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Cascode amplifier with protection circuitry

A cascode and circuit technology, applied in the direction of amplifiers with semiconductor devices/discharge tubes, amplifiers, amplifier protection circuits, etc., can solve problems that affect the reliability and disadvantages of amplifiers

Inactive Publication Date: 2012-02-15
QUALCOMM INC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Stress can adversely affect the reliability of amplifiers implemented with these submicron transistors

Method used

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  • Cascode amplifier with protection circuitry
  • Cascode amplifier with protection circuitry
  • Cascode amplifier with protection circuitry

Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0013] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any design described herein as "exemplary" should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other designs.

[0014] The cascode amplifier with protection circuit described herein can be used in, for example, wireless communication devices, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices, wireless modems, laptop computers, cordless phones, broadcast receivers , Bluetooth devices, consumer electronic devices and other electronic devices. For clarity, the use of a cascode amplifier in a wireless device that may be a cellular phone or some other device is described below.

[0015] figure 1 A block diagram showing an exemplary design of the wireless communication device 100 is shown. In this exemplary design, the wireless device 100 includes a data processor 110 and a transceiver 120. The transceiver 120 includes a transmitter 130 and a rec...

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PUM

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Abstract

A cascode amplifier (300) with protection circuitry is described. In one exemplary design, the amplifier includes multiple branches coupled in parallel (310a, 310b, 310k), with at least one branch being switchable between "on" and "off states. Each switchable branch includes a gain transistor (312) coupled to a cascode transistor (314). The gain transistor (312) amplifies an input signal and provides an amplified signal in the on state and does not amplify the input signal in the off state. The cascode transistor (314) buffers the amplified signal and provides an output signal in the on state. The output signal swing may be split between the gain transistor (312) and the cascode transistor (314) in both the on and off states with the protection circuitry. Each transistor may then observe a fraction of the voltage swing.; The voltage splitting in the off state may be achieved by floating the gain transistor (312) and shorting the gate and source of the cascode transistor (314).

Description

Technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to electronic devices, and more specifically, to amplifiers. Background technique [0002] Amplifiers are commonly used in various electronic devices to provide signal amplification. Different types of amplifiers can be used for different purposes. For example, a wireless communication device such as a cellular phone may include a transmitter and a receiver for two-way communication. The transmitter can use a driver amplifier (DA) and a power amplifier (PA), the receiver can use a low noise amplifier (LNA), and the transmitter and receiver can use a variable gain amplifier (VGA). [0003] Submicron complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing processes are commonly used in radio frequency (RF) circuits in wireless devices and other electronic devices in order to reduce costs and improve integration. As the size of CMOS devices continues to shrink, sub-micron transistors are becoming more and more susc...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): H03G1/00H03F1/52H03F3/21H03F1/22H03F3/72
CPCH03F2200/294H03F2200/27H03F3/72H03F1/523H03F3/211H03G1/0088H03F2203/7236H03F2203/7215H03F1/223H03F2203/7206H03F1/22H03F1/52
Inventor 马尔科·卡西亚居坎瓦尔·辛格·萨霍塔
Owner QUALCOMM INC
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