Harmonic cancellation circuit for an RF switch branch

• US 9,240,770 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kerr, Daniel Charles, Bolton, Eric K., Phelps, Robert Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Lam, Tuan T
• Application Number:
  US14/212,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/15 by semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/1213 using transistor amplifiers H03H11/1204 takes precedence; parallel-T filters H03H11/1295
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/102 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/687 the devices being field-effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/693 Switching arrangements with several input- or output-terminals, e.g. multiplexers, distributors logic circuits H03K19/00; code converters H03M5/00, H03M7/00

Abstract

Disclosed is a harmonic cancellation circuit for an RF switch branch having a first transistor with a first gate terminal and a first body terminal, a second transistor having a second gate terminal coupled to the first body terminal, and having a second body terminal coupled to the first gate terminal. Also included is a first resistor coupled between a first coupling node and the second body terminal, and a second resistor coupled between a second coupling node and the first body terminal, wherein the first transistor and second transistor are adapted to generate an inverse phase third harmonic signal relative to a third harmonic signal generated by the RF switch branch, such that the inverse phase third harmonic signal is output through the first resistor and the second resistor to the RF switch branch to reduce the third harmonic signal.

Claims

1. A harmonic cancellation circuit for a radio frequency (RF) switch branch comprising:

a first transistor having a first gate terminal and a first body terminal;

a second transistor having a second gate terminal coupled to the first body terminal and having a second body terminal coupled to the first gate terminal;

a first resistor coupled between a first coupling node and the second body terminal; and

a second resistor coupled between a second coupling node and the first body terminal, wherein the first transistor and the second transistor are configured to generate an inverse phase third harmonic signal relative to a third harmonic signal generated by the RF switch branch, such that the inverse phase third harmonic signal is output through the first resistor and the second resistor to the RF switch branch to reduce the third harmonic signal.

2. The harmonic cancellation circuit for the RF switch branch of claim 1 further comprising a third resistor communicatively coupled between the first resistor and drain terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor, and a fourth resistor communicatively coupled between the second resistor and the drain terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor.

3. The harmonic cancellation circuit for the RF switch branch of claim 2 further comprising a fifth resistor coupled between the drain terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor.

4. The harmonic cancellation circuit for the RF switch branch of claim 3 wherein the fifth resistor has a variable resistance.

5. The harmonic cancellation circuit for the RF switch branch of claim 4 wherein the variable resistance of the fifth resistor is digitally controllable.

6. The harmonic cancellation circuit for the RF switch branch of claim 4 wherein the variable resistance of the fifth resistor is analog controllable.

7. The harmonic cancellation circuit for the RF switch branch of claim 1 further comprises a nonlinear capacitance from around about 1 fF/V² to around about 3 fF/V².

8. The harmonic cancellation circuit for the RF switch branch of claim 7 wherein a change of total capacitance for the first transistor and the second transistor ranges from around about 0.1% to around about 1%.

9. The harmonic cancellation circuit for the RF switch branch of claim 1 wherein the first gate terminal, the second gate terminal, the first body terminal, and the second body terminal are decoupled from source terminals and drain terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor.

10. The harmonic cancellation circuit for the RF switch branch of claim 1 wherein the first transistor and the second transistor are of a field effect transistor (FET) type.

11. An RF switch branch comprising:

a plurality of series coupled transistor switches having a first port and a second port; and

a plurality of series coupled harmonic cancellation circuits communicatively coupled in parallel with at least some of the plurality of series coupled transistor switches, each of the plurality of series coupled harmonic cancellation circuits comprising;

a first transistor having a first gate terminal and a first body terminal;

a second transistor having a second gate terminal coupled to the first body terminal and having a second body terminal coupled to the first gate terminal;

a first resistor coupled between a first coupling node and the second body terminal; and

a second resistor coupled between a second coupling node and the first body terminal, wherein the first transistor and the second transistor are configured to generate an inverse phase third harmonic signal relative to a third harmonic signal generated by the RF switch branch, such that the inverse phase third harmonic signal is output through the first resistor and the second resistor to the RF switch branch to reduce the third harmonic signal.

12. The RF switch branch of claim 11 further comprising a third resistor communicatively coupled between the first resistor and drain terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor, and a fourth resistor communicatively coupled between the second resistor and the drain terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor.

13. The RF switch branch of claim 12 further comprising a fifth resistor coupled between the drain terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor.

14. The RF switch branch of claim 13 wherein the fifth resistor has a variable resistance.

15. The RF switch branch of claim 14 wherein the variable resistance of the fifth resistor is digitally controllable.

16. The RF switch branch of claim 14 wherein the variable resistance of the fifth resistor is analog controllable.

17. The RF switch branch of claim 11 further comprises a nonlinear capacitance from around about 1 fF/V² to around about 3 fF/V².

18. The RF switch branch of claim 17 wherein a change of total capacitance for the first transistor and the second transistor ranges from around about 0.1% to around about 1%.

19. The RF switch branch of claim 11 wherein source terminals and drain terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor are coupled together.

20. The RF switch branch of claim 19 wherein the first gate terminal, the second gate terminal, the first body terminal, and the second body terminal are decoupled from the source terminals and the drain terminals.

21. The RF switch branch of claim 11 wherein the first transistor and the second transistor are of an FET type.

22. The RF switch branch of claim 11 wherein each of the plurality of series coupled harmonic cancellation circuits are coupled across a corresponding one of the plurality of series coupled transistor switches.

23. The RF switch branch of claim 11 wherein the plurality of series coupled harmonic cancellation circuits are coupled across only a portion of the plurality of series coupled transistor switches excluding ones of the plurality of series coupled transistor switches adjacent to the first port and the second port.

24. The RF switch branch of claim 11 further comprising degeneration resistors coupled between the plurality of series coupled harmonic cancellation circuits and the plurality of series coupled transistor switches.