US 7,454,178 B2Granted

Low-loss transmitter module

AssigneeEpcos AG

InventorsChristian Block, Holger Flühr, Christian Hoffmann

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Abstract

A transmitter module of a wireless transmission system with at least one transmission path having a power amplifier disposed at the input side includes a low-pass filter disposed at the output side and an impedance converter disposed therebetween. The power amplifier and the low-pass filter are, thereby, disposed on the top surface of a multi-layer carrier substrate. Preferably, the impedance converter is disposed in metallization planes of the carrier substrate. The inventive integration of all of these components in one module especially allows for a step-wise impedance adaptation between the low-impedance amplifier output and the output of the transmitter module having a defined output impedance (e.g. 50 ohm), whereby the impedance adaptation is partially carried out by the low-pass filter. A multistage impedance adaptation allows for a reduction of, e.g., the length of the line sections used in the impedance converter and the signal losses involved.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A transmitter module for a high-frequency stage of a wireless communication system having an input impedance Zi and an output impedance Zo, the system having a signal path embodied as transmission path with an input side and an output side, the signal path being disposed between a signal input and a signal output to be connected to an antenna, the transmitter module comprising:

a carrier substrate having a top surface, metallization planes, dielectric layers between said metallization planes, and through contacts connecting ones of said metallization planes;
a power amplifier being disposed on said top surface of said carrier substrate and in the signal path on the input side thereof, said power amplifier having an output impedance ZPA<Zi;
a low-pass filter disposed in the signal path at the output side, said low-pass filter having an input impedance ZLPi and an output impedance ZLPo, said output impedance ZPA of said power amplifier being ZPA<ZLPi<Zo and said input impedance ZLPi of said low-pass filter being ZLPi<ZLPo≦Zo;
an impedance converter carrying out an impedance transformation from ZPA to ZLPi and being disposed in the signal path between said power amplifier and said low-pass filter;
and
at least one of said impedance converter and said low-pass filter having passive components at least partially embodied as at least one of:
conductor track sections in at least one of said metallization planes;
and
conductor track sections and layer regions of said dielectric layer disposed between said conductor track sections.

6 more elements

a carrier substrate having a top surface, metallization planes, dielectric layers between said metallization planes, and through contacts connecting ones of said metallization planes;
a power amplifier:
being disposed on said top surface of said carrier substrate;
being disposed in the signal path on the input side;
and
having an output impedance ZPA<Zi;
a first impedance converter disposed in the signal path at the output side, said first impedance converter being embodied as a low-pass filter and having an input impedance ZFICi and an output impedance ZFICo, said output impedance ZPA of said power amplifier being ZPA<ZFICi<Zo and said input impedance ZFICi of said first impedance converter being ZFICi<ZFICo≦Zo;
a second impedance converter carrying out an impedance transformation from ZPA to ZFICi;
and
at least one of said two impedance converters having passive components at least partially embodied as structured conductor tracks in at least one of said metallization planes.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/272,596Filed 14 Nov 2005 · continuation
Priority: DE 103 21 24712 May 2003
Published: US 2006/0121874 A18 Jun 2006
Granted: 18 Nov 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04B 1/0483
Circuits: transmitters with multiple parallel paths
H04B 1/0458
Circuits: arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages
H03H 7/0138
Frequency selective two-port networks: electrical filters or coupling circuits
H04B 1/48
Transmit/receive switching: in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter