# US 11,114,987 B2 · Switchable power amplification structure

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- Number: US 11,114,987 B2
- Document ID: US11114987B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/552,333
- Filed: 2019-08-27
- Published: 2020-09-17
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-14
- Assignees: Qorvo US, Inc.
- Applicants: Qorvo US, Inc.
- Inventors: Carsten Hinrichsen; Søren Deleuran Laursen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11114987B2

## CPC

- H03F 3/217: Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers
- H03F 3/72: Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal
- H03F 3/005: {using switched capacitors, e.g. dynamic amplifiers; using switched capacitors as resistors in differential amplifiers (H03F3/45 takes precedence)}
- H03F 3/189: High-frequency amplifiers, e.g. radio frequency amplifiers
- H03F 3/211: {using a combination of several amplifiers (H03F3/60 takes precedence)}
- H03F 3/24: of transmitter output stages
- H03F 2200/451: the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
- H03F 2203/7215: the gated amplifier being switched on or off by a switch at the input of the amplifier
- H03F 2203/7221: the gated amplifier being switched on or off by a switch at the output of the amplifier
- H03F 2203/7236: the gated amplifier being switched on or off by putting into parallel or not, by choosing between amplifiers by (a ) switch(es)
- H03F: AMPLIFIERS

## Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a switchable power amplification structure including a first power amplifier (PA), a second PA, a front switching structure, and an end switching structure. The front switching structure is coupled to a radio frequency (RF) input port, and the end switching structure is coupled to an antenna port. Herein, the first PA and the second PA are parallel to each other, each of which is coupled between the front switching structure and the first end switching structure. The front switching structure is configured to selectively couple the first PA and the second PA to the RF input port, while the end switching structure is configured to selectively couple the first PA and the second PA to the first antenna port.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus comprising:
a first power amplifier (PA) and a second PA;
a front switching structure coupled to a radio frequency (RF) input port, wherein:
the front switching structure comprises a first front switch, a second front switch, a third front switch, a fourth front switch, a first front capacitor, a second front capacitor, a third front capacitor, and a front inductor;
the first front capacitor and the first front switch are coupled in series between the RF input port and an input terminal of the first PA, the second front capacitor and the second front switch are coupled in series between the RF input port and an input terminal of the second PA, the third front capacitor and the third front switch are coupled in series between the RF input port and ground, the fourth front switch is coupled between the RF input port and the input terminal of the first PA, and the front inductor is coupled between the RF input port and ground; and
a first end switching structure coupled to a first antenna port, wherein:
the first PA and the second PA are parallel to each other, each of which is coupled between the front switching structure and the first end switching structure;
the front switching structure is configured to selectively couple the first PA and the second PA to the RF input port; and
the first end switching structure is configured to selectively couple the first PA and the second PA to the first antenna port.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first PA and the second PA are identical.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first front capacitor has a same capacitance as the second front capacitor, and has a different capacitance from the third front capacitor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first end switching structure comprises a first end switch, a second end switch, a third end switch, a fourth end switch, a first end capacitor, a second end capacitor, a third end capacitor, and a first end inductor, wherein:
the first end switch and the first end capacitor are coupled in series between an output terminal of the first PA and the first antenna port;
the second end switch and the second end capacitor are coupled in series between an output terminal of the second PA and the first antenna port;
the third end switch and the third end capacitor are coupled in series between the first antenna port and ground;
the fourth end switch is coupled between the output terminal of the first PA and the first antenna port; and
the first end inductor is coupled between the first antenna port and ground.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein:
the first front capacitor has a same capacitance as the second front capacitor, and has a different capacitance from the third front capacitor; and
the first end capacitor has a same capacitance as the second end capacitor, and has a different capacitance from the third end capacitor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein:
when the first front switch, the second front switch, the first end switch, and the second end switch are closed, and the third front switch, the fourth front switch, the third end switch, and the fourth end switch are open, the first PA and the second PA are both activated; and
when the third front switch, the fourth front switch, the third end switch, and the fourth end switch are closed, and the first front switch, the second front switch, the first end switch, and the second end switch are open, the first PA is activated and the second PA is deactivated.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:
when the first PA and the second PA are both activated, or the first PA is activated and the second PA is deactivated, input impedance seen into the RF input port maintains the same; and
when the first PA and the second PA are both activated, or the first PA is activated and the second PA is deactivated, output impedance seen back into the first antenna port maintains the same.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the input impedance is 50 Ohm.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the output impedance is 50 Ohm.

