Patents Examined by Hieu P Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11043919
    Abstract: A power amplifier includes a first bias circuit including a first and third transistor, a first sub-bias circuit, and an amplifying circuit including a fourth transistor. In the first bias circuit, a second terminal of the first transistor and a second terminal of the first sub-bias circuit are grounded, a control terminal of the first transistor is connected to a control terminal of the first sub-bias circuit, a first terminal of the first sub-bias circuit is connected to a constant voltage terminal, a first terminal of the first transistor is connected to a second terminal of the third transistor, a first terminal of the third transistor is connected to a control terminal of the third transistor. The amplifying circuit amplifies an input signal power based on a first bias signal from the first bias circuit to a control terminal of the fourth transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiko Yoshimasu, Tadamasa Murakami, Tsuyoshi Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11038469
    Abstract: A power amplification module includes a first transistor which amplifies and outputs a radio frequency signal input to its base; a current source which outputs a control current; a second transistor connected to an output of the current source, a first current from the control current input to its collector, a control voltage generation circuit connected to the output and which generates a control voltage according to a second current from the control current; a first FET, the drain being supplied with a supply voltage, the source being connected to the base of the first transistor, and the gate being supplied with the control voltage; and a second FET, the drain being supplied with the supply voltage, the source being connected to the base of the second transistor, and the gate being supplied with the control voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Shimamoto, Satoshi Tanaka, Tadashi Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11038465
    Abstract: An amplifier circuit is provided that includes an amplifier having a signal input and a signal output, the amplifier being configured to produce an amplified signal at the signal output, a feedback path coupled between the signal output and the signal input, and an amplifier linearity boost circuit positioned in the feedback path. The amplifier linearity boost circuit includes a non-linear current generator and a phase-shifting circuit, the non-linear current generator being configured to provide a non-linear current based on the amplified signal, and the phase-shifting circuit being configured to adjust a phase of the non-linear current to reduce an intermodulation distortion of the amplified signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Johannes Jacobus Emile Maria Hageraats, Junhyung Lee
  • Patent number: 11031910
    Abstract: A power amplifier module includes a power amplifier circuit and a control IC. The power amplifier circuit includes a bipolar transistor that amplifies power of an RF signal and outputs an amplified signal. The control IC includes an FET, which serves as a bias circuit that supplies a bias signal to the bipolar transistor. The FET is operable at a threshold voltage lower than that of the bipolar transistor, thereby making it possible to decrease the operating voltage of the power amplifier module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shota Ishihara, Yasuhisa Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11031914
    Abstract: A diode linearizer according to the present invention has parallelly mounting linearizer core units on a RF signal path via capacitors between the RF signal path and a ground, thus does not need a switch using an FET, for example, at a time of selectively operating a plurality of linearizer core units. Moreover, the diode linearizer does not need a capacitor in series for blocking a direct current between RF signal input and output terminals. Thus, a range of a gain which can be compensated by the diode linearizer can be increased. Furthermore, an insertion loss of the RF signal path in a state where the diode linearizer is off can be reduced, and a range of a gain expansion in operation can be increased. The switch is not used, or the number of elements of the capacitors which are needed is small, thus a circuit size is also small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Ko Kanaya, Kazuya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11031909
    Abstract: A group delay optimization circuit is provided. The group delay optimization circuit receives a first signal (e.g., a voltage signal) and a second signal (e.g., a current signal). Notably, the first signal and the second signal may experience different group delays that can cause the first signal and the second signal to misalign at an amplifier circuit configured to amplify a radio frequency (RF) signal. The group delay optimization circuit is configured to determine a statistical indicator indicative of a group delay offset between the first signal and the second signal. Accordingly, the group delay optimization circuit may minimize the group delay offset by reducing the statistical indicator to below a defined threshold in one or more group delay optimization cycles. As a result, it may be possible to pre-compensate for the group delay offset in the RF signal, thus helping to improve efficiency and linearity of the amplifier circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc.
