Qualcomm Incorporated

Xinmin Yu

Lai Kan Leung

Chirag Dipak Patel

Timothy Donald Gathman

Yunfei Feng

Rajagopalan Rangarajan

Li Liu

Jeremy Mark Goldblatt

Chuan Wang

Ravi Sridhara

Alaaeldien Mohamed Abdelrazek Medra

Bon-Hyun Ku

Aliakbar Homayoun

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and devices for wireless communication that support low noise amplification of mmWave radio frequency (RF) signals. In a first aspect, a low noise amplifier includes a first stage amplifier; a second stage amplifier; a configurable first stage bypass coupled between a first input and a first output of the first stage amplifier; and a configurable second stage bypass coupled between a second input and a second output of the second stage amplifier. Other aspects and features are also claimed and described.

Amplifier with low-gain architecture for mmWave radio frequency (RF) signals

An example apparatus includes a polyphase transconductance-capacitor filter. The polyphase filter includes a DC bias voltage node, a plus in-phase filter unit, a minus in-phase filter unit, a plus quadrature-phase filter unit, and a minus quadrature-phase filter unit. Each filter unit respectively includes an input node, an output node, and a control node. The polyphase filter also includes a plus in-phase switch and a minus in-phase switch. The plus in-phase switch is coupled to the control node of the plus in-phase filter unit, the DC bias voltage node, and the input node of one or both of the plus quadrature-phase filter unit and the minus quadrature-phase filter unit. The minus in-phase switch is coupled to the control node of the minus in-phase filter unit, the DC bias voltage node, and the input node of one or both of the plus quadrature-phase filter unit and the minus quadrature-phase filter unit.

Polyphase filter with interphase coupling

An apparatus is disclosed for bidirectional amplification with phase-shifting. In example implementations, an apparatus includes a phase shifter with a bidirectional amplifier. The bidirectional amplifier includes a first transistor coupled between a first plus node and a second minus node, a second transistor coupled between a first minus node and a second plus node, a third transistor coupled between the first plus node and the second minus node, and a fourth transistor coupled between the first minus node and the second plus node. The bidirectional amplifier also includes a fifth transistor coupled between the first plus node and the second plus node, a sixth transistor coupled between the first minus node and the second minus node, a seventh transistor coupled between the first plus node and the second plus node, and an eighth transistor coupled between the first minus node and the second minus node.

Phase shifter with bidirectional amplification

An apparatus is disclosed for phase-shifting signals. In example implementations, the apparatus includes a phase shifter. The phase shifter includes a first port, a second port, a vector modulator coupled to the first port, and a signal phase generator. The signal phase generator includes multiple amplifiers coupled between the vector modulator and the second port. The signal phase generator also includes multiple capacitors that couple the multiple amplifiers together to form a loop. Each respective capacitor of the multiple capacitors is coupled between a respective pair of consecutive amplifiers of the multiple amplifiers to form the loop.

Phase shifter with active signal phase generation

An apparatus includes a transformer including a first inductor, a second inductor, and a third inductor. The apparatus also includes a power amplifier having an output coupled to the first inductor, a low-noise amplifier having an input coupled to a first terminal of the third inductor, and a fourth inductor having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the second terminal of the fourth inductor is coupled to a second terminal of the third inductor. The apparatus also includes a switch coupled between the first terminal of the third inductor and the first terminal of the fourth inductor.

Interface for a transceiver

An apparatus is disclosed for bidirectional variable gain amplification. In an example aspect, an apparatus comprises an antenna element of an antenna array and a wireless transceiver. The wireless transceiver comprises a transmit path coupled to the antenna element, a receive path coupled to the antenna element, and a phase shifter disposed in both the transmit path and the receive path. The phase shifter is configured to operate in an active mode and comprises a first bidirectional variable gain amplifier and a second bidirectional variable gain amplifier.

