Samsung Electro-mechanics Co., Ltd.

Qualcomm Incorporated

Yunseo Park

Chang-Ho Lee

Kyu Hwan An

Aristotele Hadjichristos

Wangmyong Woo

Jaejoon Kim

Young Kyu Song

Andrew Joo Kim

Youngsik Hur

Ryan David Lane

Xiaonan Zhang

Seongmo Yim

Babak Nejati

Minsik Ahn

Woonyun Kim

Xiaoming Chen

Jeongwon Cha

An inductor design on a wafer level package (WLP) does not need to depopulate the solder balls on the die because the solder balls form part of the inductor. One terminal on the inductor couples to the die, the other terminal couples to a single solder ball on the die, and the remaining solder balls that mechanically contact the inductor remain electrically floating. The resulting device has better inductance, direct current (DC) resistance, board-level reliability (BLR), and quality factor (Q).

Inductor design on floating UBM balls for wafer level package (WLP)

Exemplary embodiments are directed to an amplifier module which may comprise a transmit path including a first amplifier and a second amplifier. The exemplary amplifier module may further include a transformer coupled between the first amplifier and the second amplifier and switchably configured for coupling the first amplifier in series with the second amplifier in a first mode and coupling the first amplifier to bypass the second amplifier in a second mode.

Multi-mode multi-band power amplifiers

Some novel features pertain to a first example provides a semiconductor device that includes a printed circuit board (PCB), asset of solder balls and a die. The PCB includes a first metal layer. The set of solder balls is coupled to the PCB. The die is coupled to the PCB through the set of solder balls. The die includes a second metal layer and a third metal layer. The first metal layer of the PCB, the set of solder balls, the second and third metal layers of the die are configured to operate as an inductor in the semiconductor device. In some implementations, the die further includes a passivation layer. The passivation layer is positioned between the second metal layer and the third metal layer. In some implementations, the second metal layer is positioned between the passivation layer and the set of solder balls.

High quality factor inductor implemented in wafer level packaging (WLP)

Embodiments of the invention may provide for reducing interference in the front-end of a communications receiver. The cancellation circuitry may be utilized in conjunction with a preliminary rejection filter for improved rejection of out-of-band interference from other radio services or circuitry. The cancellation circuit may be placed in parallel with the preliminary rejection filter and may enhance suppression at the interference frequency by matching the gain and phase of the preliminary rejection filter prior to subtracting the matched signal from the preliminary rejection filter output. The cancellation circuit need not necessary know beforehand the characteristics of the preliminary rejection filter, the interference source, or the coupling mechanism, as it may adapt to unknown or varying interferers by adapting the matching gain and phase values based on the output of the preliminary rejection filter at tap points occurring both before and after application of the cancellation signal.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for reducing interference at the front-end of a communications receiving device

An analog-to-digital converter with a resolution booster is provided. The analog-to-digital converter may include a successive approximation analog-to-digital converter, a resolution booster, and an output combiner. The successive approximation analog-to-digital converter may be configured to convert an analog signal into digital data. The resolution booster may be selectively activated to enhance the resolution of the successive approximation analog-to-digital converter, and the output combiner may be configured to combine the respective outputs of the successive approximation analog-to-digital converter and the resolution booster.

Analog-to-digital converter with a resolution booster

Embodiments of the invention may provide systems and methods for minimizing phase deviation and/or amplitude modulation (AM)-to-phase modulation (PM) conversion for dynamic range, radio frequency (RF) non-linear amplifiers. In order to provide high dynamic range with reduced phase error, embodiments of the invention may utilize two separate paths for processing a signal. In particular, an input signal may be sampled and divided into each path. The first signal path may be used to shape a signal, and in particular, a voltage waveform at the load. The second signal path may be used for generating negative capacitances corresponding to the voltage waveform at the load. By combining the two signals at the load, a high-dynamic range, high-frequency, non-linear amplifier can be achieved that reduces phase error resulting from amplitude fluctuations with a relatively low unity-gain frequency (f) process.

