Dynamic tuning of a transformer-based radio frequency power amplifier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10135405-B2
Application number	US-201514983322-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2015
Priority date	Dec 30, 2014
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of radio frequency (RF) systems include a power amplifier having a primary winding and a secondary winding. The primary winding can be biased in different states in transmit and receive modes such that a difference between center frequencies of the primary winding and the secondary winding are significantly different in the different modes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radio frequency device, comprising:
a power amplifier having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the power amplifier configured in a transmit mode to amplify a radio frequency transmit signal received on the primary winding and provide an amplified radio frequency transmit signal on the secondary winding; and
a controller configured, when the radio frequency device is in a transmit mode, to bias transistors of the primary winding in a first state and, when the radio frequency device is in a receive mode, to detune the primary and secondary windings with respect to one another by biasing the transistors of 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.

2. The radio frequency device of claim 1 further comprising a transmit/receive switch coupled to a receive side of the secondary winding.

3. The radio frequency device of claim 2 wherein the power amplifier and the switch reside together on a bulk complementary metal oxide semiconductor die.

4. The radio frequency device of claim 3 wherein the switch is configured to close in a transmit mode thereby creating a low impedance path from a receive side of the secondary winding to a bond pad of the die, and the switch is further configured to open in a receive mode thereby creating a high impedance path from the receive side of the secondary winding to the bond pad.

5. The radio frequency device of claim 4 wherein the complementary metal oxide semiconductor die further includes a receive port in electrical communication with the receive side of the secondary winding.

6. The radio frequency device of claim 5 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 receiving a transmit/receive switching control signal.

7. The radio frequency device of claim 6 wherein the switch includes a single transistor.

8. The radio frequency device of claim 5 further comprising a compensation circuit disposed between the switch and the bond pad and configured to improve isolation of the receive port from the radio frequency transmit signal in the transmit mode.

9. The radio frequency device of claim 8 wherein the compensation circuit includes a capacitor.

10. The radio frequency device of claim 8 wherein the compensation circuit counteracts a reactance of a bond wire positioned in a path between the bond pad and the switch.

11. The radio frequency device of claim 1 wherein the bond pad is a ground bond pad.

12. The radio frequency device of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier includes a plurality amplifier driver stages connected to the primary winding.

13. The radio frequency device of claim 12 wherein the controller biases the transistors of the primary winding by applying bias voltage levels to transistors in the amplifier driver stages.

14. The radio frequency device of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier is a distributed active transformer-type power amplifier.

15. The radio frequency device of claim 1 wherein the geometry of the secondary winding generally matches the geometry of the primary winding.

16. The radio frequency device of claim 15 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.

17. A method of operating a wireless device, the method comprising:
in response to the wireless device entering a receive mode, biasing transistors of a primary winding of a power amplifier of the wireless device in a first state; and
in response to the wireless device entering a transmit mode, detuning the primary and secondary windings with respect to one another by biasing the transistors of the primary winding in a second state resulting in a transfer of energy from the primary winding to the secondary winding being less than when the primary winding is biased in the first state.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said biasing the transistors of the primary winding in the first state includes applying a first set of bias voltage levels to transistors in amplifier driver stages of the primary winding and said biasing the transistors of the primary winding in the second state includes applying a second set of bias voltage levels to the transistors in the amplifier driver stages of the primary winding.

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Jin Yalin
• Mohta Setu

Classifications

• H03F3/601

  using FET's, e.g. GaAs FET's (H03F3/607, H03F3/608 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04B1/44 Primary

  Transmit/receive switching · CPC title

• H03F2200/105

  A non-specified detector of the power of a signal being used in an amplifying circuit · CPC title

• H03F3/245

  with semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H03F2200/417

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