Integrated CMOS transmit/receive switch in a radio frequency device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10103695-B2
Application number	US-201514983318-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2015
Priority date	Dec 30, 2014
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of radio frequency (RF) systems include a transmit/receive switch integrated with one or more power amplifiers and/or other components. The power amplifiers can have transformer-based architectures, and a power amplifier and switch can be integrated onto a single complementary metal oxide semiconductor die.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) die comprising:
a power amplifier including a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the power amplifier configured in a transmit mode to amplify a radio frequency (RF) transmit signal received on the primary winding and provide an amplified RF transmit signal on an antenna side of the secondary winding, the power amplifier further configured in a receive mode to transmit an RF receive signal from the antenna side of the secondary winding to a receive side of the secondary winding;
a transmit/receive switch between the receive side of the secondary winding and a bond pad of the die; and
wherein the power amplifier is a distributed active transformer-type power amplifier.

2. The CMOS die of claim 1 wherein in a transmit mode the transmit/receive switch is configured to be closed, creating a low impedance path from the receive side of the secondary winding to the bond pad, and in a receive mode the transmit/receive switch is configured to be open, creating a high impedance path from the receive side of the secondary winding to the bond pad.

3. The CMOS die of claim 2 further comprising a receive port in electrical communication with the receive side of the secondary winding.

4. The CMOS die of claim 3 wherein the switch includes a first terminal in electrical communication with the receive side of the secondary winding, a second terminal in electrical communication with the bond pad, and a control input that receives a transmit/receive control signal.

5. The CMOS die of claim 4 wherein the CMOS dies is a bulk CMOS die.

6. The CMOS die of claim 2 further comprising a compensation circuit disposed between the switch and the bond pad and configured to improve isolation of the receive port from the RF transmit signal in the transmit mode.

7. The CMOS die of claim 6 wherein the compensation circuit includes a capacitor.

8. The CMOS die of claim 6 wherein the compensation circuit counteracts a reactance of a bond wire positioned in a path between the bond pad and the switch.

9. The CMOS die of claim 1 wherein the bond pad connects to a ground reference.

10. The CMOS die of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier includes a plurality amplifier driver stages connected to the primary winding.

11. The CMOS die of claim 1 wherein the primary winding receives a set of bias signals having a first set of values in the transmit mode to bias the primary winding in a first state, and having a second set of values in a receive mode to bias the primary winding in a second state in which a difference between center frequencies of the primary winding and the secondary winding is greater than when the primary winding is biased in the first state.

12. The CMOS die of claim 1 wherein a geometry of the secondary winding generally matches a geometry of the primary winding.

13. The CMOS die of claim 12 wherein the primary winding has an inner winding generally conforming to an interior boundary of the secondary winding and an outer winding generally conforming to an exterior boundary of the secondary winding.

14. A wireless device comprising:
a radio frequency (RF) antenna;
a semiconductor die including a power amplifier which includes a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the power amplifier configured in a transmit mode to amplify an RF transmit signal received on the primary winding and provide an amplified RF transmit signal on an antenna side of the secondary winding, the power amplifier further configured in a receive mode to transmit an RF receive signal from the antenna side of the secondary winding to a receive side of the secondary winding, the die further including a transmit/receive switch between the receive side of the secondary winding and a bond pad of the die; and
wherein the power amplifier is a distributed active transformer-type power amplifier.

15. The wireless device of claim 14 wherein in a transmit mode the transmit/receive switch is configured to close, creating a low impedance path from the receive side of the secondary winding to the bond pad, and in a receive mode the transmit/receive switch is configured to open, creating a high impedance path from the receive side of the secondary winding to the bond pad.

16. The wireless device of claim 14 wherein the semiconductor die is a bulk complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) die.

17. A method of operating a radio frequency (RF) device, the method comprising: when the RF device is in an RF transmit mode,
providing an RF transmit signal to a primary winding of a power amplifier included on a semiconductor die;
amplifying the RF transmit signal with the power amplifier to provide an amplified version of the RF transmit signal on an antenna side of a secondary winding of the power amplifier;
controlling a transmit/receive switch positioned on the die between a receive side of the secondary winding and a bond pad of the die to create a low impedance path from the antenna side of the secondary winding to the bond pad; and
wherein the power amplifier is a distributed active transformer-type power amplifier.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the creation of the low impedance path results in improved isolation of an RF receive port of the die from the RF transmit signal.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising, when the RF device is an RF receive mode:
receiving an RF receive signal on the antenna side of the secondary winding; and
controlling the transmit/receive switch to create a high impedance path between the receive side of the secondary winding and the bond pad.

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Jin Yalin
• Mohta Setu

Classifications

• H03F2200/541

  Transformer coupled at the output of an amplifier · CPC title

• H03F2200/451

  the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier · CPC title

• H04B1/123

  using adaptive balancing or compensation means (adaptive filter circuits and algorithms H03H) · CPC title

• H03F1/565 Primary

  using inductive elements · CPC title

• H03F2200/417

  A switch coupled in the output circuit of an amplifier being controlled by a circuit · CPC title