Combined output matching network and filter for power amplifier with concurrent functionality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10418951-B2
Application number	US-201615071518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2016
Priority date	Mar 24, 2015
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods related to reducing intermodulation products in an RF output signal by matching an impedance of the power amplifier to an impedance of the antenna and concurrently blocking signals having a second fundamental frequency received by the antenna when the antenna is transmitting to inhibit intermodulation products of the first and second fundamental frequencies from re-radiating from the antenna. The matching and blocking are performed concurrently by a single circuit with combined matching and blocking functionality.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radio frequency power amplifier module for use in a multi-band wireless mobile device comprising:
a first semiconductor die including an amplifier circuit configured to amplify a radio frequency input signal received on an input terminal of the power amplifier module for transmission by a first antenna associated with a first transmit path of the mobile device;
an input tuning circuit including at least a first capacitor in communication with the first semiconductor die;
an output tuning circuit including at least a first inductor in communication with an output terminal of the power amplifier module; and
a first circuit connected in series between the input tuning circuit and the output tuning circuit and including at least a second inductor and a second capacitor connected in parallel and configured to transform an output impedance of the amplifier circuit to an input impedance of the first antenna and further configured to block signals radiating from a second antenna associated with a second transmit path of the mobile device and received at the output terminal from traveling backwards along the first transmit path to the amplifier circuit.

2. The module of claim 1 wherein the first circuit includes a plurality of integrated passive devices included in a common package.

3. The module of claim 1 wherein the first circuit includes a plurality of surface mount devices.

4. The module of claim 1 wherein the first circuit is implemented in a second semiconductor die separate from the first semiconductor die.

5. The module of claim 1 wherein the first semiconductor die does not include an output matching network.

6. The module of claim 1 wherein the first circuit includes a concurrent output matching network and filter circuit configured to concurrently transform the output impedance of the amplifier circuit from approximately 6 ohms to approximately 50 ohms, and block the signals received at the output terminal from the second antenna from propagating backwards through the first transmit path.

7. The module of claim 1 wherein the first circuit includes a first impedance matching network configured to transform the output impedance of the amplifier circuit from approximately 6 ohms to approximately 12 ohms.

8. The module of claim 7 wherein the first circuit further includes a concurrent output matching network and filter circuit configured to concurrently transform the output impedance of the first impedance matching network from the approximately 12 ohms to approximately 50 ohms, and block the signals received at the output terminal from the second antenna from propagating backwards through the first transmit path, the first impedance matching network being separate from the concurrent output matching network and filter circuit.

9. The module of claim 1 wherein the first circuit further includes a third inductor and a third capacitor connected in parallel, the parallel combination of the second inductor and the second capacitor and the parallel combination of the third inductor and the third capacitor connected in series and having a common terminal.

10. The module of claim 9 wherein the first circuit further includes a fourth capacitor connected in series with a fourth inductor, the series combination of the fourth capacitor and the fourth inductor coupled between the common terminal and ground.

11. The module of claim 10 wherein the first circuit further includes a fifth inductor connected between the input of the first circuit and the ground, and a sixth inductor connected between the output of the first circuit and the ground.

12. The module of claim 1 wherein the first circuit has impedance matching and filtering functionalities, the first circuit configured to function as both an output matching network and at least one filter such that signal losses associated with the first circuit are less than signal losses associated with the output matching network and the at least one filter implemented separately, and such that a size of the first circuit is less than a size of the output matching network and the at least one filter implemented separately.

13. A multi-band wireless mobile device comprising:
first and second antennas associated with first and second radio frequency transmit paths, respectively;
a transmit/receive switch configured to pass a radio frequency output signal to the first antenna for transmission; and
a radio frequency power amplifier module including a first semiconductor die including an amplifier circuit configured to amplify a radio frequency input signal for transmission by the first antenna, an input tuning circuit including at least a first capacitor in communication with the first semiconductor die, an output tuning circuit including at least a first inductor, and a first circuit connected in series between the input tuning circuit and the output tuning circuit and including at least a second inductor and a second capacitor connected in parallel and configured to transform an output impedance of the amplifier circuit to an input impedance of the first antenna and further configured to block signals radiating from a second antenna associated with the second transmit path from traveling backwards along the first transmit path to the amplifier circuit when the transmit/receive switch is configured to transmit.

14. The wireless mobile device of claim 13 wherein the first circuit includes a plurality of integrated passive devices included in a common package.

15. The wireless mobile device of claim 13 wherein the first semiconductor die does not include any impedance matching functionality.

16. The wireless mobile device of claim 13 wherein the first circuit includes a concurrent output matching network and filter circuit configured to concurrently transform the output impedance of the amplifier circuit from approximately 6 ohms to approximately 50 ohms, and block the signals received from the second antenna from propagating backwards through the first transmit path.

17. The wireless mobile device of claim 13 wherein the first circuit includes a first impedance matching network configured to transform the output impedance of the amplifier circuit from approximately 6 ohms to approximately 12 ohms.

18. The wireless mobile device of claim 17 wherein the first circuit includes a concurrent output matching network and filter circuit configured to concurrently transform the output impedance of the first impedance matching network from the approximately 12 ohms to approximately 50 ohms, and block the signals received from the second antenna from propagating backwards through the first transmit path, the first impedance matching network being separate from the concurrent output matching network and filter circuit.

19. A method to reduce intermodulation in a radio frequency output signal in a multi-band wireless mobile device, the method comprising:
amplifying, with a power amplifier circuit residing on a first semiconductor die, a radio frequency input signal to provide an amplified radio frequency signal for transmission by a first antenna in a first radio frequency path, the power amplifier circuit connected to an input tuning circuit including at least a first capacitor and that is in communication with the first semiconductor die;
transforming, with a first circuit connected in series between the input tuning circuit and an output tuning circuit that includes at least a first inductor, an output impedance of the power amplifier circuit to approximate an input impedance of the first ant

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Poulin Grant Darcy
• Samelis Apostolos
• Whittaker Edward John Wemyss

Classifications

• H04B2001/0408

  with power amplifiers · CPC title

• H04B1/0064

  with separate antennas for the more than one band (H04B1/0053 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03F2200/451

  the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier · CPC title

• H03F2200/387

  A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier · CPC title

• H03F2200/171

  A filter circuit coupled to the output of an amplifier · CPC title