Amplifier power combiner with slotline impedance transformer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10826437-B2
Application number	US-201816145809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Oct 18, 2017
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods for communicating electromagnetic signals and/or power and, more particularly for example, to power combiners and similar systems and methods for communicating electromagnetic signals and/or power generated by amplifiers to loads, are described herein. In at least example embodiment, a power amplifier system includes first and second amplifier circuits and a power combiner circuit coupled to each of the first and second amplifier circuits and having a first microstrip transmission line component, a slotline formation, and an additional coupling component that is capable of being at least indirectly coupled to a load, where the first microstrip transmission line component and additional coupling component are electromagnetically coupled by way of the slotline formation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power amplifier system comprising:
a first amplifier circuit having a first output terminal;
a second amplifier circuit having a second output terminal; and
a power combiner circuit coupled to each of the first and second amplifier circuits and having a first microstrip transmission line component, a slotline formation, and an additional coupling component that is capable of being at least indirectly coupled to a load,
wherein first and second ends of the first microstrip transmission line component are respectively coupled to the first and second output terminals; and
wherein the slotline formation extends between a first position proximate a combining node between the first and second ends of the first microstrip transmission line component and a second position proximate the additional coupling component; and
wherein the first microstrip transmission line component and the additional coupling component each are electromagnetically coupled to the slotline formation.

2. The power amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the additional coupling component includes a second microstrip transmission line component.

3. The power amplifier system of claim 2 , further comprising a printed circuit board (PCB), wherein the slotline formation is formed as a gap in a conductive layer of the PCB.

4. The power amplifier system of claim 3 , wherein the gap extends in a substantially linear manner between the first and second positions.

5. The power amplifier system of claim 4 , wherein the gap includes a first rounded end portion at a first end of the slotline formation adjacent to the first position and a second rounded end portion at a second end of the slotline formation adjacent to the second position.

6. The power amplifier system of claim 5 , wherein a first diameter of the first rounded end portion is substantially smaller than a second diameter of the second rounded end portion.

7. The power amplifier system of claim 4 , wherein the gap includes a first sector-shaped end portion at a first end of the slotline formation adjacent to the first position and a second sector-shaped end portion at a second end of the slotline formation adjacent to the second position.

8. The power amplifier system of claim 4 , wherein the first microstrip transmission line component passes in a substantially perpendicular manner across a first region of the slotline formation and the second microstrip transmission line component passes in a substantially perpendicular manner across a second region of the slotline formation.

9. The power amplifier system of claim 8 , wherein the gap, despite extending in a substantially linear manner, nevertheless also is doglegged so as to include a first segment extending diagonally relative to a second segment, and wherein the second region is within the first segment and the second microstrip transmission line component includes a diagonally-extending portion that passes in the substantially perpendicular manner across the second region within the first segment.

10. The power amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the additional coupling component includes a coaxial cable.

11. The power amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the first amplifier circuit is a carrier amplifier circuit of a Doherty amplifier, and the second amplifier circuit is a peaking amplifier circuit of the Doherty amplifier.

12. The power amplifier system of claim 1 , wherein the slotline formation extends within a first conductive layer of a printed circuit board (PCB), and wherein the first microstrip transmission line component extends within a second conductive layer of the PCB.

13. The power amplifier system of claim 12 , wherein the additional coupling component is a second microstrip transmission line component that either extends within the second conductive layer or extends within a third conductive layer.

14. The power amplifier system of claim 13 , wherein the second microstrip transmission line extends within the third conductive layer, wherein the second conductive layer is separated from a first side of the first conductive layer by a first dielectric layer, and wherein the third conductive layer is separated from a second side of the first conductive layer by a second dielectric layer.

15. The power amplifier system of claim 14 , wherein the power combiner circuit includes a slotline inbuilt coupler that operates at least in part as a wideband directional coupler.

16. A power amplifier system comprising:
a first amplifier circuit having a first output terminal;
a second amplifier circuit having a second output terminal; and
a power combiner circuit coupled to each of the first and second amplifier circuits and having a first microstrip transmission line component, a slotline formation, and an additional coupling component that is capable of being at least indirectly coupled to a load,
wherein first and second locations along the first microstrip transmission line component are respectively short-circuited to the first and second output terminals; and
wherein the slotline formation extends between a first position proximate the first microstrip transmission line component and a second position proximate the additional coupling component;
wherein the first microstrip transmission line component and additional coupling component are electromagnetically coupled to the slotline formation; and
wherein the slotline formation extends within a first conductive layer of a printed circuit board, PCB, wherein:
the first microstrip transmission line component extends within a second conductive layer of the PCB;
the additional coupling component is a second microstrip transmission line component that either extends within the second conductive layer or extends within a third conductive layer; and
the second microstrip transmission line component extends within the third conductive layer, the second conductive layer being separated from a first side of the first conductive layer by a first dielectric layer and the third conductive layer being separated from a second side of the first conductive layer by a second dielectric layer.

17. The power amplifier system of claim 16 , wherein the power combiner circuit includes a slotline inbuilt coupler that operates at least in part as a wideband directional coupler.

18. A power amplifier system comprising:
a first amplifier circuit having a first output terminal;
a second amplifier circuit having a second output terminal; and
a power combiner circuit coupled to each of the first and second amplifier circuits and having a first microstrip transmission line component, a slotline formation, and an additional coupling component that is capable of being at least indirectly coupled to a load,
wherein first and second locations along the first microstrip transmission line component are respectively short-circuited to the first and second output terminals; and
wherein the slotline formation extends between a first position proximate the first microstrip transmission line component and a second position proximate the additional coupling component;
wherein the first microstrip transmission line component and additional coupling component are electromagnetically coupled to the slotline formation;
wherein a further position, at or proximate to which the first microstrip transmission line component crosses the slotline formation, is a combining node, wherein a combining node impedance associated with the combining node is matched to a load impedance of the load, wherein the slotline formation serves as a quarter wa

Assignees

• Nxp Usa Inc

Inventors

• Nikolayenkov Oleksandr
• Tucker Geoffrey

Classifications

• H03F1/0288 Primary

  using a main and one or several auxiliary peaking amplifiers whereby the load is connected to the main amplifier using an impedance inverter, e.g. Doherty amplifiers · CPC title

• H03F3/602

  Combinations of several amplifiers · CPC title

• H03F3/189

  High-frequency amplifiers, e.g. radio frequency amplifiers · CPC title

• H03F3/19

  with semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H01P3/023

  Fin lines; Slot lines · CPC title