Electronic device for a radiofrequency signal reception chain, comprising a low-noise transimpedance amplifier stage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9413307-B2
Application number	US-201514734514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2015
Priority date	Sep 19, 2014
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

An electronic device includes a transimpedance amplifier stage having an amplifier end stage of the class AB type and a preamplifier stage coupled between an output of a frequency transposition stage and an input of the amplifier end stage. A self-biased common-mode control stage is configured to bias the preamplifier stage. The preamplifier stage is formed by a differential amplifier with an active load that is biased in response to the self-biased common-mode control stage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
an input configured to receive signals having a first frequency, and
a differential architecture circuit, comprising:
at least one frequency transposition stage coupled to the input and having a current output, and
a transimpedance amplifier stage having an amplifier end stage of the class AB type, a preamplifier stage coupled between the current output of the frequency transposition stage and an input of the amplifier end stage and comprising first bipolar transistors as well as an active load, and a self-biased common-mode control stage configured to bias the preamplifier stage.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the active load of the preamplifier stage comprises first PMOS transistors and an output of the self-biased common-mode control stage is connected to control terminals of the first PMOS transistors.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the amplifier end stage comprises a circuit module connected between two outputs of the amplifier end stage and having a node, and the self-biased common-mode control stage comprises a differential pair of second bipolar transistors, a base of one of the second bipolar transistors configured to receive a common-mode voltage, and a base of the other second bipolar transistor being connected to said node of the circuit module so that a voltage at said node is controlled to be equal to half a sum of the voltages present at the two outputs of the amplifier end stage.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein collectors of the differential pair of second bipolar transistors are connected to two PMOS transistors connected as a current mirror.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the amplifier end stage comprises two class AB amplifiers, wherein control terminals of the first bipolar transistors are respectively connected to current outputs of the frequency transposition stage and collectors of the first bipolar transistors are respectively connected to inputs of the two class AB amplifiers.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency transposition stage is configured to carry out a direct baseband transposition of the signals having the first frequency.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first frequency of the input signal is a frequency of a RADAR signal.

8. An electronic device, comprising:
a frequency transposition stage having a first current output and a second current output, and
a transimpedance amplifier stage comprising:
a first amplifier end stage of the class AB type having an input coupled to the first current output;
a second amplifier end stage of the class AB type having an input coupled to the second current output;
a resistive divider circuit coupled between a first output of the first amplifier end stage and a second output of the second amplifier end stage, the resistive divided circuit having an output node;
a common-mode control circuit comprising a differential amplifier having a first input configured to receive a common-mode voltage and a second input coupled to the output node of the resistive divider circuit, the differential amplifier having an output coupled to control biasing of the first and second amplifier end stages of the class AB type.

9. The device of claim 8 , further comprising a preamplifier stage coupled between the first and second current outputs of the frequency transposition stage and the inputs of the first and second amplifier end stages of the class AB type.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the preamplifier stage comprises a differential amplifier circuit with an active load circuit coupled to receive a bias control signal output by the common-mode control circuit.

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Sa

Inventors

• Chabert Laurent

Classifications

• H03F3/19 Primary

  with semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H03F2203/45154

  the bias at the input of the amplifying transistors being controlled · CPC title

• H03F2200/451

  the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier · CPC title

• H03F3/45076

  characterised by the way of implementation of the active amplifying circuit in the differential amplifier · CPC title

• H03F1/0205

  in transistor amplifiers · CPC title