Variable gain control system and method for an amplifier
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorsMarco VIGILANTE, Chinmaya MISHRA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An amplifier circuit for a millimeter wave (mmW) communication system includes an amplifier coupled to a matching network, and a variable gain control circuit in the matching network, the variable gain control circuit having an adjustable gain control resistance, the adjustable gain control resistance having adjustable segments and a center node therebetween, the center node coupled to an alternating current (AC) ground.
Claims30
An amplifier circuit for a millimeter wave (mmW) communication system, comprising:
- an amplifier coupled to a matching network;
- and
- a variable gain control circuit in the matching network, the variable gain control circuit having an adjustable gain control resistance, the adjustable gain control resistance having adjustable segments and a center node therebetween, the center node coupled to a ground.
A method for providing amplifier gain control, comprising:
- amplifying a radio frequency (RF) signal with an amplifier circuit;
- coupling a common mode current to a ground;
- and
- independently varying a resistance of adjustable segments of an adjustable gain control resistance.
A device, comprising:
- means for amplifying a radio frequency (RF) signal;
- means for coupling a common mode current to a ground;
- and
- means for independently varying a resistance of adjustable segments of an adjustable gain control resistance.
A gain control system for an amplifier circuit, comprising:
- a transconductance amplifier coupled to a matching network, the transconductance amplifier comprising n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor devices;
- and
- a variable gain control circuit in the matching network, the variable gain control circuit having an adjustable gain control resistance, the adjustable gain control resistance comprising p-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor devices, the adjustable gain control resistance having adjustable segments and a center node coupled to at least a portion of each of the adjustable segments, the center node further coupled to an alternating current (AC) ground.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.