Positive Temperature Coefficient Bias Compensation Circuit
First Claim
1. A radio frequency amplifier including:
- (a) one or more amplifier stages, each having a corresponding bias circuit configured to output a corresponding bias current to the corresponding amplifier stage; and
(b) at least one bias compensation circuit, each bias compensation circuit having an output coupled in parallel with the output of at least one of the bias circuits and including a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) device configured to be coupled to a power supply voltage and being coupled to the output of the bias compensation circuit, the PTC device being positioned at a distance d1 from a specific one of the one or more amplifier stages and outputting a compensation current that is a function of the temperature of the PTC device.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Temperature compensation circuits and methods for adjusting one or more circuit parameters of a power amplifier (PA) to maintain approximately constant Gain versus time during pulsed operation sufficient to substantially offset self-heating of the PA. Some embodiments compensate for PA Gain “droop” due to self-heating using a Sample and Hold (S&H) circuit. Other embodiments include bias compensation circuits that directly regulate a bias signal to an amplifier stage as a function of localized heating of one or more of amplifier stages. Such bias compensation circuits include physical placement of at least one bias compensation circuit element in closer proximity to at least one amplifier stage than other bias compensation circuit elements. One bias compensation circuit embodiment includes a temperature-sensitive current mirror circuit for regulating the bias signal. Another bias compensation circuit embodiment includes a temperature-sensitive element having a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) for regulating the bias signal.
17 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A radio frequency amplifier including:
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(a) one or more amplifier stages, each having a corresponding bias circuit configured to output a corresponding bias current to the corresponding amplifier stage; and (b) at least one bias compensation circuit, each bias compensation circuit having an output coupled in parallel with the output of at least one of the bias circuits and including a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) device configured to be coupled to a power supply voltage and being coupled to the output of the bias compensation circuit, the PTC device being positioned at a distance d1 from a specific one of the one or more amplifier stages and outputting a compensation current that is a function of the temperature of the PTC device. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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2. A radio frequency amplifier including:
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(a) one or more amplifier stages; (b) one or more bias circuits, each coupled to a corresponding one of the one or more amplifier stages and configured to output a corresponding bias current to the corresponding one amplifier stage; and (c) at least one bias compensation circuit, each bias compensation circuit having an output coupled in parallel with the output of at least one of the bias circuits and including a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) device configured to be coupled to a power supply voltage and being coupled to the output of the bias compensation circuit, the PTC device being positioned at a distance d1 from a specific one of the one or more amplifier stages and outputting a compensation current through the resistor that is a function of the temperature of the PTC device; wherein each bias circuit coupled to a specific one of the at least one bias compensation circuits is positioned at a distance of at least d2 from all amplifier stages, and d1<
d2. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14-26. -26. (canceled)
Specification