Selecting PA bias levels of RF PA circuitry during a multislot burst

• US 8,913,971 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Arkiszewski, Roman Zbigniew, Baxter, Brian, Williams, Stuart, Honjo, Hirofumi, Southcombe, William David, Jones, David E., Levesque, Chris, Yoder, Scott, Stockert, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US13/304,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 455/127.1, 455/127.5, 455/232.1, 455/234.1, 455/341, 455/343.1
• 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

Power amplifier (PA) control circuitry and PA bias circuitry are disclosed. During one slot of a multislot transmit burst from radio frequency (RF) PA circuitry, the PA control circuitry selects one PA bias level of the RF PA circuitry and the RF PA circuitry has one output power level. The RF PA circuitry has a next output power level during an adjacent next slot of the multislot transmit burst. If the one output power level exceeds the next output power level by more than a power drop limit, then the PA control circuitry maintains the one PA bias level during the adjacent next slot. If the one output power level significantly exceeds the next output power level, but by less than the power drop limit, then the PA control circuitry selects a next PA bias level, which is less than the one PA bias level, during the adjacent next slot.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising:

power amplifier (PA) control circuitry adapted to;

select one PA bias level of radio frequency (RF) PA circuitry during one slot of a multislot transmit burst from the RF PA circuitry, such that the RF PA circuitry has one output power level during the one slot and has a next output power level during an adjacent next slot of the multislot transmit burst;

if the one output power level exceeds the next output power level by more than a power drop limit, then maintain the one PA bias level during the adjacent next slot; and

if the one output power level significantly exceeds the next output power level, but by less than the power drop limit, then select a next PA bias level, which is less than the one PA bias level, during the adjacent next slot; and

PA bias circuitry adapted to provide the one PA bias level and the next PA bias level.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the PA control circuitry is further adapted to provide a bias configuration control signal to the PA bias circuitry, such that the one PA bias level and the next PA bias level are based on the bias configuration control signal.

3. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising the RF PA circuitry, which comprises the PA bias circuitry and the PA control circuitry.

4. The circuitry of claim 3 wherein the RF PA circuitry further comprises a first RF PA adapted to receive and amplify a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal.

5. The circuitry of claim 4 wherein the first RF PA is further adapted to provide the multislot transmit burst.

6. The circuitry of claim 4 wherein the RF PA circuitry further comprises a second RF PA adapted to receive and amplify a second RF input signal to provide a second RF output signal.

7. The circuitry of claim 6 wherein the first RF PA is further adapted to provide the multislot transmit burst.

8. The circuitry of claim 6 wherein the second RF PA is further adapted to provide the multislot transmit burst.

9. The circuitry of claim 3 wherein the RF PA circuitry further comprises:

a first RF 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.

10. The circuitry of claim 3 wherein the RF PA circuitry further comprises:

a first multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA coupled to multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry via a single alpha PA output; and

the multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry having;

a first alpha non-linear mode output associated with a first non-linear mode RF communications band; and

a plurality of alpha linear mode outputs, such that each of the plurality of alpha linear mode outputs is associated with a corresponding one of a first plurality of linear mode RF communications bands.

11. The circuitry of claim 3 wherein the RF PA circuitry further comprises:

a first RF PA comprising a first final stage having a first final bias input, such that bias of the first final stage is via the first final bias input;

a PA-digital communications interface (DCI) coupled between a digital communications bus and the PA control circuitry; and

a final stage current digital-to-analog converter (IDAC) coupled between the PA control circuitry and the first final bias input.

12. The circuitry of claim 3 further comprising a direct current (DC)-DC converter adapted to receive a DC power supply signal from a DC power supply and provide a bias power supply signal based on the DC power supply signal, such that a voltage of the bias power supply signal is greater than a voltage of the DC power supply signal, wherein the RF PA circuitry further comprises a first RF PA having a first final stage and adapted to:

receive and amplify a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal; and

receive a first final bias signal to bias the first final stage,

wherein the PA bias circuitry is further adapted to receive the bias power supply signal and provide the first final bias signal based on the bias power supply signal.

13. The circuitry of claim 3 further comprising a direct current (DC)-DC converter comprising:

a power amplifier (PA) envelope power supply comprising a charge pump buck converter coupled to the RF PA circuitry; and

a PA bias power supply comprising a charge pump coupled to the RF PA circuitry.

14. The circuitry of claim 3 wherein the RF PA circuitry further comprises:

multi-mode multi-band RF power amplification circuitry having at least a first RF input and a plurality of RF outputs, such that;

configuration of the multi-mode multi-band RF power amplification circuitry associates one of the at least the first RF input with one of the plurality of RF outputs; and

the configuration is associated with at least a first look-up table (LUT), such that the PA control circuitry is coupled between the multi-mode multi-band RF power amplification circuitry and a PA-digital communications interface (DCI), such that the PA control circuitry has at least the first LUT, which is associated with at least a first defined parameter set; and

the PA-DCI, which is coupled to a digital communications bus.

15. A method comprising:

providing power amplifier (PA) control circuitry and PA bias circuitry;

selecting one PA bias level of radio frequency (RF) PA circuitry during one slot of a multislot transmit burst from the RF PA circuitry, such that the RF PA circuitry has one output power level during the one slot and has a next output power level during an adjacent next slot of the multislot transmit burst;

if the one output power level exceeds the next output power level by more than a power drop limit, then maintaining the one PA bias level during the adjacent next slot;

if the one output power level significantly exceeds the next output power level, but by less than the power drop limit, then selecting a next PA bias level, which is less than the one PA bias level, during the adjacent next slot; and

providing the one PA bias level and the next PA bias level.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising providing a bias configuration control signal to the PA bias circuitry, such that the one PA bias level and the next PA bias level are based on the bias configuration control signal.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising providing the RF PA circuitry, which comprises the PA bias circuitry and the PA control circuitry.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

providing a first RF PA; and

receiving and amplifying a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing the multislot transmit burst using the first RF PA.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

providing a second RF PA; and

receiving and amplifying a second RF input signal to provide a second RF output signal.