SEMICONDUCTOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, RF MODULE USING THE SAME, AND RADIO COMMUNICATION TERMINAL DEVICE USING THE SAME

• US 20100069020A1
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Technology Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Takatani, Shinichiro, Ogawa, Takashi, Shigeno, Yasushi, Nakajima, Akishige, Koya, Shigeki
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/78
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/687 the devices being field-effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/006 using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver

Abstract

One high-frequency switch Qm supplied with transmit and receive signals to ON, and another high-frequency switch Qn supplied with a signal of another system to OFF are controlled. In the other high-frequency switch Qn, to set V-I characteristics of near-I/O gate resistances Rg1n-Rg3n of a near-I/O FET Qn1 near to a common input/output terminal I/O connected with an antenna are set to be higher in linearity than V-I characteristics of middle-portion gate resistances Rg3n and Rg4n of middle-portion FETs Qn3 and Qn4. Thus, even in case that an uneven RF leak signal is supplied to near-I/O gate resistances Rg1n-Rg3n, and middle-portion gate resistances Rg3n and Rg4n, the distortion of current flowing through the near-I/O gate resistances Rg1n-Rg3n near to the input/output terminal I/O can be reduced.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A semiconductor IC comprising:

a DC boost circuit,

wherein the DC boost circuit includes a high-frequency input terminal, a DC control input terminal and a DC output terminal,

wherein a high-frequency input signal is supplied to the high-frequency input terminal, a DC control voltage is supplied to the DC control input terminal, and a DC output voltage arises from the DC output terminal,

wherein, in the DC boost circuit, the high-frequency input terminal is connected with one terminal of a series of a first capacitance element and a first resistance element connected in series,

wherein first and second diodes are connected in parallel in opposite directions with a second capacitance element therebetween,

wherein a common connecting point of the first and second diodes is connected with the other terminal of the series of the first capacitance and resistance elements,

wherein a common connecting point of the first diode and one terminal of second capacitance element is connected with the DC control input terminal,

wherein a common connecting point of the second diode and the other terminal of the second capacitance element is connected with the DC output terminal through the second resistance element, and

wherein the first resistance element is set larger in resistance value than a first series resistance of the first diode and a second series resistance of the second diode in the first and second diodes connected in parallel in opposite directions with the second capacitance element therebetween.

24. The semiconductor IC according to claim 23, further comprising:

a high-frequency switch connected between a signal input terminal and a signal output terminal,

wherein a high-frequency input signal is supplied to the signal input terminal of the high-frequency switch, and

wherein the DC output voltage arising from the DC output terminal of the DC boost circuit is supplied to a control input terminal of the high-frequency switch.

25. The semiconductor IC according to claim 24,

wherein the high-frequency switch includes a field effect transistor, and

wherein the DC output voltage of High level is supplied to a gate of the field effect transistor serving as the control input terminal of the high-frequency switch, whereby the field effect transistor is brought into conduction, and the high-frequency input signal supplied to the signal input terminal of the high-frequency switch is passed to the signal output terminal.

26. The semiconductor IC according to claim 25,

wherein the field effect transistor serving as the high-frequency switch consists of a plurality of field effect transistors with drain-source paths thereof connected in series between the signal input terminal and signal output terminal of the high-frequency switch.

27. The semiconductor IC according to claim 26,

wherein the field effect transistor serving as the high-frequency switch is composed of a heterojunction HEMT formed in a compound semiconductor chip.

36. A high-frequency module comprising:

a power amplifier operable to amplify a high-frequency transmit signal produced by a high-frequency analog signal processing semiconductor IC and then supply the signal to an antenna; and

an antenna switch semiconductor IC for supplying a high-frequency receive signal received through the antenna to a high-frequency analog signal processing semiconductor IC, and supplying an output signal of the power amplifier to the antenna,

wherein the semiconductor IC according to claim 23 is used as the antenna switch semiconductor IC.

28. A semiconductor IC comprising:

a DC boost circuit,

wherein the DC boost circuit includes a high-frequency input terminal, a DC control input terminal and a DC output terminal,

wherein a high-frequency input signal is supplied to the high-frequency input terminal of the DC boost circuit, and a DC control voltage is supplied to the DC control input terminal, whereby a DC output voltage arises from the DC output terminal,

wherein the DC boost circuit includes a first capacitance element, a second capacitance element, a first diode, a second diode, a first resistance element and a second resistance element,

wherein the high-frequency input terminal is connected with one terminal of a series of the first capacitance and resistance elements connected in series,

wherein the other terminal of the series of the first capacitance and resistance elements is connected with a cathode of the first diode and an anode of the second diode,

wherein an anode of the first diode and one terminal of the second capacitance element are connected with the DC control input terminal,

wherein a cathode of the second diode and the other terminal of the second capacitance element are connected with one terminal of the second resistance element,

wherein the other terminal of the second resistance element is connected with the DC output terminal, and

wherein the first resistance element is set larger in resistance value than a first series resistance of the first diode and a second series resistance of the second diode in a closed loop including the first and second diodes and second capacitance element.

