Signal path termination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9374045-B2
Application number	US-201514622482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2015
Priority date	Jul 8, 2011
Publication date	Jun 21, 2016
Grant date	Jun 21, 2016

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a harmonic termination circuit that is separate from a load line. In one embodiment, the load line is configured to match an impedance at the power amplifier output at a fundamental frequency of the power amplifier output and the harmonic termination circuit is configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a harmonic frequency of the power amplifier output. According to certain embodiments, the load line and the harmonic termination circuit can be electrically coupled to the power amplifier output external to a power amplifier die via different output pins of the power amplifier die.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a power amplifier die including a power amplifier configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and to provide an amplified radio frequency signal at a power amplifier output;
an output matching network electrically connected to the power amplifier output, the output matching network configured to provide impedance matching at a fundamental frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal, and the output matching network including a first capacitor external to the power amplifier die; and
a harmonic termination circuit electrically connected to the power amplifier output, the harmonic termination circuit configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a harmonic frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal, the harmonic termination circuit including a second capacitor external to the power amplifier die, the first capacitor and the second capacitor having separate electrical connections to the power amplifier die.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier die includes a first pin and a second pin, the first capacitor being electrically connected to the first pin and the second capacitor being electrically connected to the second pin.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first second and the second capacitor are electrically connected to the power amplifier die by way of different interconnects.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first second and the second capacitor are electrically connected to the power amplifier die by way of different wirebonds.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein further comprising a substrate including a first trace and a second trace, the first trace and the second trace being external to the power amplifier die, and the output matching network including the first trace and the harmonic termination circuit including the second trace.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the first capacitor is coupled to the substrate and the second capacitor is coupled to the substrate, the first conductive trace being in an electrical path between the first capacitor and the power amplifier die, and the second conductive trace being in an electrical path between the second capacitor and the power amplifier die.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are surface mount capacitors.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the harmonic frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal is a second harmonic frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an input matching network configured to match an impedance at an input of the power amplifier and an input harmonic termination circuit configured to terminate at a phase of a harmonic frequency of the radio frequency input signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an other harmonic termination circuit electrically connected to the power amplifier output, the other harmonic termination circuit configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a different harmonic frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal than the harmonic termination circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a portion of the harmonic termination circuit is implemented within the power amplifier die.

12. An apparatus comprising:
a power amplifier die including a power amplifier configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and to provide an amplified radio frequency signal at a power amplifier output;
an output matching network electrically connected to the power amplifier output, the output matching network configured provide impedance matching at a fundamental frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal, and the output matching network including a first conductive trace on a substrate, the first conductive trace being external to the power amplifier die; and
a harmonic termination circuit electrically connected to the power amplifier output, the harmonic termination circuit configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a harmonic frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal, the harmonic termination circuit including a second conductive trace on the substrate, the second conductive trace being external to the power amplifier die, and the first conductive trace and the second conductive trace having separate electrical connections to the power amplifier die.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the power amplifier die includes a first pin and a second pin, the first conductive trace being electrically connected to the first pin and the second conductive trace being electrically connected to the second pin.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first conductive trace and the second conductive trace are electrically connected to the power amplifier die by way of different wirebonds.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the substrate is a laminate substrate and power amplifier die is coupled to the substrate.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the substrate is a packaging substrate and the apparatus is configured as a power amplifier module.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising an antenna electrically connected to the output matching network, and the apparatus is configured as a mobile device.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the harmonic termination circuit includes a capacitor that is external to the power amplifier die, the capacitor having a first end electrically connected to the second conductive trace and a second end electrically connected to ground.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the harmonic frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal is a second harmonic frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal.

20. An apparatus comprising:
a die including an active circuit element configured to provide an output signal at an output node of the die;
an output matching network electrically connected to the output node, the output matching network configured to provide impedance matching at a fundamental frequency of the output signal, the output matching network including a first conductive trace on a substrate and a first capacitor electrically connected to the first conductive trace, the first conductive trace and the first capacitor being external to the die; and
a harmonic termination circuit electrically connected to the output node, the harmonic termination circuit configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a harmonic frequency of the output signal, the harmonic termination circuit including a second conductive trace on the substrate and a second capacitor electrically connected to the second conductive trace, the second conductive trace and the second capacitor being external to the die, the first conductive trace and the second conductive trace having separate electrical connections to the die.

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Zhang Guohao
• Modi Hardik Bhupendra
• Hoang Dinhphuoc Vu

Classifications

• H10W90/754

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H10W44/234

  Arrangements for impedance matching · CPC title

• H10W44/206

  Wires · CPC title

• H03F2200/171

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

• H01L2924/13051

  Electricity · mapped topic