Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

Snaptrack Incorporated

Conexant Systems, Inc.

Nujira Limited

Philsar Semiconductor Inc.

Florinel G Balteanu

Serge Francois Drogi

Paul T DiCarlo

Sabah Khesbak

Peter Harris Robert Popplewell

Jakub F Pingot

David Richard Pehlke

David Steven Ripley

Boshi Jin

Shayan Farahvash

Roman Zbigniew Arkiszewski

Hardik Bhupendra Modi

Yevgeniy A Tkachenko

Yu Zhu

Jeffrey Gordon Strahler

Steven Christopher Sprinkle

Robert John Thompson

David Scott Whitefield

Martin Paul Wilson

Mark Tuckwell

Philip John Lehtola

Dylan Charles Bartle

James Henry Ross

Oleksiy Klimashov

Craig Joseph Christmas

Luigi Panseri

Christian Cojocaru

Nuttapong Srirattana

Yunyoung Choi

Atiqul Baree

James Cherry

Abhishekh Devaraj

Sachin Nagarajan

Kevin F Walsh

Jing-Hwa Chen

Stephan Henzler

Tirdad Sowlati

William Martin Snelgrove

Gregory Edward Babcock

Dominique Michel Yves Brunel

Rajasekhar Pullela

Mark M Cloutier

Neil Birkett

Thomas A D Riley

Jose Alejandro Macedo

Ionel Gheorghe

Norman M Filiol

Laurent Noel

Sabah Khesback

Apparatus and methods for radio frequency (RF) switch control are provided. In certain embodiments, a level shifter for an RF switch includes a first level-shifting n-type transistor, a first cascode n-type transistor in series with the first level-shifting n-type transistor between a negative charge pump voltage and a first output that provides a first switch control signal, a first level-shifting p-type transistor, a first cascode p-type transistor in series with the first level-shifting p-type transistor between a positive charge pump voltage and the first output, and a second cascode p-type transistor between a regulated voltage and a gate of the first level-shifting n-type transistor and controlled by a first switch enable signal.

Radio frequency switch control circuitry

Multi-level envelope tracking systems are disclosed. In certain embodiments, a method of envelope tracking includes amplifying a radio frequency signal using a power amplifier, supplying power to the power amplifier using a power amplifier supply voltage, generating a plurality of delay-controlled regulated voltages based on controlling a delay of a plurality of regulated voltages using a controllable delay circuit, generating a modulator output voltage at a modulator output of a modulator, providing filtering using a first filter coupled between the modulator output and the power amplifier supply voltage, and controlling activation of a plurality of switches of the modulator based on an envelope of the radio frequency signal. The plurality of switches are each coupled between the modulator output and a corresponding one of the plurality of delay-controlled regulated voltages.

Multi-level envelope tracking systems with separate DC and AC paths

Apparatus and methods for adaptive power amplifier biasing are provided. In certain embodiments, a power amplifier system includes a power amplifier that provides amplification to a radio frequency (RF) signal, and a power amplifier bias control circuit that generates a bias signal of the power amplifier based on a bandwidth signal indicating a bandwidth of the RF signal. The power amplifier bias control circuit has a bandwidth that adapts to the bandwidth of the RF signal as indicated by the bandwidth signal.

Apparatus and methods for adaptive power amplifier biasing

Mobile devices with dual conversion of multiple frequency bands using a shared intermediate frequency are provided. In certain embodiments, a mobile device includes a frequency range two (FR) front end system configured to upconvert a first intermediate frequency (IF) transmit signal to generate a first radio frequency (RF) transmit signal of a first frequency band in FRof 5G, and to upconvert a second IF transmit signal to generate a second RF transmit signal of a second frequency band in FR. The mobile device further includes a transceiver configured to generate the first IF transmit signal and the second IF transmit signal on a common intermediate frequency.

Mobile devices with dual conversion of multiple frequency bands using a shared intermediate frequency

Envelope tracking systems for power amplifiers are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an envelope tracker is provided for a power amplifier that amplifies a radio frequency (RF) signal. The envelope tracker controls a power amplifier supply voltage of the power amplifier based on an envelope signal indicating an envelope of the RF signal. The envelope tracker includes a first controllable resistance between a first regulated voltage and the power amplifier supply voltage and a second controllable resistance between a second regulated voltage and the power amplifier supply voltage. The first regulated voltage and the second regulated voltage are of different voltage levels.

Apparatus and methods for envelope tracking

Multi-level envelope tracking systems are provided. In certain embodiments, an envelope tracking system includes a first power amplifier that amplifies a first radio frequency (RF) signal and receives power from a first power amplifier supply voltage, a second power amplifier that amplifies a second RF signal and receives power from a second power amplifier supply voltage, and an envelope tracker including a first modulator that controls the first power amplifier supply voltage based on a plurality of regulated voltages and a first envelope signal corresponding to an envelope of the first RF signal, a second modulator that controls the second power amplifier supply voltage based on the regulated voltages and a second envelope signal corresponding to an envelope of the second RF signal, and a switching point adaptation circuit that controls a voltage level of at least one of the regulated voltages based on a radio frequency power level.

