Doherty amplifier with peak branch RF conditioning
AssigneeAlcatel Lucent
InventorsBrian Racey, Igor Acimovic
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, a Doherty amplifier having a main amplifier branch and one or more peak amplifier branches, where at least one peak amplifier branch has RF conditioning applied to its peak branch input signal such that the peak amplifier branch is active only when the peak branch input signal is greater than a specified threshold level. In one implementation, a reverse-biased diode is configured between the peak branch input signal and a peak amplifier device, where the bias signal applied to the diode establishes the specified threshold level. Depending on the implementation, the bias signal may be static or dynamic, and multiple peak amplifier branches may have diodes with independently or dependently generated bias signals applied.
Claims16
An apparatus having an amplifier comprising:
- a main amplifier branch configured to amplify a main input signal;
- and
- one or more peak amplifier branches configured to amplify one or more corresponding peak branch input signals, wherein at least one peak amplifier branch comprises:
- an RF conditioner configured to condition the corresponding peak branch input signal to generate a conditioned peak branch input signal, wherein the RF conditioner inhibits the corresponding peak branch input signal having a magnitude below a specified threshold level from propagating along the at least one peak amplifier branch as the conditioned peak branch input signal;
- and
- a peak amplifier configured to amplify the conditioned peak branch input signal;
- and
- an output matching network configured to combine amplified outputs of the main amplifier branch and the one or more peak amplifier branches to generate an amplified output of the amplifier.
A method comprising:
- (a) amplifying a main input signal using a main amplifier branch;
- and
- (b) amplifying one or more corresponding peak branch input signals using one or more peak amplifier branches, wherein at least one peak amplifier branch:
- (b1) conditions the corresponding peak branch input signal to generate a conditioned peak branch input signal, wherein the conditioning inhibits the corresponding peak branch input signal having a magnitude below a specified threshold level from propagating along the at least one peak amplifier branch as the conditioned peak branch input signal;
- and
- (b2) amplifies the conditioned peak branch input signal;
- and
- (c) combining amplified outputs of the main amplifier branch and the one or more peak amplifier branches using an output matching network to generate an amplified output of the amplifier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.