US 2014/0191801 A1 · BICMOS GATE DRIVER FOR CLASS-S RADIO FREQUENCY POWER AMPLIFIER

Abstract

The invention may be embodied in a resynchronizing, push-pull drive circuit for driving the gate electrodes of a digital Class-S Radio Frequency Power Amplifier (RF-PA). A binary bitstream received from a bitstream generator, such as a sigma-delta modulator, Viterbi-based optimal-bit-pattern modulator sigma-delta, or other suitable modulator, is resynchronized to a low-jitter master clock, then converted to fast-rise, high-swing complementary digital signals to drive the gates of the Class-S RF-PA. The drive circuit provides a high slew-rate, large-swing, quasi-digital gate drive circuit to drive the significant gate capacitance of the RF-PA with sufficient rise times. A combination of bipolar transistor current switches and cascoded CMOS devices is employed to attain requisite performance. For example, the driving circuit is well suited for use with Class-S RF-PAs used in wireless communication systems.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A gate driver circuit for driving gates of output transistors of a switching radio frequency power amplifier, comprising:

an input stage operative for receiving a bitstream digital data signal comprising a baseband digital data signal frequency-translated to a desired carrier frequency and converting the bitstream digital data signal into a pair of output stage input signals encoding the digital data signal;
an output stage operative for receiving the output stage input signals and generating nominally complementary output pulse signals at a pair of output gates encoding the digital data signal;
and
wherein the output stage comprises a pair of cascoded CMOS gate drivers connected in a push-pull configuration.

1 more element

A resynchronizing drive circuit for driving gates of output transistors of a switching radio frequency power amplifier, comprising:

a bitstream generator operative for encoding a baseband digital data signal into an input baseband signal to generate an information-bearing input baseband signal and frequency-translating information-bearing input baseband signal to desired carrier frequency to generate a bitstream digital data signal;
and
a gate driver circuit comprising:
an input stage operative for converting the bitstream digital data signal into a pair of output stage input signals encoding the digital data signal,
an output stage operative for receiving the output stage input signals and generating nominally complementary output pulse signals at a pair of output gates encoding the digital data signal, and
wherein the output stage comprises a pair of cascoded CMOS gate drivers connected in a push-pull configuration.

3 more elements

A switching radio frequency power amplifier system, comprising:

a switching radio frequency power amplifier comprising a pair of output transistors;
a bitstream generator operative for encoding a baseband digital data signal into an input baseband signal to generate an information-bearing input baseband signal and frequency-translating information-bearing input baseband signal to desired carrier frequency to generate a bitstream digital data signal;
and
a gate driver circuit comprising:
an input stage operative for converting the bitstream digital data signal into a pair of output stage input signals encoding the digital data signal,
an output stage operative for receiving the output stage input signals and generating nominally complementary output pulse signals at a pair of output gates encoding the digital data signal, and
wherein the output stage comprises a pair of cascoded CMOS gate drivers connected in a push-pull configuration to gates of the output transistors of the switching radio frequency power amplifier.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Bicmos gate driver for class-s radio frequency power amplifier

Life of this patent

Bicmos gate driver for class-s radio frequency power amplifier

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21