    Inventor: Nadim Khlat
  • Patent number: 11025206
    Abstract: Provided is a power supply for envelope tracking, comprising: a first driving unit for finally providing a first current based on a preset and variably-set first high-frequency threshold or threshold interval; a second driving unit for finally providing a second current based on a preset and variably-set second low-frequency threshold or threshold interval; a third driving unit for providing a third current based on a delayed signal; and a superimposing unit for superimposing the first current, the second current, and the third current to provide a supply voltage of a radio-frequency power amplifier. A new power supply for envelope tracking is provided, which is capable of more efficiently providing a supply voltage of the radio frequency power amplifier by superimposing a first current to a third current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Inventors: Qin Xia, Shihong Yang
  • Patent number: 11025209
    Abstract: A power amplifier layout can include multiple cascoded devices each having a radio-frequency transistor coupled to a cascode transistor. An orientation of a radio-frequency transistor of a first cascoded device relative to a cascode transistor of the first cascoded device can be configured to be different than an orientation of a radio-frequency transistor of a second cascoded device relative to a cascode transistor of the second cascoded device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Philip John Lehtola
  • Patent number: 11025216
    Abstract: In one example an amplifier includes a bias circuit, an open-loop gain stage including a first PMOS having a gate coupled to a first node, a source coupled to a second node, a drain coupled to a third node, and a bulk coupled to the bias circuit, a second PMOS having a gate coupled to a ground node, a source coupled to the second node, a drain coupled to a fourth node, and a bulk coupled to the bias circuit, a first NMOS having a drain and a gate coupled to the third node and a source coupled to a fifth node, a second NMOS having a drain coupled to the fourth node, a gate coupled to the third node, and a source coupled to the fifth node, an adjustable resistor coupleable between the third and fourth nodes, and a buffer stage coupled to the open-loop gain stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Sudheer Prasad
  • Patent number: 11025205
    Abstract: When a potential difference V1 between a source terminal of an E-type FET (11) and a source terminal of a D-type FET (12) is larger than a threshold voltage Vth, a protection circuit (13) starts an operation to reduce the potential difference V1 such that the potential difference V1 is smaller than the threshold voltage Vth. This makes it possible to prevent destruction of the E-type FET (11) even when a signal to be amplified is an RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eigo Kuwata, Yutaro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11018638
    Abstract: A multimode envelope tracking (ET) circuit and related apparatus is provided. The multimode ET circuit is configured to provide an ET voltage(s) to an amplifier circuit(s) for amplifying a radio frequency (RF) signal(s) that may correspond to a wider range of modulation bandwidth. In this regard, the multimode ET circuit is configured to switch dynamically and opportunistically between different operation modes based on the modulation bandwidth of the RF signal(s). In examples discussed herein, the multimode ET circuit is configured to support a single amplifier circuit in a high-modulation-bandwidth mode and an additional amplifier circuit(s) in a mid-modulation-bandwidth mode and a low-modulation-bandwidth mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc.
