Frequency selective isolation circuit and method for suppressing parametric oscillation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10110178-B2
Application number	US-201414549756-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2014
Priority date	Aug 20, 2014
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

In a system comprising a plurality of gain elements configured in parallel to one another, a harmonically tuned filter provides an isolation circuit to prevent odd-mode differential oscillations. A harmonically tuned filter comprises resistors, inductors, and capacitors (RLC) to selectively allow one or more specific harmonics to pass through the isolation circuit to suppress the odd-mode oscillation. Direct current (DC) and other non-harmonically-related frequencies do not pass through the isolation circuit. Since the resistor is used to dissipate specifically the energy of the harmonic frequencies causing the odd-mode oscillation, the current density through the resistor is much lower than the current density of a typical odd-mode resistor without a harmonically tuned filter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a plurality of transistors configured in parallel with one another; and
a first harmonically tuned filter coupled between a first transistor terminal of a first transistor of the plurality of transistors and a second transistor terminal of a second transistor of the plurality of transistors, wherein the first transistor comprises a first transistor input and a first transistor output and the second transistor comprises a second transistor input and a second transistor output, the first harmonically tuned filter includes a first resistor, and the first harmonically tuned filter is tuned to allow energy at least one harmonic frequency of a fundamental frequency at which the plurality of transistors provide amplification to pass through the first harmonically tuned filter to be dissipated by the first resistor, the first harmonically tuned filter blocking direct current (DC) from being dissipated by the first resistor, and wherein the first transistor terminal and the second transistor terminal are selected from a group consisting of the first transistor input and the second transistor input, respectively, and the first transistor output and the second transistor output, respectively.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising:
a second harmonically tuned filter coupled between the first transistor and the second transistor, wherein the first harmonically tuned filter is coupled between the first transistor output and the second transistor output and the second harmonically tuned filter is coupled between the first transistor input and the second transistor input.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising:
a second harmonically tuned filter coupled between the first transistor output and the second transistor output, wherein the second harmonically tuned filter includes a second resistor, and the second harmonically tuned filter is tuned to allow energy at least another harmonic frequency of the fundamental frequency to pass through the second harmonically tuned filter to be dissipated by the second resistor, wherein the first harmonically tuned filter is also coupled between the first transistor output and the second transistor output, wherein the first transistor terminal is the first transistor output and wherein the second transistor terminal is the second transistor output.

4. A device comprising:
a plurality of transistors configured in parallel with one another; and
a first harmonically tuned filter coupled between a first transistor terminal of a first transistor of the plurality of transistors and a second transistor terminal of a second transistor of the plurality of transistors, wherein the first transistor comprises a first transistor input and a first transistor output and the second transistor comprises a second transistor input and a second transistor output, the first harmonically tuned filter is tuned to allow energy at least one harmonic frequency of a fundamental frequency at which the plurality of transistors provide amplification to pass through the first harmonically tuned filter, wherein the first harmonically tuned filter comprises a resistor, an inductor, and a capacitor coupled in series with one another as a series resistor, inductor, and capacitor (RLC) circuit, and wherein the first transistor terminal and the second transistor terminal are selected from a group consisting of the first transistor input and the second transistor input, respectively, and the first transistor output and the second transistor output, respectively.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the first harmonically tuned filter comprises an inductor, the inductor formed from a bond wire, the bond wire having a length configured to tune the first harmonically tuned filter to the at least one harmonic frequency.

6. The device of claim 1 further comprising:
a capacitive element integrated into at least one of the plurality of transistors, the capacitive element influencing tuning of the first harmonically tuned filter to the at least one harmonic frequency.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the first transistor is fabricated on a first semiconductor die and the second transistor is fabricated on a second semiconductor die, wherein the first harmonically tuned filter comprises an inductor formed by a bond wire configured to tune the first harmonically tuned filter to the at least one harmonic frequency, wherein the bond wire is connected between the first semiconductor die and the second semiconductor die.

8. A system comprising:
a first amplifier element having a first amplifier element input and a first amplifier element output, the first amplifier element for amplifying a signal comprising a fundamental frequency;
a second amplifier element having a second amplifier element input and a second amplifier element output, the second amplifier element for amplifying the signal comprising the fundamental frequency, the second amplifier element configured in parallel with the first amplifier element; and
a first harmonically tuned filter having a first terminal and a second terminal coupled to a first amplifier element terminal and a second amplifier terminal, respectively, selected from a group consisting of the first amplifier element input and the second amplifier element input, respectively, and the first amplifier element output and the second amplifier element output, respectively, wherein the first harmonically tuned filter includes a first resistor, and the first harmonically tuned filter is tuned to allow energy at least one harmonic frequency harmonically related to the fundamental frequency to pass through the first harmonically tuned filter to be dissipated by the first resistor, the first harmonically tuned filter blocking direct current (DC) from being dissipated by the first resistor.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:
at least one additional amplifier element having an additional amplifier element input and an additional amplifier element output, the at least one additional amplifier element for amplifying the signal comprising the fundamental frequency, the at least one additional amplifier element configured in parallel with the first amplifier element and in parallel with the second amplifier element; and
a second harmonically tuned filter coupled between the second amplifier element and the additional amplifier element, wherein the second harmonically tuned filter includes a second resistor, and the second harmonically tuned filter is tuned to allow energy at the at least one harmonic frequency to pass through the second harmonically tuned filter to be dissipated by the second resistor.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising:
a third harmonically tuned filter, wherein the at least one additional amplifier element comprises a final additional amplifier element having a final additional amplifier element input and a final additional amplifier element output, the third harmonically tuned filter coupled between the final additional amplifier element output and the first amplifier element output, the third harmonically tuned filter including a third resistor, and the third harmonically tuned filter tuned to allow energy at the at least one harmonic frequency to pass through the third harmonically tuned filter to be dissipated by the third resistor.

11. The system of claim 8 further comprising:
a second harmonically tuned filter coupled between the first amplifier element and the second amplifier element in parallel with the first harmonically tuned filter, the second harmonically tuned filter including a second resistor, and the second harmonically tuned filter tuned to allow energy at least one other harmonic frequency harmonic

Assignees

• Kim Kevin
• Blednov Igor Ivanovich
• Lembeye Olivier
• Peyrot Pascal
• Nxp Usa Inc

Inventors

• Kim Kevin
• Blednov Igor Ivanovich
• Lembeye Olivier
• Peyrot Pascal

Classifications

• H10W72/5445

  being orthogonal to a side surface of the chip, e.g. parallel arrangements · CPC title

• H10W44/226

  for HF amplifiers · CPC title

• H10W44/206

  Wires · CPC title

• H10W44/20

  at high-frequency [HF] or radio frequency [RF] · CPC title

• H03H2240/00

  Indexing scheme relating to filter banks · CPC title