amplifier stage being a final power amplifier stage, the power amplifier further comprising a pre-final power amplifier stage configured to amplify an input signal in a linear state with substantially zero AM-PM distortion to output an amplified input signal to be received by the matching circuit as the signal, wherein the matching circuit is coupled between the pre-final power amplifier stage and the final power amplifier stage.

4. The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier is a three-stage power amplifier, the power amplifier stage being a final power amplifier stage, the power amplifier further comprising a first pre-final power amplifier stage and a second pre-final power amplifier stage, the first pre-final power amplifier stage configured to amplify an input signal in a linear state with substantially zero AM-PM distortion to output a first amplified signal to the second pre-final power amplifier stage, the second pre-final power amplifier stage configured to amplify the first amplified signal in a linear state with substantially zero AM-PM distortion to output a second amplified signal to be received by the matching circuit as the signal, wherein the matching circuit is coupled between the second pre-final power amplifier stage and the final power amplifier stage.

5. The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein the transistor is biased by an adjustable gate bias voltage.

6. The power amplifier of claim 5, wherein the adjustable gate bias voltage is applied to the gate bias voltage line.

7. The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein the matching circuit being configured to perform the at least one signal matching operation on the signal includes the matching circuit being configured to perform impedance matching on the signal.

8. The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein the matching circuit comprises one or more transistors and one or more capacitors.

9. An electronically scanned array, comprising:

a plurality of antenna elements; and

a plurality of power amplifiers including a power amplifier, each of the plurality of power amplifiers coupled to one or more of the plurality of antenna elements, the power amplifier comprising;

a power amplifier stage; and

a matching circuit coupled to the power amplifier stage, the matching circuit configured to;

receive a signal;

perform at least one signal matching operation on the signal; and

output the signal to the power amplifier stage;

wherein the power amplifier stage is configured to;

receive the signal;

amplify the signal at saturation with substantially zero amplitude-phase (AM-PM) distortion; and

output the amplified signal as an output signal;

wherein the power amplifier stage comprises;

a gate bias voltage line comprising a gate bias resistor assembly having a resistance; and

a transistor comprising a gate coupled to and biased by the gate bias voltage line such that the power amplifier stage is configured to amplify the signal at saturation with substantially zero AM-PM distortion based at least on the resistance of the gate bias resistor assembly.

10. The electronically scanned array of claim 9, wherein the transistor is biased by an adjustable gate bias voltage applied to the gate bias voltage line.

11. The electronically scanned array of claim 10, further comprising a phase detector configured to detect a phase change of the output signal.

12. The electronically scanned array of claim 11, further comprising a controller device communicatively coupled to the phase detector and configured to adjust the adjustable gate bias voltage applied to the gate bias voltage line based at least on a detected phase change.

13. The electronically scanned array of claim 12, wherein the controller device includes at least one of a radiofrequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a transmit/receive module, a controller, and a processor.

14. The electronically scanned array of claim 12, wherein the controller device is configured to actively adjust the adjustable gate bias voltage applied to the gate bias voltage line such that a more negative gate bias voltage is applied if a positive phase change is detected, a constant gate bias voltage is applied if approximately zero phase change is detected, and a less negative gate bias voltage is applied if a negative phase change is detected.

15. A method of operating a power amplifier, the method comprising:

receiving, by a matching circuit, a signal, wherein the matching circuit is coupled to a power amplifier stage;

perform, by the matching circuit, at least one signal matching operation on the signal;

outputting, by the matching circuit, the signal to the power amplifier stage;

receiving, by the power amplifier stage, the signal;

amplifying, by the power amplifier stage, the signal at saturation with substantially zero amplitude-phase (AM-PM) distortion; and

outputting, by the power amplifier stage, the amplified signal as an output signal,

wherein the power amplifier comprises the matching circuit and the power amplifier stage comprising a gate bias voltage line and a transistor comprising a gate coupled to the gate bias voltage line, the gate bias voltage line comprising a gate bias resistor assembly having a resistance, the method further comprising;

applying a gate bias voltage to the gate bias voltage line subject to the resistance of the gate bias resistor assembly,

wherein amplifying the signal at saturation with substantially zero AM-PM distortion to output the amplified signal is based at least on the resistance of the gate bias resistor assembly.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the gate bias voltage is an adjustable gate bias voltage, the method further comprising:

detecting a phase change of the amplified signal; and

actively adjusting the adjustable gate bias voltage based at least on a detected phase change to reduce the phase change to approximately zero phase change.