Abstract: The present disclosure provides a vertical inductor structure in which the magnetic field is closed such that the magnetic field of the vertical inductor structure is cancelled in the design direction outside the vertical inductor structure, yielding a small, or substantially zero, coupling factor of the vertical inductor structure. In one embodiment, several vertical inductor structures of the present disclosure can be placed in close proximity to create small resonant circuits and filter chains.

Abstract: A band switch with a switchable notch for receive carrier aggregation is disclosed. The band switch has at least one input and an output with at least one series switch coupled between the at least one input and the output. The at least one series switch is adapted to selectively couple the input to the output in response to a first control signal. The band switch also includes at least one shunt switch coupled between the at least one input and a voltage node. The at least one shunt switch is adapted to selectively couple the at least one input to the voltage node in response to a second control signal. In addition, at least one notch filter is selectively coupled to the output in a shunt configuration, wherein the at least one notch filter is configured to attenuate signals within a stop band to attenuate harmonics and distortion.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to hybrid couplers for radio frequency (RF) signals. The hybrid coupler includes a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, a first inductive element connected from the first port to the third port, and a second inductive element connected from the second port to the fourth port. The hybrid coupler further includes a first capacitive element and a second capacitive element. The first capacitive element is connected between an intermediary node of the first inductive element and either the first port or the third port, while the second capacitive element is coupled between an intermediary node of the second inductive element and either the second port or the fourth port. Accordingly, the first capacitive element and a portion of the first inductive element and the second capacitive element and a portion of the second capacitive element each form a harmonic trap.

Abstract: A semiconductor device and methods for manufacturing the same are disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor stack structure attached to a wafer handle having at least one aperture that extends through the wafer handle to an exposed portion of the semiconductor stack structure. A thermally conductive and electrically resistive polymer substantially fills the at least one aperture and contacts the exposed portion of the semiconductor stack structure. One method for manufacturing the semiconductor device includes forming patterned apertures in the wafer handle to expose a portion of the semiconductor stack structure. The patterned apertures may or may not be aligned with sections of RF circuitry making up the semiconductor stack structure. A following step includes contacting the exposed portion of the semiconductor stack structure with a polymer and substantially filling the patterned apertures with the polymer, wherein the polymer is thermally conductive and electrically resistive.

Abstract: Circuitry, which includes a direct current (DC)-DC converter having a first switching power supply is disclosed. The first switching power supply includes a first switching converter, an energy storage element, a first inductive element, which is coupled between the first switching converter and the energy storage element, and a first snubber circuit, which is coupled across the first inductive element. The first switching power supply receives and converts a DC power supply signal to provide a first switching power supply output signal based on a setpoint.

Abstract: The present invention relates to estimating a battery current supplied from a battery to a switching power supply, which provides a regulated output signal to a load, based on a switching power supply current in the switching power supply, and then controlling the regulated output signal to limit the battery current to within an acceptable threshold. The switching power supply current may be provided by one or more switching elements in the switching power supply. The switching elements may be mirrored to provide a mirrored switching power supply current, which is used to estimate the battery current. The estimated battery current may include an estimated average battery current, an estimated instantaneous battery current, or both.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring a complex gain of a transmit path are disclosed. During a test mode, an IQ to radio frequency modulator modulates a quadrature RF carrier signal using a quadrature test signal. An RF to IQ down-converter down-converts a down-converter RF input signal to provide a quadrature down-converter output signal using the quadrature RF carrier signal. The down-converter RF input signal is based on the quadrature test signal and the gain of the transmit path. A digital frequency converter frequency converts the quadrature down-converter output signal, providing an averaged frequency converter output signal, which is a quadrature direct current signal representative of an amplitude of the quadrature test signal and the gain of the transmit path. Therefore, a measured gain of the transmit path is based on the amplitude of the quadrature test signal and averaged frequency converter output signal.

Abstract: Circuitry, which includes a linear amplifier, is disclosed. The linear amplifier has a linear amplifier output and includes an input amplifier stage and an output amplifier stage. The output amplifier stage at least partially provides an envelope power supply voltage to a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) via an envelope power supply output using a selected one of a group of linear amplifier power supply signals. The group of linear amplifier power supply signals includes at least a first bi-directional power supply signal. The input amplifier stage selects the one of the group of linear amplifier power supply signals based on the envelope power supply voltage and a setpoint of the envelope power supply voltage.

Abstract: Radio frequency (RF) front end circuitry includes one or more antenna ports, one or more RF switching ports, and an RF switch matrix coupled between the antenna ports and the RF front end ports. The RF switch matrix comprises a dual 4×4 multiplexer, and is adapted to selectively couple any one of the antennas to any one of the plurality of RF switching ports.

Abstract: Switching circuitry is provided for a mobile terminal having a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) mode of operation and a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode of operation. The switching circuitry includes resonant tank circuitry having a controllable resonant frequency and an output coupled to an antenna of the mobile terminal. The switching circuitry also includes a transmit switch that couples TDMA transmit circuitry to an input of the resonant tank circuitry when transmitting in the TDMA mode of operation, a receive switch that couples TDMA receive circuitry to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when receiving in the TDMA mode of operation, and a FDD switch that couples a FDD transceiver to the output of the resonant tank circuitry when in the FDD mode of operation. The controllable resonant frequency is controlled such that the transmit and receive switches are isolated from the antenna during FDD operation.

Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to radio frequency (RF) front-end circuitry for routing RF signals to and/or from one or more antennas. Exemplary RF front-end circuitry includes a multiple throw solid-state transistor switch (MTSTS) and a multiple throw microelectromechanical switch (MTMEMS). The MTSTS may be configured to selectively couple a first pole port to any one of a first set of throw ports. The MTMEMS is configured to selectively couple a second pole port to any one of a second set of throw ports. The second pole port of the MTMEMS is coupled to a first throw port in the first set of throw ports of the MTSTS. The MTSTS helps prevent hot switching in the MTMEMS since the first throw port of the MTSTS may be decoupled from the second pole port of the MTMEMS before decoupling the second pole port from a selectively coupled throw port of the MTMEMS.