Multi-level envelope tracking systems with adjusted voltage steps

Power amplifier modules with controllable envelope tracking noise filters are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an envelope tracking system includes a power amplifier module and an envelope tracker that provides the power amplifier module with a power amplifier supply voltage that changes based on an envelope of a radio frequency (RF) signal amplified by the power amplifier module. The power amplifier module includes a controllable filter that filters the power amplifier supply voltage to provide flexibility in filtering envelope tracking noise.

Power amplifier modules with controllable envelope tracking noise filters

Apparatus and methods for signal conditioning of radio frequency signals are provided. In certain embodiments, a mobile device includes a transceiver configured to output a differential transmit signal and to receive a single-ended receive signal, and a front end system. The front end system includes a transmit balun, a differential transmit amplifier configured to amplify the differential transmit signal to generate an amplified differential transmit signal provided to a first winding of the transmit balun, a differential receive amplifier configured to amplify a differential receive signal received from the first winding to generate an amplified differential receive signal, and a receive balun configured to convert the amplified differential receive signal into the single-ended receive signal.

Signal conditioning circuits for coupling to antenna

Apparatus and methods for envelope controlled radio frequency (RF) switches are provided. In certain embodiments, a power amplifier provides an RF signal to an antenna by way of an RF switch. Additionally, the envelope signal is used not only to control a power amplifier supply voltage of the power amplifier, but also to control a regulated voltage used to turn on the RF switch. For example, a level shifter can use a regulated voltage from charge pump circuitry to turn on the RF switch, and the envelope signal can be provided to the charge pump circuitry and used to control the voltage level of the regulated voltage over time.

Envelope controlled radio frequency switches

Envelope tracking systems with modeling for power amplifier supply voltage filtering are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an envelope tracking system includes a supply voltage filter, a power amplifier that receives a power amplifier supply voltage through the supply voltage filter, and an envelope tracker that generates the power amplifier supply voltage. The power amplifier provides amplification to a radio frequency (RF) signal that is generated based on digital signal data, and the envelope tracker generates the power amplifier supply voltage based on an envelope signal corresponding to an envelope of the RF signal. The envelope tracking system further includes digital modeling circuitry that models the supply voltage filter and operates to digitally compensate the digital signal data for effects of the supply voltage filter, such as distortion.

Envelope tracking system with modeling of a power amplifier supply voltage filter

Disclosed herein are silicon-on-insulator (SOI) switches and associated control circuits having level shifters configured to provide increased voltages (positive and/or negative) to the switches. The disclosed level shifters can be configured to provide increased voltages and can be used with high-linearity switches and/or can improve the linearity of switches. The improved switch performance can improve front end module performance for applications such as carrier aggregation (CA) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) as well as with protocols such as Long-Term Evolution Advanced (or LTE-A).

Switches with voltage level shifters in radio frequency applications

Multi-level envelope tracking systems with separate DC and AC paths are provided. In certain embodiments, an envelope tracking system for generating a power amplifier supply voltage for a power amplifier is provided. The envelope tracking system includes a multi-level supply (MLS) DC-to-DC converter that outputs multiple regulated voltages, an MLS modulator that controls selection of the regulated voltages over time based on an envelope signal corresponding to an envelope of a radio frequency (RF) signal amplified by the power amplifier, an AC path filter coupled between an output of the MLS modulator and the power amplifier supply voltage, and a DC path filter coupled between a DC voltage and the power amplifier supply voltage.

Envelope tracking systems for power amplifiers are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an envelope tracker supplies power to a power amplifier that amplifies an RF signal. The envelope tracker includes a multi-level switching circuit that generates an output current based on an envelope signal indicating an envelope of the RF signal. The envelope tracker further includes a combiner that combines a DC voltage with the output current of the multi-level switching circuit to generate a power amplifier supply voltage for the power amplifier. Accordingly, the output current of the multi-level switching circuit and a DC voltage are combined to generate the power amplifier supply voltage. Implementing the envelope tracking system in this manner can provide enhanced efficiency and/or higher bandwidth relative to an envelope tracking system in which a multi-level switching circuit directly outputs a power amplifier supply voltage.

Multi-level envelope trackers with an analog interface are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an envelope tracking system for generating a power amplifier supply voltage for a power amplifier is provided. The envelope tracking system includes a multi-level supply (MLS) DC-to-DC converter that outputs multiple regulated voltages, and an MLS modulator that controls selection of the regulated voltages over time based on an analog envelope signal corresponding to an envelope of the RF signal amplified by the power amplifier.

Multi-level envelope tracking with analog interface

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Florinel G Balteanu