Systems and methods for minimizing phase deviation and/or amplitude modulation (AM)-to-phase modulation (PM) conversion for dynamic range, radio frequency (RF) non-linear amplifiers

Embodiments of the invention may be directed to a continuous analog phase shifter for radio frequency (RF) signals, which can be integrated on a CMOS process or another compatible process where inherent process-dependent passive components such as inductors and capacitors may have low quality factors. Insertion loss degradation for a given amount of phase shift may be compensated by using an active compensation circuit/device that smartly controls negative resistance generated from the compensation circuit/device to cancel out finite resistance of a network, leading to very small insertion loss variation. According to an example aspect of the invention, improved phase linearity and increased phase shift for a given size may be obtained by incorporating the compensation circuit/device. Thus, example analog phase shifters in accordance with example embodiments of the invention may have one or more of low insertion loss variation, small size, and good phase linearity over more than a 360 degree phase shift.

Systems and methods for a continuous, linear, 360-degree analog phase shifter

Embodiments of the invention may provide CMOS power amplifiers with power mode control to provide the desired power-added efficiency (PAE), idle current, output power, and Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR). For instance, there may be a multi-mode WCDMA CMOS RF power amplifier having high/medium/low output power modes aimed to achieve high PAE and low idle current in a portable wireless environment. According to an example embodiment, a CMOS RF power amplifier may provide a plurality of separate signal paths for purposes of supporting multi-power modes. For example, there may be a first signal path which supports a high-power mode, and a second path which is subsequently divided into two recursive signal paths or sub-paths to support respective medium and low-power modes. One of the three power modes may be selected or controlled using bias control switches in the first and second paths.

Systems and methods for CMOS power amplifiers with power mode control

A power amplifier system can include a plurality of driver amplifiers and a plurality of power amplifiers, where each driver amplifier and power amplifier includes at least one respective input port and at least one respective output port. The power amplifier system also includes a shared inductive device that provides common interstage matching between the respective output ports of the plurality of driver amplifiers and the respective input ports of the plurality of power amplifiers. The shared inductive device can be a shared inductor or a shared transformer.

Sharing of inductor interstage matching in parallel amplification system for wireless communication systems

Systems and methods are provided for a transformer or balun function with reference enhancement. The systems and methods may include a transformer having at least a primary winding and a secondary winding for reference enhancement, where the primary winding includes a center tap, where the secondary winding includes a first port and a second port, and an electrical connection that electrically connects the second port and the center tap of the primary winding to provide a common reference for the primary winding and the secondary winding. The primary winding of the transformer may be configured to receive differential outputs of a power amplifier, and the transformer may be configured to convert the differential outputs from a balanced signal to an unbalanced signal available at the first port of the secondary winding.

Balun function with reference enhancement in single-ended port

Systems and methods are provided for positive and negative feedback of cascode transistors for a power amplifier. The systems and methods may include a first cascode stage comprising a first common-source device and a first common-gate device; a second cascode stage comprising a second common-source device and a second common-gate device; a first degenerative element or block provided for the first common-source device; a second degenerative element or block provided for the second common-source device; a first positive feedback block or element that connects a first gate of the first common-source device with a second drain of the second common-source device; and a second positive feedback block or element that connects a second gate of the second common-source device with a first drain of the first common-source device.

Systems and methods for positive and negative feedback of cascode transistors for a power amplifier

A power amplifier system in accordance with an example embodiment can utilize a transformer having a primary winding inductively coupled to a secondary winding, where the primary winding includes a center tap between a first port and a second port, where the secondary winding includes a third port and a fourth port, where the primary winding receives a first output from a first amplifier, where the center tap receives a second output from a second amplifier. The system can also include a first capacitor connected to the center tap and the first port; a second capacitor connected to the center tap and the second port; a first switch in electrical connection with the center tap, where the first switch can connect the center tap to a ground port; a second switch connected to the fourth port, where the second switch can connect the fourth port to a common node in electrical connection with the center tap; and a third capacitor connected between the common node and an output node connected to the third port from a system output can be obtained.

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Norcross, GA, United States of America

Yunseo Park