Multimode RF amplifier system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9515621-B2
Application number	US-201213689883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2012
Priority date	Nov 30, 2011
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Multimode radio frequency (RF) amplifier systems and techniques are disclosed. In one embodiment, a multimode radio frequency (RF) amplifier system has a first RF amplifier and a second RF amplifier. The first RF amplifier may support a first RF communication standard. The second RF amplifier may support a second RF communication standard. The first RF amplifier includes an auxiliary circuit. The auxiliary circuit may provide a service or a utility to a second RF amplifier. For example, the auxiliary circuit may generate a supply voltage to power the second RF amplifier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multimode radio frequency (RF) amplifier system comprising:
a first semiconductor die;
a first RF amplifier formed on the first semiconductor die and including an auxiliary circuit formed on the same first semiconductor die as the first RF amplifier, wherein the first RF amplifier is configured to:
receive a first modulated RF input signal;
generate a first modulated RF output signal based on the first modulated RF input signal; and
provide the first modulated RF output signal for transmission; and

a second RF amplifier coupled to the auxiliary circuit, wherein the second RF amplifier is configured to receive a second RF input signal and generate a second RF output signal based on the second RF input signal, wherein:
operation of the first RF amplifier and the auxiliary circuit are mutually exclusive such that:
when the first RF amplifier is ON, the auxiliary circuit is OFF, and
when the auxiliary circuit is ON, the first RF amplifier is OFF;

the second RF amplifier is electromagnetically isolated from the first RF amplifier; and
the auxiliary circuit is configured to provide a utility to the second RF amplifier.

2. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 1 wherein the utility provided to the second RF amplifier enables the second RF amplifier to generate the second RF output signal.

3. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 1 wherein:
the first RF amplifier includes a transmit enable signal having a transmit enabled state and a transmit disabled state; and
the auxiliary circuit is further configured to provide the utility to the second RF amplifier only while the transmit enable signal is set to the transmit disabled state.

4. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 1 wherein the utility provided by the auxiliary circuit to the second RF amplifier comprises:
generating a supply voltage; and
providing the supply voltage to the second RF amplifier.

5. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 4 further comprising a power source voltage input configured to receive a power source voltage; and
wherein the auxiliary circuit is further configured to boost the power source voltage to generate the supply voltage.

6. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 4 wherein the auxiliary circuit comprises:
a power source voltage input configured to receive a power source voltage; and
a switching network including a first flying capacitor interface configured to communicatively couple the switching network to a first terminal of a first flying capacitor and a second terminal of the first flying capacitor; and
wherein the auxiliary circuit is further configured to generate the supply voltage as a function of a first flying capacitor voltage developed across the first flying capacitor interface, the switching network, and the power source voltage.

7. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 6 wherein the switching network further comprises a second flying capacitor interface configured to communicatively couple the switching network to a first terminal of a second flying capacitor and a second terminal of the second flying capacitor; and
wherein the auxiliary circuit is further configured to generate the supply voltage as a function of the first flying capacitor voltage developed across the first flying capacitor interface, a second flying capacitor voltage developed across the second flying capacitor interface, the switching network, and the power source voltage.

8. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 4 wherein:
the supply voltage is a modulated supply voltage; and
the auxiliary circuit further comprises:
a power source voltage input configured to receive a power source voltage; and
a target supply voltage input configured to receive a target supply voltage that substantially tracks an envelope of a modulated RF input signal provided to the second RF amplifier; and

wherein the auxiliary circuit is further configured to generate the modulated supply voltage as a function of the target supply voltage.

9. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 8 wherein the target supply voltage is for envelope tracking at least one of a 3G signal and a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) signal.

10. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 4 wherein the auxiliary circuit is further configured to operate as a bang-bang power supply converter configured to generate the supply voltage.

11. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 4 wherein the auxiliary circuit is further configured to generate the supply voltage to substantially track an envelope of a second modulated RF input signal to be transmitted by the second RF amplifier.

12. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 4 wherein the auxiliary circuit is configured to operate as a boost power supply converter to generate the supply voltage.

13. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 4 wherein the auxiliary circuit is further configured to operate as a buck-boost power supply converter to generate the supply voltage.

14. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 13 wherein the auxiliary circuit is further configured to generate the supply voltage to substantially track an envelope of a modulated RF input signal to be transmitted by the second RF amplifier.

15. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary circuit further comprises an auxiliary signal interface configured to:
interface with the second RF amplifier; and
provide the utility to enable the second RF amplifier via the auxiliary signal interface.

16. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 15 wherein:
the utility provided to the second RF amplifier that is not used by the first RF amplifier is a first utility;
the auxiliary circuit further includes a second utility; and
the auxiliary circuit further comprises control circuitry and the auxiliary signal interface is configured to provide the second utility, wherein:
the auxiliary signal interface is configured to interface with the second RF amplifier; and
the control circuitry includes a control interface configured to interface with a master device, and configured to govern the second RF amplifier via the auxiliary signal interface.

17. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 16 wherein the control interface includes a control bus interface configured to communicate with the master device.

18. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 17 wherein the control bus interface includes a serial bus interface.

19. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 17 wherein the control bus interface includes a parallel bus interface.

20. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 16 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to govern an operation of the first RF amplifier.

21. The multimode RF amplifier system of claim 16 wherein the control interface comprises a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) RF front-end (RFFE) control interface.

22. A radio frequency (RF) amplification device comprising:
a semiconductor die;
an RF power converter formed on the semiconductor die, wherein the RF power converter is configured to generate a regulated supply voltage from a power source voltage and a modulated supply voltage from the power source voltage;
a first RF amplification circuit formed on the semiconductor die, wherein the first RF amplification circuit is configured to amplify a first RF signal using the regulated supply voltage from the RF power converter; and
a second RF amplification circuit ele

Assignees

• Rf Micro Devices Inc
• Qorvo Us Inc

Inventors

• Hietala Alexander Wayne
• Ortiz Jeffery Peter
• Halchin David
• Johnson Jackie
• Charles Wendel

Classifications

• H03F2203/7227

  the gated amplifier being switched on or off by a switch in the supply circuit of the amplifier · CPC title

• H03F2203/21145

  Output signals are combined by switching a plurality of paralleled power amplifiers to a common output · CPC title

• H03F3/195

  in integrated circuits · CPC title

• H03F3/211 Primary

  using a combination of several amplifiers (H03F3/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03F1/0277

  Selecting one or more amplifiers from a plurality of amplifiers · CPC title