Switch circuits having integrated overdrive protection and related transmit/receive circuits and mmic amplifiers
AssigneeCree, Inc.
InventorThomas J. Smith, JR.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Monolithic microwave integrated circuits are provided that include a substrate, a transmit/receive selection device that is formed on the substrate, a high power amplifier formed on the substrate and coupled to a first RF port of the transmit/receive selection device, a low noise amplifier formed on the substrate and coupled to a second RF port of the transmit/receive selection device and a protection circuit that is coupled to a first control port of the transmit/receive selection device.
Claims27
A monolithic microwave integrated circuit, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a transmit/receive selection device formed on the substrate, the transmit receive selection device including a first radio frequency (“RF”) port, a second RF port, a third RF port and a first control port;
- a high power amplifier formed on the substrate and coupled to the first RF port of the transmit/receive selection device;
- a low noise amplifier formed on the substrate and coupled to the second RF port of the transmit/receive selection device;
- a protection circuit coupled to the first control port of the transmit/receive selection device.
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9-10. (canceled)
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A circuit, comprising:
- a substrate having a switch formed thereon that includes:
- first radio frequency (“RF”) port, a second RF port and a third RF port;
- a first RF transmission path coupled to the first RF port;
- a second RF transmission path coupled to the second RF port;
- a first transistor that has a terminal coupled to the first RF transmission path;
- a second transistor that has a terminal coupled to the second RF transmission path;
- a third transistor that is coupled between a first node that connects the first and second RF transmission paths and a third reference voltage;
- and
- a protection circuit that is configured to turn on the third transistor in response to a level of an RF signal at the third port exceeding a preset threshold.
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23-26. (canceled)
A transmit/receive switch, comprising:
- a first radio frequency (“RF”) port;
- a second RF port;
- a third RF port that may be selectively connected to one of the first RF port and the second RF port;
- a first RF transmission path coupled between the third RF port and the first RF port;
- a second RF transmission path coupled between the third RF port and the second RF port;
- a first transistor that is coupled between the first RF transmission path and a first reference voltage;
- a second transistor that is coupled between the second RF transmission path and a second reference voltage;
- and
- a third transistor that is coupled between a first node that connects the first and second RF transmission paths and a third reference voltage.
31-37. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.