Apparatus and methods for multi-mode power amplifiers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9819310-B2
Application number	US-201615262416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2016
Priority date	Sep 29, 2015
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for multi-mode power amplifiers are provided herein. In certain configurations, a wireless device includes a multi-mode power amplifier including a plurality of amplification paths electrically connected in parallel with one another. The plurality of amplification paths includes a first amplification path including an input stage of a first stage type and an output stage of a second stage type, and a second amplification path including an output stage of the second stage type. The first stage type provides non-inverting gain and the second stage type provides inverting gain. The wireless device further includes a transceiver that provides a radio frequency signal to the multi-mode power amplifier, and that operates the multi-mode power amplifier in a selected power mode chosen from a plurality of power modes based on selectively activating one or more of the plurality of amplification paths.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless device comprising:
a multi-mode power amplifier including a plurality of amplification paths electrically connected in parallel with one another, the plurality of amplification paths including a first amplification path including an input stage of a first stage type and an output stage of a second stage type, a second amplification path having a fewer number of stages relative to the first amplification path and including an output stage of the second stage type, and a third amplification path including an input stage of the first stage type and an output stage of the second stage type, the first stage type providing non-inverting gain and the second stage type providing inverting gain; and
a transceiver configured to provide a radio frequency signal to the multi-mode power amplifier, and to operate the multi-mode power amplifier in a selected power mode chosen from a plurality of power modes based on selectively activating one or more of the plurality of amplification paths including the third amplification path.

2. The wireless device of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of amplification paths has about the same phase such that the multi-mode power amplifier is switchable amongst the plurality of power modes without phase discontinuity.

3. The wireless device of claim 1 wherein the first stage type is a common-base amplifier stage and the second stage type is a common-emitter amplifier stage.

4. The wireless device of claim 1 wherein the first stage type is a common-gate amplifier stage and the second stage type is a common-source amplifier stage.

5. The wireless device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of power modes includes a first power mode in which the first amplification path is activated and the second amplification path is deactivated, and a second power mode in which the first amplification path is deactivated and the second amplification path is activated.

6. The wireless device of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier further includes a bias circuit configured to bias the first amplification path based on the selected power mode.

7. The wireless device of claim 6 wherein the bias circuit is configured to bias two or more of the plurality of amplification paths as a multi-throw switch.

8. The wireless device of claim 1 further comprising a power management system configured to generate one or more power amplifier supply voltages of the plurality of amplification paths based on the selected power mode.

9. A multi-mode power amplifier comprising:
a first amplification path electrically connected between a radio frequency input and a radio frequency output, the first amplification path including an input stage of a first stage type and an output stage of a second stage type, the first stage type providing non-inverting gain and the second stage type providing inverting gain;
a second amplification path electrically connected in parallel with the first amplification path between the radio frequency input and the radio frequency output, the second amplification path having a fewer number of stages relative to the first amplification path and including an output stage of the second stage type;
a third amplification path including an input stage of the first stage type and an output stage of the second stage type; and
a bias circuit configured to bias the first amplification and the second amplification path, the bias circuit configured to receive a mode control signal that is operable to control a power mode of the multi-mode power amplifier based on selectively activating the first amplification path, the second amplification path, and the third amplification path.

10. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 9 wherein the first amplification path and the second amplification path have about the same phase such that the multi-mode power amplifier is switchable amongst a plurality of power modes without phase discontinuity.

11. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 9 wherein the first stage type is a common-base amplifier stage and the second stage type is a common-emitter amplifier stage.

12. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 9 wherein the first stage type is a common-gate amplifier stage and the second stage type is a common-source amplifier stage.

13. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 9 wherein the multi-mode power amplifier is operable in a plurality of power modes including a first power mode in which the first amplification path is activated and the second amplification path is deactivated, and a second power mode in which the first amplification path is deactivated and the second amplification path is activated.

14. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 9 wherein the power amplifier is configured to bias the input stage of the second amplification path and the input stage of the third amplification path as a multi-throw switch.

15. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 9 wherein the first amplification path, the second amplification path, and the third amplification path about the same phase such that the multi-mode power amplifier is switchable amongst a plurality of power modes without phase discontinuity.

16. A packaged module comprising:
a package substrate; and
an integrated circuit on the package substrate, the integrated circuit including a multi-mode power amplifier including a plurality of amplification paths electrically connected in parallel with one another and including a first amplification path including an input stage of a first stage type and an output stage of a second stage type, a second amplification path having a fewer number of stages relative to the first amplification path and including an output stage of the second stage type, and a third amplification path including an input stage of the first stage type and an output stage of the second stage type, the first stage type providing non-inverting gain and the second stage type providing inverting gain, the multi-mode power amplifier further including a bias circuit configured to receive a mode control signal that is operable to control a power mode of the multi-mode power amplifier based on selectively activating one or more of the plurality of amplification paths including the third amplification path.

17. The packaged module of claim 16 wherein each of the plurality of amplification paths has about the same phase such that the multi-mode power amplifier is switchable amongst a plurality of modes without phase discontinuity.

18. The packaged module of claim 16 wherein the first stage type is a common-base amplifier stage and the second stage type is a common-emitter amplifier stage.

19. The packaged module of claim 16 wherein the first stage type is a common-gate amplifier stage and the second stage type is a common-source amplifier stage.

20. The packaged module of claim 16 wherein the bias circuit is further configured to bias two or more of the plurality of amplification paths as a multi-throw switch.

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Wu Andy Cheng Pang
• Chung Younkyu

Classifications

• H10W72/00

  Interconnections or connectors in packages · CPC title

• H10W90/754

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

• H03F2200/255

  Amplifier input adaptation especially for transmission line coupling purposes, e.g. impedance adaptation · CPC title

• H03F3/72

  Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal · CPC title

• H03F2200/336

  A I/Q, i.e. phase quadrature, modulator or demodulator being used in an amplifying circuit · CPC title