29. The semiconductor IC according to claim 28, further comprising:

a high-frequency switch connected between a signal input terminal and a signal output terminal,

wherein a high-frequency input signal is supplied to the signal input terminal of the high-frequency switch, and the DC output voltage arising from the DC output terminal of the DC boost circuit is supplied to a control input terminal of the high-frequency switch.

30. The semiconductor IC according to claim 29,

wherein the high-frequency switch includes a field effect transistor, and

wherein the DC output voltage of High level is supplied to a gate of the field effect transistor serving as the control input terminal of the high-frequency switch, whereby the field effect transistor is brought into conduction, and the high-frequency input signal supplied to the signal input terminal of the high-frequency switch is passed to the signal output terminal.

31. The semiconductor IC according to claim 30,

wherein the field effect transistor serving as the high-frequency switch consists of a plurality of field effect transistors with drain-source paths thereof connected in series between the signal input terminal and signal output terminal of the high-frequency switch.

32. The semiconductor IC according to claim 31,

wherein the field effect transistor serving as the high-frequency switch is composed of a heterojunction HEMT formed in a compound semiconductor chip.

37. A high-frequency module comprising:

a power amplifier operable to amplify a high-frequency transmit signal produced by a high-frequency analog signal processing semiconductor IC and then supply the signal to an antenna; and

an antenna switch semiconductor IC for supplying a high-frequency receive signal received through the antenna to a high-frequency analog signal processing semiconductor IC, and supplying an output signal of the power amplifier to the antenna,

wherein the semiconductor IC according to claim 28 is used as the antenna switch semiconductor IC.

33. A semiconductor IC, comprising:

an input/output terminal connectable to a transmit/receive antenna;

at least one receive signal output terminal; and

at least one transmit signal input terminal,

wherein a high-frequency switch for reception is connected between the input/output terminal and the receive signal output terminal,

wherein a transmit high-frequency switch is connected between the input/output terminal and the transmit signal input terminal,

wherein a receive control voltage is supplied to a receive control input terminal of the high-frequency switch for reception,

wherein the high-frequency switch for reception includes a field effect transistor for reception,

wherein the high-frequency switch for reception includes a field effect transistor for reception,

wherein the receive control voltage of High level is supplied to a gate of the field effect transistor for reception serving as the control input terminal for reception of the high-frequency switch for reception, whereby the field effect transistor for reception is brought into conduction, and a receive high-frequency input signal supplied to the input/output terminal from the transmit/receive antenna is passed to the receive signal output terminal,

wherein the high-frequency switch for transmission includes a field effect transistor for transmission and a DC boost circuit,

wherein the DC boost circuit includes a high-frequency input terminal, a DC control input terminal and a DC output terminal,

wherein a transmit high-frequency output signal is supplied to the high-frequency input terminal of the DC boost circuit, and a DC control voltage is supplied to the DC control input terminal, whereby a DC output voltage arises from the DC output terminal,

wherein the transmit high-frequency output signal is supplied to a signal input terminal for transmission of the high-frequency switch for transmission,

wherein a signal output terminal for transmission of the high-frequency switch for transmission is connected with the input/output terminal,

wherein the DC output voltage of High level from the DC output terminal of the DC boost circuit is supplied to a gate of the field effect transistor for transmission serving as a control input terminal for transmission of the high-frequency switch for transmission, whereby the field effect transistor for transmission is thereby brought into conduction, and the transmit high-frequency output signal supplied to the signal input terminal for transmission of the high-frequency switch for transmission is passed to the input/output terminal,

wherein the DC boost circuit includes a first capacitance element, a second capacitance element, a first diode, a second diode, a first resistance element and a second resistance element,

wherein the high-frequency input terminal is connected with one terminal of a series of the first capacitance and resistance elements connected in series,

wherein the other terminal of the series of the first capacitance and resistance elements is connected with a cathode of the first diode and an anode of the second diode,

wherein an anode of the first diode, and one terminal of the second capacitance element are connected with the DC control input terminal, and a cathode of the second diode and the other terminal of the second capacitance element are connected with one terminal of the second resistance element,

wherein the other terminal of the second resistance element is connected with the DC output terminal, and

wherein the first resistance element is set larger in resistance value than a first series resistance of the first diode and a second series resistance of the second diode in a closed loop including the first and second diodes and second capacitance element.

34. The semiconductor IC according to claim 33,

wherein each of the field effect transistors serving as high-frequency switches of the high-frequency switch for reception and the high-frequency switch for transmission consists of a plurality of field effect transistors with drain-source paths thereof connected in series.

35. The semiconductor IC according to claim 34,

wherein the field effect transistor serving as the high-frequency switch is composed of a heterojunction HEMT formed in a compound semiconductor chip.

38. A high-frequency module comprising:

a power amplifier operable to amplify a high-frequency transmit signal produced by a high-frequency analog signal processing semiconductor IC and then supply the signal to an antenna; and

an antenna switch semiconductor IC for supplying a high-frequency receive signal received through the antenna to a high-frequency analog signal processing semiconductor IC, and supplying an output signal of the power amplifier to the antenna,

wherein the semiconductor IC according to claim 33 is used as the antenna switch semiconductor IC.