Psemi Corporation

Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation

Conexant Systems, Inc.

Jianhua Lu

Peter Bacon

Naveen Krishna Yanduru

Edward Nicholas Comfoltey

Raul Inocencio Alidio

Michael Conry

Chieh-Kai Yang

Vikram Sekar

Hojung Ju

Chun-Cheng Wang

Dan William Nobbe

Damian Costa

Mats Lindstrom

Weinan Gao

Mark Santini

A limiter having a more ideal limiting function, a short response time, and an adjustable limiting threshold. In one embodiment, a self-activating limiter stack is coupled between circuit ground and a signal line between a source and a receiver. The limiter stack limits the power from the source when the voltage on the signal line exceeds the breakdown voltage of the limiter stack. The threshold of the limiter stack is controlled in part by a first control voltage applied to a control input. A rectifying power detector circuit connected between a node on the signal line and the control input of the limiter stack provides a second control voltage as a function of the signal power at the node. The combined first and second control voltages are applied to the control input to modulate the ON resistance of the limiter stack, thereby limiting the leakage power reaching the protected receiver.

Adjustable power limiter with integrated power detector

A fast response time, self-activating, adjustable threshold limiter including a limiting element LE, a first coupling element CEelectrically connected from a signal node of LE to a control input of LE, and a second coupling element CEelectrically connected from the control input of LE to a nominal node of LE. An initial bias (control) voltage is also supplied to the control input of LE to dynamically control the limiting threshold for the limiter. Embodiments include usage of self-activating adjustable power limiters in combination with series switch components in a switch circuit in lieu of conventional shunt switches.

Integrated switch and self-activating adjustable power limiter

An RF switching device having distributed shunt switches distributed along transmission lines to improve RF bandwidth as well as the signal isolation of the device. The shunt switches may be physically positioned on both sides of the transmission lines to keep an integrated circuit (IC) design essentially symmetrical so as to provide predictable and reliable operational characteristics. Some embodiments include stacked FET shunt switches and series switches to tolerate high voltages. In some embodiments, the gate resistor for each FET shunt switch is divided into two or more portions.

Radio frequency switching circuit and distributed switches

Self-activating adjustable power limiter

Radio frequency switching circuit with distributed switches

A broadband power limiter having a distributed architecture of multiple segments of self-actuating, adjustable power limiters, where the limiter segments are separated from each other along a signal path by intermediate matching inductors. The intermediate matching inductors are chosen to form, in combination with the capacitances of the limiter segments, an impedance matched, low-loss, broadband transmission line. Optionally, limiter segments may be configured with different sizes and stack depths in a 'tapered' architecture, such that different limiter segments have different power limiting response times and power handling capabilities. As each limiter segment initiates its power limiting action, power is reflected back toward the signal line, helping to trigger the power limiting action of the remaining limiter segments. Optionally, a power detector circuit may provide a more ideal limiting function by modulating the threshold power point of the limiter segments as a function of the transient signal voltage.

Broadband power limiter

A capacitance discharge limiter in which a DC transition protection circuit is provided in a circuit that includes a discharge circuit (which may be a power limiter) between a source and a receiver, with a capacitor situated between the source and the discharge circuit. The DC transition protection circuit is coupled to a reference voltage and to the control voltage input of the discharge circuit, and also between the capacitor and the discharge circuit at a node. The DC transition protection circuit detects the existence of an excess DC or low frequency (typically less than about 1 MHz) voltage potential at the node caused by charge on the capacitor, and regulates the control voltage so as to enable the discharge circuit to discharge the capacitor to protect the receiver.

Capacitance discharge limiter

A variable feedback impedance is presented capable of providing high linearity (e.g. as represented by IPand IP) and high linear range (e.g. as represented by PdB) when used in a feedback path of an RF amplifier in the presence of high voltage amplitudes.

Amplifier with variable feedback impedance

A cascaded arrangement of resonant tanks capable of widening frequency selection and tuning within an RF circuit is presented. Moreover, usage of DTC allows for larger frequency tuning per tank as well as handling of higher voltage swings while maintaining high linearity across the tuning range.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Jianhua Lu