Abstract: A circuit and method is disclosed that dithers a switching frequency of a DC-to-DC converter which gets modulated onto an RF carrier such that switching noise is spread over a given bandwidth that is wider than a communications measurements bandwidth. The circuit includes a switching circuitry adapted to transfer energy from a source to a load using a switching signal having a series of switching cycles and a switching frequency. Also included is a control circuitry adapted to generate a pseudo-random value near a beginning of each of the series of switching cycles to determine a maximum switching frequency value based upon the pseudo-random value. The method includes adjusting the switching frequency of the switching signal incrementally from a fixed minimum switching frequency value to the maximum frequency value and vice versa as a function of time during each of the series of switching cycles of the switching circuit.

Abstract: Radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) circuitry and a PA envelope power supply are disclosed. The RF PA circuitry receives and amplifies an RF input signal to provide an RF output signal using an envelope power supply signal, which is provided by the PA envelope power supply. The RF PA circuitry operates in either a normal RF spectral emissions mode or a reduced RF spectral emissions mode. When reduced RF spectral emissions are required, the RF PA circuitry operates in the reduced RF spectral emissions mode. As such, at a given RF output power, during the reduced RF spectral emissions mode, RF spectral emissions of the RF output signal are less than during the normal RF spectral emissions mode. As a result, the reduced RF spectral emissions mode may be used to reduce interference between RF communications bands.

Abstract: Pilot switch circuitry grounds a hot node (an injection node) of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch to reduce or eliminate arcing between a cantilever contact and a terminal contact when the MEMS switch is opened or closed. The pilot switch circuitry grounds the hot node prior to, during, and after the cantilever contact and terminal contact of the MEMS come into contact with one another (when the MEMS switch is closed). Additionally, the pilot switch circuitry grounds the hot node prior to, during, and after the cantilever contact and terminal contact of the MEMS disengage from one another (when the MEMS switch is opened).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an adaptable RF impedance translation circuit that includes a first group of inductive elements cascaded in series between an input and an output without any series switching elements, a second group of inductive elements cascaded in series, and a group of switching elements that are capable of electrically coupling the first group of inductive elements to the second group of inductive elements. Further, the adaptable RF impedance translation circuit includes at least one variable shunt capacitance circuit electrically coupled between a common reference and at least one connection node in the adaptable RF impedance translation circuit, which includes control circuitry to select either an OFF state or an ON state associated with each of the switching elements and to select a capacitance associated with each variable shunt capacitance circuit to control impedance translation characteristics of the adaptable RF impedance translation circuit.

Abstract: Integrated pulse shaping biasing circuitry for a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier includes a square wave signal generator and an inverted ramp signal generator. The square wave signal generator and the inverted ramp signal generator are coupled in parallel between an input node and current summation circuitry. The square wave signal generator generates a square wave signal. The inverted ramp signal generator generates an inverted ramp signal. The current summation circuitry receives the generated square wave signal and the inverted ramp signal, and combines the signals to generate a pulse shaped biasing signal for an RF power amplifier. The square wave signal generator, the inverted ramp signal generator, and the current summation circuitry are monolithically integrated on a single semiconductor die.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having improved heat dissipation is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a semi-insulating substrate and epitaxial layers disposed on the semi-insulating substrate wherein the epitaxial layers include a plurality of heat conductive vias that are disposed through the epitaxial layers with the plurality of heat conductive vias being spaced along a plurality of finger axes that are aligned generally parallel across a surface of the epitaxial layers. The semiconductor device further includes an electrode having a plurality of electrically conductive fingers that are disposed along the plurality of finger axes such that the electrically conductive fingers are in contact with the first plurality of heat conductive vias.

Abstract: A radio front end that includes a diversity switch module adapted to route diversity receive (RX) signals to transceiver circuitry from diversity antenna switch circuitry coupled to at least one diversity antenna port is disclosed. The radio front end further includes ultrahigh band (UHB) switch circuitry adapted to route UHB transmit (TX) signals from power amplifier and switch circuitry to a UHB antenna port and/or to at least one diversity antenna port. The UHB switch circuitry is also adapted to route UHB RX signals from the UHB antenna port and/or to at least one antenna port to the transceiver circuitry, wherein the UHB RX signals include band 7 (B7) wherein linearity of the UHB switch circuitry is greater than linearity of the diversity switch module.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a power device and power device packaging. Generally, the power device of the present disclosure includes a die backside and a die frontside. A semi-insulating substrate with epitaxial layers disposed thereon is sandwiched between the die backside and the die frontside. Pads on the die frontside are coupled to the die backside with patterned backmetals that are disposed within vias that pass through the semi-insulating substrate and epitaxial layers from the die backside to the die frontside.

Abstract: Embodiments include devices and methods for manufacturing a module having a first shielded compartment and a second shielded compartment, wherein the first shielded compartment is electrically isolated from the second shielded compartment. Electrical conductivity is controlled in a manner in which current flow between shielded circuits is directed to reduce or eliminate energy from being coupled between one or more shielded compartments on the same module. Each module may have a plurality of individual shielded compartments, where each compartment has a dedicated ground plane. The shields for each compartment may be tied to the dedicated ground plane of the compartment. Because the dedicated ground planes are not tied together, each of the shielded compartments on the modules remains isolated from all the other shielded compartments on the modules. In some embodiments having a plurality of shielded compartments, there is at least one isolated shielded compartment depending upon the design needs of the module.