Amplifier arrangement and method
Assigneeaustriamicrosystems AG
InventorMauro Afonso Perez
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An amplifier arrangement having a transistor arrangement comprising a first transistor (1) in common-emitter configuration and a second transistor (2) in common-base configuration. A switching device (7) couples, in a first mode of operation, the first transistor (1) to an input (3) of the amplifier arrangement and while the second transistor (2) forms a cascade stage. In a second mode of operation the second transistor (2) is coupled to the input (3). While high gain is achieved during the first mode, the second mode allows for high linearity without requiring inductive degeneration.
Claims15
Amplifier arrangement, comprising:
- an input to receive a signal to be amplified;
- an output to provide an amplified signal;
- a transistor arrangement comprising a first transistor in common-emitter configuration, and a second transistor in common-base configuration, which second transistor is coupled to the output of the amplifier arrangement;
- a switching device coupled to the transistor arrangement such that in a first mode of operation of the amplifier arrangement the first transistor is coupled to the input of the amplifier arrangement and the second transistor forms a cascade with respect to the first transistor, and such that in a second mode of operation of the amplifier arrangement the second transistor is coupled to the input of the amplifier arrangement, wherein
- the switching device couples the input of the amplifier arrangement to the transistor arrangement.
A method to amplify a signal with adjustable gain, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a signal to be amplified;
- amplifying the signal by means of a first transistor in common-emitter configuration having a cascade stage, in a first mode of operation, which cascade stage is formed by a second transistor;
- amplifying the signal by means of the second transistor, which is in common-base configuration, during a second mode of operation;
- providing an amplified signal;
- and
- feeding the signal to be amplified either to the first transistor in the first mode of operation or to the second transistor in the second mode of operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.