Bidirectional variable gain amplification

In certain aspects, a receiver includes first amplifiers, wherein each one of the first amplifiers comprises an input and an output. The receiver also includes second amplifiers, wherein each one of the second amplifiers comprises an input and an output, and the outputs of the second amplifiers are coupled to a combining node. The receiver also includes transmission lines, wherein each one of the transmission lines is coupled between the output of a respective one of the first amplifiers and the input of a respective one of the second amplifiers. The receiver further includes a load coupled to the combining node, and receiver elements, wherein each one of the receiver elements comprises an input and an output, and the output of each one of the receiver elements is coupled to the input of a respective one of the first amplifiers.

Signal combiner

An apparatus is disclosed for mixing signals with a multi-mode mixer for frequency translation. In example implementations, a multi-mode mixer includes a supply voltage node, a ground node, a first data signal coupler, and a second data signal coupler. The multi-mode mixer also includes a mixer core and a current control switch. The mixer core is coupled between the first data signal coupler and the second data signal coupler. The current control switch is configured to selectively enable or disable flow of a current through the mixer core. The first data signal coupler, the second data signal coupler, the mixer core, and the current control switch are coupled together in series between the supply voltage node and the ground node.

Multi-mode mixer

The present disclosure provides an apparatus that includes a first mixer circuit configured to convert between an RF signal and an IF signal based at least in part on an local oscillator (LO) signal. The first mixer circuit is electrically coupled to a first node that is configured to receive the LO signal and a first bias voltage, a second node that is configured to receive the RF signal or the IF signal, and a third node that is configured to provide the IF signal or the RF signal. The apparatus further includes a second mixer circuit electrically coupled to a fourth node configured to receive the LO signal and a second bias voltage, the second node, and the third node. The second bias voltage has a voltage level that is offset from the first bias voltage.

Large-signal GM3 cancellation technique for highly-linear active mixers

An apparatus is disclosed for complementary variable gain amplification. In an example aspect, the apparatus includes a variable gain amplifier that includes multiple amplifiers. The multiple amplifiers include at least one first amplifier and at least one second amplifier cascaded together in series. The first amplifier includes a first set of transistors having a first doping type. At least a portion of the first set of transistors is configured to implement a first current mirror. The second amplifier includes a second set of transistors having a second doping type. At least a portion of the second set of transistors is configured to implement a second current mirror. The second current mirror is coupled to the first current mirror.

Complementary variable gain amplification

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described for enhanced broadband operation of an active mixer. In an example, an apparatus may include an active mixer that converts between radio frequency (RF) signals and intermediate frequency (IF) signals based at least in part on an alternating current (AC) local oscillator (LO) signal, wherein a direct current (DC) current generated within the active mixer is dependent in part on a bias voltage and the AC LO signal. The apparatus may include a mixer biasing circuit that generates the bias voltage for the active mixer, a magnitude of the bias voltage having an inverse relationship to an amplitude of the AC LO signal.

Enhanced broadband operation of an active mixer

Devices and techniques are described to extract specific frequency band signals from a wide-band radio-frequency signal. A network entity may include an antenna for receiving the wide-band radio-frequency signal and may include a receiver circuit for processing the wide-band radio-frequency signal. The receiver circuit may include a transconductance amplifier and a plurality of single-band circuits. The transconductance amplifier may be configured to generate an amplified wide-band radio-frequency signal and send it to one or more of the single-band circuits. Each single-band circuit may be configured to extract a different frequency band signal from the amplified wide-band radio-frequency signal.

Multi-band radio-frequency reception

In certain aspects, a circuit comprises a low noise amplifier (LNA) configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal, a first mixer coupled to the low noise amplifier (LNA), and a first trans-impedance filter coupled to the first mixer. The first trans-impedance filter comprises a tunable inductor and capacitor (LC) network configured to be a portion of a doubly terminated LC ladder filter and a trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) coupled to the tunable inductor and capacitor (LC) network. The circuit further comprises a second mixer coupled to the low noise amplifier (LNA) and a second trans-impedance filter coupled to the second mixer.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Xinmin Yu