Integrated bluetooth and wireless LAN transceivers having merged low noise and power amplifier
AssigneeST-Ericsson SA
InventorLuc De Maaijer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A group of transistors operate as a combined power amplifier, to amplify signals to be transmitted, and as a low noise amplifier, to amplify signals which are received. In a first mode, the group of transistors is configured to amplify the signals to be transmitted by turning all of the transistors in both a first subset and a second subset on. In a second mode, the group of transistors is configured to amplify the signals which have been received by turning on the first subset of transistors and turning off the second subset of transistors.
Claims20
A combined power amplifier and low noise amplifier device comprising:
- a plurality of transistors connected to one another and configured to operate in a first mode as a power amplifier for a first signal to be transmitted by said device, and further configured to operate in a second mode as a low noise amplifier for a second signal, which has been received by said device,
- said plurality of transistors including a first subset of transistors and a second subset of transistors,
- wherein in said first mode said first subset of transistors and said second subset of transistors are configured to be turned on to operate together to amplify said first signal, while said first subset of transistors conduct said first signal in a first direction, a transistor among said first subset of transistors operating as a cascode, and
- wherein in said second mode said first subset of transistors are configured to be turned on with a low-noise attenuation polarity opposite to a power-amplifier polarity that said first subset of transistors has during said first mode, to operate as said low noise amplifier while said second subset of transistors are configured to be turned off, said first subset of transistors conducting said second signal in a second direction opposite to said first direction.
A method for amplifying received signals and signals to be transmitted in a combined power amplifier and low noise amplifier device, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of transistors connected to one another, said plurality of transistors including a first subset of transistors and a second subset of transistors;
- amplifying said first signals to be transmitted by configuring said plurality of transistors to operate in a first mode as a power amplifier, wherein in said first mode said first subset of transistors and said second subset of transistors are configured to be turned on to operate together to amplify said first signals, while said first subset of transistors conduct said first signals in a first direction, a transistor among said first subset of transistors operating as a cascode;
- and
- amplifying said received signals by configuring said plurality of transistors to operate in a second mode as a low noise amplifier, wherein in said second mode said first subset of transistors are configured to be turned on with a low-noise attenuation polarity opposite to a power-amplifier polarity that said first subset of transistors has during said first mode, to operate as said low noise amplifier while said second subset of transistors are configured to be turned off, said first subset of transistors conducting said received signals in a second direction opposite to said first direction.
A combined power amplifier (PA) and low noise amplifier (LNA) device, comprising:
- a first pair of transistors arranged in a common source mode configuration to receive and amplify equal but opposite polarity transmission signals when said device is in a transmit PA mode of operation;
- and
- a third and fourth transistor, a respective one of each arranged in a cascode configuration with a respective one of said first pair of transistors when said device is in said transmit PA mode of operation to facilitate amplifying said transmission signals, wherein said third and fourth transistors conduct said transmission signals in a first direction, and
- when said device is in said LNA receive mode, said first pair of transistors are switched off, and said third and fourth transistors operate as a common gate LNA to amplify a received signal by conducting said received signals in a second direction opposite to said first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.