Quadrature power amplifier architecture

• US 8,538,355 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2011
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stockert, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HANNON, CHRISTIAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/090,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20120098595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 455/127.1, 455/129, 455/127.2, 455/127.3, 455/127.4, 455/127.5, 455/253.2, 330/282, 330/105
• US Class Current: 455/127.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0227 using supply converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0261 with control of the polarisation voltage or current, e.g. gliding Class A
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0277 Selecting one or more amplifiers from a plurality of amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/171 A filter circuit coupled to the output of an amplifier
• 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 2200/27 A biasing circuit node being switched in an amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/318 A matching circuit being used as coupling element between two amplifying stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/336 A I/Q, i.e. phase quadrature, modulator or demodulator being used in an amplifying circuit
• 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 2200/411 the output amplifying stage of an amplifier comprising two power stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/414 A switch being coupled in the output circuit of an amplifier to switch the output on/off
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/417 A switch coupled in the output circuit of an amplifier being controlled by a circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/504 the supply voltage or current being continuously controlled by a controlling signal, e.g. the controlling signal of a transistor implemented as variable resistor in a supply path for, an IC-block showed amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/534 Transformer coupled at the input of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/537 A transformer being used as coupling element between two amplifying stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/541 Transformer coupled at the output of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21106 An input signal being distributed in parallel over the inputs of a plurality of power amplifiers
• 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 2203/21157 A filter circuit being added at the output of a power amplifier stage
• 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 3/72 : Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a quadrature RF power amplifier (PA) architecture that uses a single-ended interface to couple a non-quadrature PA path to a quadrature PA path, which may be coupled to an antenna via an antenna port. The quadrature nature of the quadrature PA path provides tolerance for changes in antenna loading conditions. An RF splitter in the quadrature PA path presents a relatively stable input impedance, which is predominantly resistive, to the non-quadrature PA path over a wide frequency range, thereby substantially isolating the non-quadrature PA path from changes in the antenna loading conditions. Further, the input impedance substantially establishes a load line slope of a feeder PA stage in the non-quadrature PA path, thereby simplifying the quadrature RF PA architecture. One embodiment of the quadrature RF PA architecture uses two separate PA paths, either of which may incorporate a combined non-quadrature and quadrature PA architecture.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising:

a first radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) comprising;

a first non-quadrature PA path having a first single-ended output; and

a first quadrature PA path coupled between the first non-quadrature PA path and an antenna port, such that the first quadrature PA path has a first single-ended input, which is coupled to the first single-ended output; and

a second RF PA comprising a second quadrature PA path coupled to the antenna port,

wherein the antenna port is configured to be coupled to an antenna.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the first quadrature PA path has only one in-phase PA stage and only one quadrature-phase PA stage.

3. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the first single-ended output is directly coupled to the first single-ended input.

4. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising:

alpha switching circuitry and front-end aggregation circuitry, such that the first quadrature PA path is coupled to the antenna port via the alpha switching circuitry and the front-end aggregation circuitry; and

beta switching circuitry, such that the second quadrature PA path is coupled to the antenna port via the beta switching circuitry and the front-end aggregation circuitry.

5. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the first quadrature PA path comprises:

a first quadrature RF splitter, which has the first single-ended input, a first in-phase output, and a first quadrature-phase output;

a first quadrature RF combiner, which has a first in-phase input, a first quadrature-phase input, and a first quadrature combiner output, which is coupled to the antenna port;

a first in-phase amplification path coupled between the first in-phase output and the first in-phase input; and

a first quadrature-phase amplification path coupled between the first quadrature-phase output and the first quadrature-phase input.

6. The circuitry of claim 5 wherein the first quadrature RF splitter is a quadrature hybrid coupler having a pair of tightly coupled inductors, such that one of the pair of tightly coupled inductors is coupled between the first single-ended input and the first in-phase output, and another of the pair of tightly coupled inductors is coupled to the first quadrature-phase output.

7. The circuitry of claim 6 wherein:

the pair of tightly coupled inductors has parasitic capacitance between the pair of tightly coupled inductors; and

the first quadrature RF splitter has a first input impedance presented at the first single-ended input, such that the first input impedance is based on the parasitic capacitance and inductances of the pair of tightly coupled inductors.

8. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein the quadrature hybrid coupler further comprises at least one coupler capacitive element coupled between the pair of tightly coupled inductors, such that the first input impedance is further based on the at least one coupler capacitive element.

9. The circuitry of claim 6 further comprising a plurality of metallization layers, such that each of the pair of tightly coupled inductors is constructed using at least one of the plurality of metallization layers.

10. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising a first non-quadrature path power coupler coupled to the first single-ended output.

11. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising control circuitry adapted to select one of a plurality of communications modes comprising a first PA operating mode and a second PA operating mode, such that:

during the first PA operating mode, the first RF PA is adapted to receive and amplify a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal, and the second RF PA is disabled; and

during the second PA operating mode, the second RF PA is adapted to receive and amplify a second RF input signal to provide a second RF output signal, and the first RF PA is disabled.

12. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein the first RF input signal is a highband RF input signal and the second RF input signal is a lowband RF input signal.

13. The circuitry of claim 12 wherein a difference between a frequency of the highband RF input signal and a frequency of the lowband RF input signal is greater than 500 megahertz, such that the frequency of the highband RF input signal is greater than the frequency of the lowband RF input signal.

14. The circuitry of claim 12 wherein a ratio of a frequency of the highband RF input signal divided by a frequency of the lowband RF input signal is greater than 1.5.

15. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein the second RF PA further comprises a second non-quadrature PA path having a second single-ended output, such that:

the second quadrature PA path is coupled between the second non-quadrature PA path and the antenna port;

the second quadrature PA path has a second single-ended input, which is coupled to the second single-ended output;

during the first PA operating mode, the first non-quadrature PA path is adapted to receive and amplify the first RF input signal to provide a first RF feeder output signal via the first single-ended output;

during the first PA operating mode, the first quadrature PA path is adapted to receive and amplify the first RF feeder output signal to provide the first RF output signal;

during the second PA operating mode, the second non-quadrature PA path is adapted to receive and amplify the second RF input signal to provide a second RF feeder output signal via the second single-ended output; and

during the second PA operating mode, the second quadrature PA path is adapted to receive and amplify the second RF feeder output signal to provide the second RF output signal.

16. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein:

during the first PA operating mode, the first non-quadrature PA path is adapted to receive and amplify the first RF input signal to provide a first RF feeder output signal;

during the first PA operating mode, the first quadrature PA path is adapted to receive and amplify the first RF feeder output signal to provide the first RF output signal; and

during the second PA operating mode, the second quadrature PA path is adapted to receive and amplify the second RF input signal to provide the second RF output signal.

17. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein:

the first non-quadrature PA path comprises a first feeder PA stage, which has the first single-ended output;

during the first PA operating mode, the first feeder PA stage is adapted to receive and amplify a first RF feeder input signal to provide a first RF feeder output signal via the first single-ended output, such that the first feeder PA stage has a first output load line having a first load line slope;

the first quadrature PA path comprises a first quadrature RF splitter, which has the first single-ended input;

during the first PA operating mode, the first quadrature RF splitter is adapted to;

receive the first RF feeder output signal via the first single-ended input; and

split and phase-shift the first RF feeder output signal into a first in-phase RF input signal and a first quadrature-phase RF input signal, such that the first quadrature RF splitter has a first input impedance presented at the first single-ended input and the first input impedance substantially establishes the first load line slope,

wherein the first quadrature-phase RF input signal is nominally phase-shifted from the first in-phase RF input signal by about 90 degrees.

18. Circuitry having RF power amplifier (PA) circuitry comprising:

a feeder PA stage having a single-ended output and adapted to receive and amplify an RF feeder input signal to provide an RF feeder output signal via the single-ended output, such that the feeder PA stage has an output load line having a load line slope; and

a quadrature RF splitter having a single-ended input coupled to the single-ended output, such that the quadrature RF splitter is adapted to;

receive the RF feeder output signal via the single-ended input, such that the quadrature RF splitter has an input impedance presented at the single-ended input; and

split and phase-shift the RF feeder output signal into an in-phase RF input signal and a quadrature-phase RF input signal, such that the input impedance substantially establishes the load line slope,

wherein the quadrature-phase RF input signal is nominally phase-shifted from the in-phase RF input signal by about 90 degrees.

19. The circuitry of claim 18 further comprising:

an in-phase amplification path adapted to receive and amplify the in-phase RF input signal to provide an in-phase RF output signal;

a quadrature-phase amplification path adapted to receive and amplify the quadrature-phase RF input signal to provide a quadrature-phase RF output signal; and

a quadrature RF combiner adapted to receive, phase-shift, and combine the in-phase RF output signal and the quadrature-phase RF output signal to provide an RF output signal.

20. The circuitry of claim 18 wherein the input impedance has resistance and reactance, such that the reactance is less than the resistance.

21. The circuitry of claim 18 wherein the input impedance has resistance and reactance, such that the resistance is greater than two times the reactance.

22. The circuitry of claim 18 wherein the single-ended input is directly coupled to the single-ended output.

23. The circuitry of claim 21 wherein the feeder PA stage comprises an output transistor element having an inverting output, which is directly coupled to the single-ended input, wherein the inverting output provides the single-ended output and the output transistor element has the output load line.

24. The circuitry of claim 23 wherein the inverting output is a collector of the output transistor element.

25. A method comprising:

determining an operating power range of a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA), which has a feeder PA stage feeding a quadrature RF splitter;

determining a target load line slope for the feeder PA stage based on the operating power range; and

determining an input impedance to the quadrature RF splitter that substantially provides the target load line slope.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising determining an operating frequency range of the RF PA, such that the target load line slope is further based on the operating frequency range.