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first end switching structure further comprises a fifth end switch coupled between the first antenna port and a first RF receiving port that is separate from the first PA and the second PA.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:
when the first front switch, the second front switch, the first end switch, and the second end switch are closed, and the third front switch, the fourth front switch, the third end switch, the fourth end switch, and the fifth end switch are open, the first PA and the second PA are both activated;
when the third front switch, the fourth front switch, the third end switch, and the fourth end switch are closed, and the first front switch, the second front switch, the first end switch, the second end switch, and the fifth end switch are open, the first PA is activated and the second PA is deactivated; and
when the first front switch, the second front switch, the third front switch, the fourth front switch, the first end switch, the second end switch, and the fourth end switch are open, and the third end switch and the fifth end switch are closed, the first PA and the second PA are deactivated, wherein the first end switching structure is configured to conduct RF signals from the first antenna port to the first RF receiving port.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein:
when the first PA and the second PA are both activated, or the first PA is activated and the second PA is deactivated, input impedance seen into the RF input port maintains the same; and
when the first PA and the second PA are both activated, or the first PA is activated and the second PA is deactivated, or the first end switching structure conducts the RF signals from the first antenna port to the first RF receiving port, output impedance seen back into the first antenna port maintains the same.

### Claim 13 (depends on 4)

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein:
the front switching structure further comprises a fifth front switch, which is coupled between the RF input port and the input terminal of the second PA; and
the first end switching structure further comprises a fifth end switch, which is coupled between the output terminal of the second PA and the first antenna port.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the front switching structure further comprises a sixth front switch and a front resistor, wherein the front resistor and the sixth front switch are coupled in series between the input terminal of the first PA and the input terminal of the second PA.

### Claim 15

An apparatus comprising:
a first power amplifier (PA) and a second PA;
a front switching structure coupled to a radio frequency (RF) input port; and
a first end switching structure coupled to a first antenna port, wherein:
the first PA and the second PA are parallel to each other, each of which is coupled between the front switching structure and the first end switching structure;
the front switching structure is configured to selectively couple the first PA and the second PA to the RF input port;
the first end switching structure is configured to selectively couple the first PA and the second PA to the first antenna port, and comprises a first end switch, a second end switch, a third end switch, a fourth end switch, a first end capacitor, a second end capacitor, a third end capacitor, and a first end inductor, wherein:
the first end switch and the first end capacitor are coupled in series between an output terminal of the first PA and the first antenna port;
the second end switch and the second end capacitor are coupled in series between an output terminal of the second PA and the first antenna port;
the third end switch and the third end capacitor are coupled in series between the first antenna port and ground;
the fourth end switch is coupled between the output terminal of the first PA and the first antenna port; and
the first end inductor is coupled between the first antenna port and ground.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first end capacitor has a same capacitance as the second end capacitor, and has a different capacitance from the third end capacitor.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second end switching structure coupled to a second antenna port, wherein:
the second antenna port is separate from the first antenna port;
each of the first PA and the second PA is coupled between the front switching structure and the second end switching structure; and
the second end switching structure is configured to selectively couple the first PA and the second PA to the second antenna port.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first end switching structure and the second end switching structure are identical.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first front capacitor has a same capacitance as the second front capacitor, and has a different capacitance from the third front capacitor.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:
the first end switching structure comprises a first end switch, a second end switch, a third end switch, a fourth end switch, a fifth end switch, a first end capacitor, a second end capacitor, a third end capacitor, and a first end inductor, wherein:
the first end switch and the first end capacitor are coupled in series between an output terminal of the first PA and the first antenna port;
the second end switch and the second end capacitor are coupled in series between an output terminal of the second PA and the first antenna port;
the third end switch and the third end capacitor are coupled in series between the first antenna port and ground;
the fourth end switch is coupled between the output terminal of the first PA and the first antenna port;
the fifth end switch is coupled between the first antenna port and a first RF receiving port; and
the first end inductor is coupled between the first antenna port and ground; and
the second end switching structure comprises a sixth end switch, a seventh end switch, an eighth end switch, a ninth end switch, a tenth end switch, a fourth end capacitor, a fifth end capacitor, a sixth end capacitor, and a second end inductor, wherein:
the sixth end switch and the fourth end capacitor are coupled in series between the output terminal of the first PA and the second antenna port;
the seventh end switch and the fifth end capacitor are coupled in series between the output terminal of the second PA and the second antenna port;
the eighth end switch and the sixth end capacitor are coupled in series between the second antenna port and ground;
the ninth end switch is coupled between the output terminal of the first PA and the second antenna port;
the tenth end switch is coupled between the second antenna port and a second RF receiving port; and
the second end inductor is coupled between the second antenna port and ground.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The apparatus of claim 20 wherein:
the first front capacitor has a same capacitance as the second front capacitor, and has a different capacitance from the third front capacitor;
the first end capacitor has a same capacitance as the second end capacitor, and has a different capacitance from the third end capacitor; and
the fourth end capacitor has a same capacitance as the fifth end capacitor, and has a different capacitance from the sixth end capacitor.