Multi-band/multi-mode power amplifier with signal path hardware sharing

• US 9,871,490 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TriQuint International Pte. Ltd. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo International Pte. Ltd. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Scott, Baker, Maxim, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khanh V
• Application Number:
  US15/130,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20160233835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 330126, 330147, 330148, 330295, 330124 R
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0288 using a main and one or several auxiliary peaking amplifiers whereby the load is connected to the main amplifier using an impedance inverter, e.g. Doherty amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/07 Doherty-type amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/26 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce influence of noise generated by amplifying elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/301 in MOSFET amplifiers H03F1/303, H03F1/305, H03F1/308 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• 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 2200/222 A circuit being added at the input of an amplifier to adapt the input impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/387 A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/405 the output amplifying stage of an amplifier comprising more than three power stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/429 Two or more amplifiers or one amplifier with filters for different frequency bands are coupled in parallel at the input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21131 the input bias voltage of a power amplifier being controlled, e.g. by a potentiometer or an emitter follower
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21139 An impedance adaptation circuit being added at the output of a power amplifier stage
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7209 the gated amplifier being switched from a first band to a second band
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7215 the gated amplifier being switched on or off by a switch at the input of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7221 the gated amplifier being switched on or off by a switch at the output of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7236 the gated amplifier being switched on or off by putting into parallel or not, by choosing between amplifiers by (a ) switch(es)
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 in integrated circuits
• 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 3/602 : Combinations of several amplifiers
• 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

Abstract

Existing multi-band/multi-mode (MB/MM) power amplifiers (PAs) use separate signal paths for the different covered frequency bands. This results in a large degree of hardware duplication and to a large die size and cost. Solutions that achieve hardware sharing between the different signal paths of MB/MM PAs are shown. Such sharing includes bias circuit and bypass capacitors sharing, as well as sharing front-end stages and the output stage of the PA. Signal multiplexing may be realized in the transmitter or at the PA front-end while the signal de-multiplexing can be realized either in the PA output stage or at the front-end of the output stage. Such circuits can be applied with saturated and linear MB/MM PAs with adjacent or non-adjacent bands.

Claims

1. A power amplifier (PA) comprising:

a first signal path for signals in a first frequency band, the first signal path comprising a plurality of amplification stages;

a second signal path for signals in a second frequency band, the second signal path comprising a second plurality of amplification stages;

a bias circuit comprising an output coupled to one of the first plurality of amplification stages and a corresponding one of the second plurality of amplification stages and configured to provide a bias signal to the one of the first plurality of amplification stages and the corresponding one of the second plurality of amplification stages such that the bias circuit is shared between the first signal path and the second signal path; and

a bypass capacitor coupled between the output of the bias circuit and ground such that the bypass capacitor is shared between the first signal path and the second signal path.

2. The PA of claim 1, further comprising:

a band control circuit for controlling which of the first signal path or the second signal path is operative by causing a switch at an input of one of the first plurality of amplification stages and the second plurality of amplification stages to short to ground.

3. The PA of claim 1 wherein the PA is operable in at least one of multi-band and multi-mode.

4. A power amplifier (PA) comprising:

a first signal path for signals in a first frequency band, the first signal path comprising a first amplification stage and a second amplification stage;

a second signal path for signals in a second frequency band, the second signal path comprising a first amplification stage and a second amplification stage;

a first bias circuit comprising an output coupled to the first amplification stage of the first signal path and the first amplification stage of the second signal path and configured to provide a first bias signal to the first amplification stage of the first signal path and the first amplification stage of the second signal path such that the first bias circuit is shared between the first signal path and the second signal path;

a second bias circuit comprising an output coupled to the second amplification stage of the first signal path and the second amplification stage of the second signal path and configured to provide a second bias signal to the second amplification stage of the first signal path and the second amplification stage of the second signal path such that the second bias circuit is shared between the first signal path and the second signal path;

a first bypass capacitor coupled between the output of the first bias circuit and ground such that the first bypass capacitor is shared between the first signal path and the second signal path; and

a second bypass capacitor coupled between the output of the second bias circuit and ground such that the second bypass capacitor is shared between the first signal path and the second signal path.

5. The PA of claim 4 wherein the PA is operable in one of multi-band and multi-mode.