Macom Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.

Jean-Marc Mourant

James Joseph Brogle

Michael O'Connor

A balun is enhanced with design features that extend the operational bandwidth of the balun allowing the balun to operate at lower frequencies. The design enhancements also suppress resonances that otherwise cause sudden power drops at a resonance frequency while a load is connected between the balun's differential outputs.

Wideband passive balun including separate first and second high-pass filters having inputs thereof resistively connected to ground

A digital step attenuator (DSA) cell and related method are provided. The DSA cell includes a first branch comprising a first resistor connected, at a first side, to an input port and, at a second side, to an output port; a second resistor connected, at a first side, to the first resistor and, at a second side, to a first transistor and a third resistor connected, at a first side, to the first resistor and, at a second side, to a second transistor. Also included in the DSA cell is a second branch, in a parallel configuration with the first resistor, that includes a fourth resistor and a third transistor. Also included is a third branch, in a parallel configuration with the first resistor, that includes a fourth transistor. The first transistor, the second transistor, the third transistor, and the fourth transistor are configured to be operated independently.

Zero glitch digital step attenuator

A transmit-received (TR) switch is designed such that the receiver-side shunt PIN diode acts as a switchable shunt diode while the switch operates in transmit mode and acts as a limiter while the switch operates in receive mode. This is achieved using a DC Schottky diode between the receiver-side shunt network and the biasing network. While the switch operates in receive mode, received radio frequency (RF) signals that exceed a power threshold cause the Schottky diode to become forward biased, causing the shunt PIN diode to act as a limiter that protects the receiver from excessively high RF signal power. This approach affords a high level of protection using a small number of components and without adding insertion loss to the RF signal path.

TR switch with high RX power protection

Balun including a resistor in parallel with a transmission line and which is configured to distribute power loss over a greater frequency range

An enhanced current mirror can be utilized to accurately control a bias current associated with an amplifier. A current controller component (CCC) can employ the enhanced current mirror and can be associated with the amplifier. The CCC can comprise a comparator that can compare an adjusted supply voltage level to a reference voltage level, the adjusted supply voltage level relating to a supply voltage level of a supply voltage supplied to the amplifier and CCC. The CCC can control switching of an operational state of a transistor of the comparator to switch in or out a resistance of a reference resistor component associated with the supply voltage, based on a result of the comparison of the adjusted supply voltage level to the reference voltage level, to facilitate accurately controlling an amount of bias current associated with the amplifier. The CCC and amplifier can be situated on the same die.

Enhanced current mirror for multiple supply voltages

A hybrid diode silicon on insulator front end module and related method are provided. The front end module includes a transmit branch that includes a transmit circuit and a receive branch that includes a receive circuit. The receive circuit includes a low noise amplifier, a pin diode including an anode and a cathode; and a switch. The anode of the pin diode is operatively connected to an antenna switch port and an input voltage source. The cathode of the pin diode is operatively connected to a cathode of the switch. Turning on the switch facilitates a drainage of residual electrical current at the pin diode.

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Jean-Marc Mourant