    Inventors: Nadim Khlat, Michael R. Kay
  • Patent number: 11011813
    Abstract: A power amplifier module includes a first phase shifter, a second phase shifter, and an electromagnetic shield. The first phase shifter includes a first transmission line assembly to shift a first amplified signal by a first phase angle. The second phase shifter includes a second transmission line assembly to shift a second amplified signal by a second phase angle. The electromagnetic shield is arranged to shield the first transmission line assembly from the second transmission line assembly. The power amplifier module may have, for example, Doherty amplifier configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Ning Zhu
  • Patent number: 11012035
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein include amplifiers that are typically used in radio frequency (RF) applications. Specifically, the amplifiers described herein include one or more transient termination circuits coupled to transistor inputs. For example, the transient termination circuits can be configured to reduce the transient response for some signal energy at frequencies below a baseband frequency (fB) of signals being amplified while not similarly reducing the transient response for signal energy near a fundamental frequency (f0) of the signals being amplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Arturo Roiz, Justin Nelson Annes, Ricardo Uscola, Terry L. Thomas
  • Patent number: 11012036
    Abstract: A current reuse type FET amplifier according to the present invention has a capacitance provided between a drain of a first FET in a first stage and a gate of a second FET in a next stage, electrically separates a gate voltage of the second FET from a drain voltage of the first FET, and includes a control circuit controlling the gate voltage of the first FET and the gate voltage of the second FET so that a variation of a drain current of the second FET and a variation of a drain voltage of the first FET are reduced in accordance with a variation of a saturation current Idss of the FET. Furthermore, the current reuse type FET amplifier according to the present invention uses only a depression mode FET to provide a circuit configuration operable with a positive single power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Hitoshi Kurusu
  • Patent number: 11005432
    Abstract: An improved architecture for a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier, impedance matching network, and selector switch. One aspect of embodiments of the invention is splitting the functionality of a final stage impedance matching network (IMN) into two parts, comprising a base set of off-chip IMN components and an on-chip IMN tuning component. The on-chip IMN tuning component may be a digitally tunable capacitor (DTC). In one embodiment, an integrated circuit having a power amplifier, an on-chip IMN tuner, and a selector switch is configured to be coupled to an off-chip set of IMN components. In another embodiment, an integrated circuit having an on-chip IMN tuner and a selector switch is configured to be coupled through an off-chip set of IMN components to a separate integrated circuit having an RF power amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: pSemi Corporation
    Inventors: Tero Tapio Ranta, Chih-Chieh Cheng, Kevin Roberts
  • Patent number: 11005438
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA), an input interface and input masking circuitry. The TIA is configured to convert input current pulses into output voltage pulses. The input interface is configured to receive a control signal indicative of one or more time intervals. The input masking circuitry is configured to prevent the input current pulses from saturating the TIA during the one or more time intervals indicated by the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Ido Luft
  • Patent number: 11005426
    Abstract: A receiver includes an amplification block supporting carrier aggregation (CA). The amplification block includes a first amplifier circuit configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) input signal at a block node from an outside source, amplify the RF input signal, and output the amplified RF input signal as a first RF output signal. The first amplifier circuit includes a first amplifier configured to receive the RF input signal through a first input node to amplify the RF input signal, and a first feedback circuit coupled between the first input node and a first internal amplification node of the first amplifier to provide feedback to the first amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Young-Min Kim, Jong-Soo Lee, Jong-Woo Lee, Joong-Ho Lee, Ji-Young Lee, Pil-Sung Jang, Thomas Byunghak Cho, Tae-Hwan Jin
  • Patent number: 10998859
    Abstract: A dual-input envelope tracking (ET) integrated circuit (ETIC) and related apparatus are provided. The dual-input ETIC includes an ET voltage circuit configured to generate an ET voltage based on an ET voltage and a first set of parameters. The ET voltage may be provided to a power amplifier circuit(s) for amplifying a radio frequency (RF) signal(s) in an ET power range. The dual-input ETIC also includes a target voltage processing circuit configured to generate the ET target voltage based on a second set of parameters. The dual-input ETIC further includes a control circuit configured to determine the first set of parameters and the second set parameters based at least on the ET power range of the power amplifier circuit(s). As such, it may be possible to optimize the dual-input ETIC performance in a wide-range of modulation bandwidth, thus helping to improve linearity and efficiency of the power amplifier circuit(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc.
    Inventor: Nadim Khlat
  • Patent number: 10992277
    Abstract: Certain aspects are directed to an amplifier. The amplifier generally includes a first transistor having a gate coupled to an input node of the amplifier, a source degeneration circuit, and a second transistor coupled between the source degeneration circuit and a source of the first transistor, a gate of the second transistor being configured to receive a gain control signal from a controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Li Sun, Dong Ren, Hao Liu, Sudheer Chowdary Gali
  • Patent number: 10985705
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to pre-distortion processing methods and apparatus. One example apparatus includes a first pre-distortion part and a second pre-distortion part. The first pre-distortion part includes N digital pre-distortion (DPD) processors. The first pre-distortion part and the second pre-distortion part perform pre-distortion processing on a signal to support a power amplifier in performing linear amplification on the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Vorobyev Andrey, Yiwei Hong, Ting Li