Output stage module for a power amplifier device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9354255-B2
Application number	US-201213429200-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2012
Priority date	Mar 24, 2011
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

An output stage module for a power amplifier device (e.g., for a power amplifier device of a transmit unit of a magnetic resonance device) includes a housing and a carrier that is arranged within the housing. The carrier is made of a non-electrically-conducting, thermally-conducting material with low electrical losses (e.g., a ceramic carrier). At least two transistor dies are arranged on the carrier. At least one transistor, in each case, is assigned to a phase of a symmetrical input signal. In and/or on the carrier, a first conductor structure connecting (e.g., inductively) a drain output of the at least two transistor dies to an output signal and to second conductor structures each conducting an input signal to at least one gate input of the at least two transistor dies are provided. At least one cooling channel routed adjacent to at least one transistor die of the at least two transistor dies is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An output stage module for a power amplifier device, the output stage module comprising:
a housing;
a carrier arranged within the housing, the carrier being made from a non-electrically-conducting, thermally-conducting material;
at least two transistor dies arranged on the carrier;
a first conductor structure in or on the carrier, the first conductor structure connecting drain outputs of the at least two transistor dies to an output signal; and
at least two second conductor structures in or on the carrier, each second conductor structure conducting an input signal to at least one gate input of the at least two transistor dies,
wherein at least one transistor die of the at least two transistor dies, in each case, is assigned to a phase of a symmetrical input signal, and
wherein at least one cooling channel routed adjacent to the at least one transistor die is provided within the carrier.

2. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least two second conductor structures each comprise a balun conductor structure, the at least second two conductor structures generating signals phase-opposed by 180° as input signals for the at least two transistor dies.

3. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one conductor structure of the first conductor structure and the at least two second conductor structures comprises a multilayer conductor structure, and
wherein at least one layer including a conductor track is provided within the carrier.

4. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first conductor structure and the at least two second conductor structures are inductively-acting conductor structures, and
wherein at least one pair of connections is provided for connecting an external capacitor to set a resonant frequency of a conductor loop of each of the first conductor structure and the at least two second conductor structures.

5. The output stage module as claimed in 4 , wherein the at least two second conductor structures each comprise a balun conductor structure, and
wherein with a central coupling-in of a control signal, two pairs of connections opposite one another are provided for connecting two of the external capacitors.

6. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein on an outer side of the carrier, at least one source conductor structure couples to ground, and
wherein source inputs of the at least two transistor dies are connected to the at least one source conductor structure.

7. The output stage module as claimed in claim 6 , wherein with source inputs of the at least two transistor dies provided on one side of a conductor surface of the first conductor structure connected to a drain output, a bridge-type conductor element of the source conductor structure is provided for contacting the source inputs.

8. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the carrier is equipped on both sides with transistor dies.

9. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two transistor dies is soldered with a drain output to a part of a conductor surface of the carrier, forming the first conductor structure, and
wherein a gate output of each of the at least two transistor dies is wire-bonded to a corresponding second conductor structure of the at least two second conductor structures.

10. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least two transistor dies comprise at least eight transistor dies,
wherein the at least eight transistor dies are provided on at least one side of the carrier, and
wherein two transistor dies of a phase of the at least eight transistor dies are coupled via a conductor surface of the carrier to two transistor dies of another phase of the at least eight transistor dies.

11. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an inner side of the housing has a conductor surface acting as a ground surface, and
wherein the carrier does not include a ground surface.

12. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling channel corresponds in width and position to that of the at least one adjacent transistor die.

13. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the carrier is comprised of aluminum oxide ceramic, aluminum nitride ceramic, or a combination thereof.

14. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output stage module is for a power amplifier device of a transmit unit of a magnetic resonance device.

15. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the carrier is made from ceramic.

16. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first conductor structure in or on the carrier inductively connects the drain outputs of the at least two transistor dies to the output signal.

17. The output stage module as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the source inputs of the at least two transistor dies are wire-bonded to the at least one source conductor structure, a conductor surface connected to at least one drain output of a transistor die of the at least two transistor dies has a connection at a central point for an operating voltage and is connected to ground via a capacitance, or a combination thereof.

18. The output stage module as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the bridge-type conductor element of the source conductor structure is a bridge comprising Kovar.

19. The output stage module as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the carrier has an outer structure that is the same on both sides.

20. The output stage module as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the at least eight transistor dies are provided on both sides of the carrier.

21. The output stage module as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the conductor surface is a metallization.

22. The output stage module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the non-electrically-conducting, thermally-conducting material of the carrier comprises a low electrical loss material.

23. A power amplifier device comprising:
an output stage module comprising:
a housing;
a carrier arranged within the housing, the carrier being made from a non-electrically-conducting, thermally-conducting material;
at least two transistor dies arranged on the carrier;
a first conductor structure in or on the carrier, the first conductor structure connecting drain outputs of the at least two transistor dies to an output signal; and
at least two second conductor structures in or on the carrier, each second conductor structure conducting an input signal to at least one gate input of the at least two transistor dies,

wherein at least one transistor die of the at least two transistor dies, in each case, is assigned to a phase of a symmetrical input signal, and
wherein at least one cooling channel routed adjacent to the at least one transistor die is provided within the carrier.

24. A magnetic resonance device comprising:
at least one transmit unit comprising a power amplifier device including:
an output stage module comprising:
a housing;
a carrier arranged within the housing, the carrier being made from a non-electrically-conducting, thermally-conducting material;
at least two transistor dies arranged on the carrier;
a first conductor structure in or on the carrier, the first conductor structure connecting drain outputs of the at least two transistor dies to an output signal; and
at least two second conductor structures in or on the carrier, each second cond

Assignees

• Albrecht Adam
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Albrecht Adam

Classifications

• G01R33/3403

  Means for cooling of the RF coils, e.g. a refrigerator or a cooling vessel specially adapted for housing an RF coil · CPC title

• G01R21/00

  Arrangements for measuring electric power or power factor (G01R7/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R33/3614 Primary

  RF power amplifiers · CPC title

• G01R33/34007

  Manufacture of RF coils, e.g. using printed circuit board technology; additional hardware for providing mechanical support to the RF coil assembly or to part thereof, e.g. a support for moving the coil assembly relative to the remainder of the MR system · CPC title

• G01R1/30 Primary

  Structural combination of electric measuring instruments with basic electronic circuits, e.g. with amplifier · CPC title