Direct Biasing A Gate Electrode Of A Radio Frequency Power Amplifier Through a Driver Stage
AssigneeAuriga Measurement Systems, LLC
InventorYusuke Tajima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A radio frequency (RF) circuit includes an amplifier circuit comprising at least one transistor amplifier having first, second, and third terminals. The RF circuit additionally includes a driver circuit comprising an enhancement-mode transistor and a depletion-mode transistor coupled in a cascade configuration having an upper portion and a lower portion, the driver circuit having an output coupled to an input of the amplifier circuit such that the driver circuit is capable of providing pulsed signals as well as a direct-current (DC) bias current to at least one terminal of a transistor amplifier of the amplifier circuit. A corresponding method is also provided.
Claims19
A radio frequency (RF) circuit comprising:
- an amplifier circuit including at least one transistor amplifier having first, second, and third terminals;
- and
- a driver circuit including an enhancement-mode transistor and a depletion-mode transistor coupled in a cascade configuration having an upper portion and a lower portion, the driver circuit having an output coupled to an input of the amplifier circuit such that the driver circuit is capable of providing pulsed signals as well as a direct-current (DC) bias current to at least one terminal of a transistor amplifier of the amplifier circuit.
A driver circuit for driving a power amplifier, the driver circuit comprising:
- one or more enhancement-mode field effect transistors having a gate terminal, a source terminal and a drain terminal, wherein the gate terminals of one or more of the enhancement-mode field effect transistors are coupled to a first input of the driver circuit and the drain terminals of one or more of the enhancement-mode field effect transistors are coupled to a supply voltage;
- and
- one or more depletion-mode field effect transistors having a gate terminal, a source terminal and a drain terminal, wherein the gate terminals of one or more of the depletion-mode field effect transistors are coupled to a second input of the driver circuit, the source terminals of one or more of the depletion-mode field effect transistors are coupled to a reference potential, and the drain terminals of one or more of the depletion-mode field effect transistors are coupled to the source terminals of one or more of the enhancement-mode field effect transistors to form a driver circuit output,
- wherein the enhancement-mode transistors and the depletion-mode transistors are coupled in a cascode configuration having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the enhancement-mode transistors are provided on the upper portion and the depletion-mode transistors are provided on the lower portion.
A method of driving an amplifier circuit, comprising:
- receiving first and second differential switched signals at first and second inputs of a driver circuit, wherein the driver circuit comprises one or more enhancement-mode transistors and one or more depletion-mode transistors coupled in a cascode configuration having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein a terminal of one or more of the enhancement-mode transistors is coupled to a supply voltage and a terminal of one or more of the depletion-mode transistors is coupled to a reference potential;
- generating a driver signal at an output of the driver circuit;
- and
- providing the driver signal to an input of the amplifier circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.