Power amplifier modules with bifet and harmonic termination and related systems, devices, and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9692357-B2
Application number	US-201514686666-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2015
Priority date	Jun 14, 2012
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

One aspect of this disclosure is a power amplifier module that includes a power amplifier die including a power amplifier configured to amplify a radio frequency (RF) signal, the power amplifier including a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) and a p-type field effect transistor (PFET), the PFET including a semiconductor segment that includes substantially the same material as a layer of a collector of the HBT, the semiconductor segment corresponding to a channel of the PFET; a load line electrically connected to an output of the power amplifier and configured to provide impedance matching at a fundamental frequency of the RF signal; and a harmonic termination circuit electrically connected to the output of the power amplifier and configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a harmonic frequency of the RF signal. Other embodiments of the module are provided along with related methods and components thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power amplifier module comprising:
a power amplifier die including a power amplifier configured to amplify a radio frequency signal, the power amplifier including a heterojunction bipolar transistor and a p-type field effect transistor, the heterojunction bipolar transistor including a collector, and the p-type field effect transistor including a semiconductor segment that includes substantially the same material as a layer of the collector of the heterojunction bipolar transistor, the semiconductor segment corresponding to a channel of the p-type field effect transistor;
a load line electrically connected to an output of the power amplifier and configured to provide impedance matching at a fundamental frequency of the radio frequency signal; and
a harmonic termination circuit electrically connected to the output of the power amplifier and configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a harmonic frequency of the radio frequency signal.

2. The power amplifier module of claim 1 further comprising an n-type field effect transistor, the heterojunction bipolar transistor including an emitter stack, and the n-type field effect transistor including a second semiconductor segment that includes substantially the same material as a layer of the emitter stack, the second semiconductor segment corresponding to a channel of the n-type field effect transistor.

3. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier die includes a gallium arsenide substrate, the heterojunction bipolar transistor and the p-type field effect transistor being disposed on the gallium arsenide substrate.

4. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein the collector includes another semiconductor segment having a different conductivity type than the semiconductor segment.

5. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor includes a base and an etch stop disposed between the collector and the base.

6. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein the load line and the harmonic termination circuit have separate electrical connections to the power amplifier die.

7. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein the harmonic termination circuit includes a capacitor external to the power amplifier die, the capacitor and the load line having separate electrical connections to the power amplifier die.

8. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein the harmonic termination circuit includes a conductive trace external to the power amplifier die, the conductive trace and the load line having separate electrical connections to the power amplifier die.

9. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein the load line and the harmonic termination circuit are electrically connected to different pins of the power amplifier die external to the power amplifier die.

10. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein the harmonic frequency of the radio frequency output signal is a second harmonic of the radio frequency output signal.

11. A power amplifier module comprising:
a power amplifier die including a power amplifier configured to amplify a radio frequency signal, the power amplifier including a heterojunction bipolar transistor and a field effect transistor, the heterojunction bipolar transistor including a collector, and the field effect transistor including a semiconductor segment that includes substantially the same material as a layer of the collector of the heterojunction bipolar transistor, the semiconductor segment corresponding to a channel of the field effect transistor;
a load line electrically connected to an output of the power amplifier and configured to provide impedance matching at a fundamental frequency of the radio frequency signal; and
a harmonic termination circuit electrically connected to the output of the power amplifier and configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a harmonic frequency of the radio frequency signal, the load line and the harmonic termination circuit having separate electrical connections to the power amplifier die.

12. The power amplifier module of claim 11 further comprising a second field effect transistor, the heterojunction bipolar transistor including an emitter stack, and the second field effect transistor including a second semiconductor segment that includes substantially the same material as a layer of the emitter stack, the second semiconductor segment corresponding to a channel of the second field effect transistor.

13. The power amplifier module of claim 11 wherein the power amplifier die includes a gallium arsenide substrate, the heterojunction bipolar transistor and the field effect transistor being disposed on the gallium arsenide substrate.

14. A power amplifier module comprising:
a power amplifier die including a power amplifier configured to amplify a radio frequency signal, the power amplifier including a heterojunction bipolar transistor and a field effect transistor, the heterojunction bipolar transistor including a collector that includes a first collector layer and a second collector layer, the first collector layer having a different conductivity type than the second collector layer, and the field effect transistor including a semiconductor segment that includes substantially the same material as the first collector layer, the semiconductor segment corresponding to a channel of the field effect transistor;
a load line electrically connected to an output of the power amplifier and configured to provide impedance matching at a fundamental frequency of the radio frequency signal; and
a harmonic termination circuit electrically connected to the output of the power amplifier and configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a harmonic frequency of the radio frequency signal, the load line and the harmonic termination circuit having separate electrical connections to the power amplifier die.

15. The power amplifier module of claim 14 wherein the harmonic termination circuit includes a first capacitor external to the power amplifier die and the load line includes a second capacitor external to the power amplifier die, the first capacitor and the second capacitor being electrically connected to the power amplifier die by separate interconnects.

16. The power amplifier module of claim 14 wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor includes a base and an etch stop disposed between the collector and the base.

17. The power amplifier module of claim 14 further comprising a second field effect transistor, the heterojunction bipolar transistor including an emitter stack, and the second field effect transistor including a second semiconductor segment that includes substantially the same material as a layer of the emitter stack, the second semiconductor segment corresponding to a channel of the second field effect transistor.

18. The power amplifier module of claim 14 wherein the semiconductor segment includes p-type gallium arsenide.

19. The power amplifier module of claim 14 wherein the harmonic termination circuit includes a first capacitor external to the power amplifier die and the load line includes a second capacitor external to the power amplifier die.

20. The power amplifier module of claim 14 wherein the load line and the harmonic termination circuit are electrically connected to different pins of the power amplifier die external to the power amplifier die.

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Hoang Dinhphuoc Vu
• Modi Hardik Bhupendra
• Sun Hsiang-Chih
• Zampardi Jr Peter J
• Zhang Guohao

Classifications

• H10W42/276

  the arrangements being on an external surface of the package, e.g. on the outer surface of an encapsulation · CPC title

• H10W20/0242

  comprising etching via holes from the back sides of the chips, wafers or substrates · CPC title

• H10W20/0234

  comprising etching via holes that stop on pads or on electrodes · CPC title

• H10W72/552

  comprising metals or metalloids, e.g. silver · CPC title

• H10W74/00

  Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings · CPC title