Impedance-matched, class F high-frequency amplifier

• US 5,146,178 A
• Filed: 09/13/1991
• Issued: 09/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Nishiki, Sadayuki, Nojima, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullins, James B.
• Application Number:
  US07/759,565
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: 330/192, 330/207 A, 330/251, 330/277, 330/286, 330/306
• US Class Current: 330/251
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/2171 with field-effect devices H03F3/2173 - H03F3/2178 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/2176 Class E amplifiers

Abstract

An impedance matched class-F high frequency amplifier includes an input matching circuit receiving high frequency signals connected to the gate of the FET. The drain of the FET is connected to an output matching circuit which matches the fundamental frequency and the second harmonic frequency, and the output of the output matching circuit is connected to an even harmonic terminating circuit. The stray reactance componance at the output impedance of the FET is offset by the output matching circuit, and therefore the even harmonics terminating circuit can more accurately terminate the second harmonic frequencies.

Claims

1. A high frequency amplifier for amplifying an input high frequency signal which has a fundamental frequency, comprising:

an active device which amplifies in power the fundamental frequency of the input high frequency signal; and

an output circuit which is coupled between an output terminal of the active device and an output transmission line, the output circuit including an output matching circuit which matches an output from said active device with said output transmission line for the fundamental frequency and also for a second harmonic frequency thereof, and an even harmonic terminating circuit, connected to an output side of the output matching circuit, which has a high input impedance at the fundamental frequency and a low input impedance at least at the second harmonic frequency thereof.

2. The high frequency amplifier as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a reactance circuit provided between the even harmonic terminating circuit and the output transmission line to have high a input impedance for the second harmonic frequency.

3. The high frequency amplifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the output matching circuit is adapted to have a high input impedance for the third harmonic frequency.

4. The high frequency amplifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the output matching circuit includes means for impedance matching not only the fundamental frequency and the second harmonic frequency but also the third harmonic frequency, the even harmonic terminating circuit has a high input impedance for the third harmonic frequency, and further comprising a reactance circuit inserted between the even harmonic terminating circuit and the output transmission line which has high input impedance for said third harmonic frequency.

5. The high frequency amplifier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the output matching circuit is adapted to have a high input impedance for the third harmonic frequency.

6. The high frequency amplifier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the output matching circuit includes means for impedance matching not only the fundamental frequency and the second harmonic frequency but also the third harmonic frequency, the even harmonic terminating circuit has a high input impedance for the third harmonic frequency, and further comprising a reactance circuit inserted between the even harmonic terminating circuit and the output transmission line which has a high input impedance for said third harmonic frequency.

7. The high frequency amplifier as in claim 1 wherein said active device is a transistor.

8. An impedance matched high frequency amplifier, comprising:

means for receiving an input high frequency signal which has a fundamental frequency and at least one harmonic frequency of the fundamental frequency;

an amplifying structure, receiving said input high frequency signal and producing an amplified output thereof;

a first output matching circuit, having matching components which match an output impedance of said amplifier with an impedance of an output transmission line for at least the fundamental frequency and a second harmonic frequency, said output matching circuit receiving the amplified output of said amplifier as an input, and producing a first matched output; and

a harmonic terminating circuit, connected to said first matched output, which has a high impedance to ground at the fundamental frequency, and a low impedance to ground at the second harmonic frequency, said harmonic terminating circuit operating independent of stray reactance in the amplifier due to said matching by said first output matching circuit, since the output impedance of the amplifier is offset by the first output matching circuit, so that the real reactance to be connected to the amplifier becomes the harmonic terminating circuit.

9. An amplifier circuit as in claim 8 wherein said amplifier is a transistor.

10. An amplifier circuit as in claim 9 further comprising an input matching circuit for impedance matching the input impedance of the transistor to the input signal.

11. An amplifier circuit as in claim 8 further comprising a parallel resonant circuit coupled between said harmonic terminating circuit and said output transmission line, which resonates at the second harmonic frequency to increase impedance viewed from said harmonic terminating circuit towards the output line.

12. An amplifier device as in claim 11 wherein said output matching circuit matches the output of said amplifier to said transmission line also for the third harmonic frequency, in addition to the fundamental and second harmonic frequency.

13. An amplifier device as in claim 11 wherein said output matching circuit includes a third harmonic high impedance circuit which provides a high impedance to the third harmonic frequency.

14. An amplifier device as in claim 13 wherein said output matching circuit comprises a coil having one end connected to an output of said amplifier and another end connected to ground, and said third harmonic high impedance circuit connected between said one end of said coil and said harmonic terminating circuit, said third harmonic high impedance circuit comprising a parallel combination of a coil and a capacitor.

15. An amplified device as in claim 8 further comprising a low pass filter coupled between said harmonic terminating circuit and said output transmission line, said low pass filter passing frequencies close to the fundamental frequency with low loss, but providing a high impedance against said second harmonic frequency.

16. An amplifier device as in claim 15 wherein said output matching circuit matches the output of said amplifier to said transmission line also for the third harmonic frequency in addition to the fundamental and second harmonic frequency.

17. An amplifier device as in claim 16 wherein said low pass filter also has a high impedance at said third harmonic frequency.

18. An amplifier device as in claim 8 wherein said output matching circuit matches the output of said amplifier to said transmission line also for the third harmonic frequency in addition to matching for the fundamental and second harmonic frequencies.

19. An amplifier device as in claim 8 wherein said output matching circuit includes a third harmonic high impedance circuit which provides a high impedance to the third harmonic frequency.

20. An amplifier device as in claim 19 wherein said output matching circuit comprises a coil having one end connected to an output of said amplifier and another end connected to ground, and said third harmonic high impedance circuit connected between said one end of said coil and said harmonic terminating circuit, said third harmonic high impedance circuit comprising a parallel combination of a coil and a capacitor.