RF amplifier module and communication terminal

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention relates to the field of electronic technology, and discloses a radio frequency amplification module and a communication terminal. In the present invention, the radio frequency amplification module includes: an input balun, an output balun and a power amplifier module; the input balun and the output balun are implemented by an integrated passive device process; the power amplifier module is arranged on a substrate, and the input balun is electrically connected to the output balun through the power amplifier module. The input balun and the output balun of the present invention are implemented by an integrated passive device process, so that the cost of the radio frequency amplification module is reduced, and the processing technology of the integrated passive device process is more refined, and the area of ​​the integrated balun module can be made very small, which ultimately reduces the area of ​​the radio frequency amplification module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of electronic technology, and in particular to a radio frequency amplification module and a communication terminal. Background Art

[0002] In wireless communications, RF power amplifiers are widely used to amplify RF signals to the required power level for wireless transmission of antennas. As a core component, the industry has been continuously working to optimize RF power amplifiers. Especially with the gradual adoption of full-bandwidth, antennas have increasingly higher demands on the output power of RF power amplifiers, which has put forward further requirements on the design of RF power amplifiers.

[0003] RF power amplifiers can be divided into single-ended amplifiers and push-pull amplifiers according to the architecture of their output stage amplifier circuits. In traditional wireless communication products, such as the RF power amplifiers used in mobile phones, they are all single-ended amplifiers. The output matching circuit is implemented on the substrate, which is generally composed of capacitors, inductors and the winding inductors of the substrate. The substrate of the single-ended amplifier is mostly a 4-layer substrate. The single-ended amplifier based on the 4-layer substrate has a small area, a simple structure, is easier to implement, and has a low cost. However, because the RF power of the single-ended amplifier is not high, the efficiency is not high, and under extreme conditions, the heat dissipation will be poor. Therefore, in order to improve the performance of wireless communication products, the industry usually considers the application of push-pull amplifiers.

[0004] The output stage of a push-pull amplifier generally has two amplifiers. When one path is working, the current of the path increases and the current of the other path decreases accordingly. Therefore, the states of the two paths are switched in turn, as if one path is pushing and the other path is pulling, and together they complete the task of outputting the current. The output stage of a push-pull amplifier is realized by two power amplifiers. The differential form of the phase is realized through an input balun at the input of the output stage, and the signal is combined through the balun at the output end of the output stage. Compared with single-ended amplifiers, push-pull amplifiers have high linear power and high efficiency, but because the output balun is realized by winding on the substrate, and because the ratio of the main coil and the slave coil of the balun is generally required to reach more than 2:1, the push-pull amplifier has a high requirement for the number of layers of the substrate, generally a 6-layer substrate. At the same time, the input balun of the output stage is integrated on the chip, resulting in a large chip area of ​​the push-pull amplifier, which also leads to excessive cost and cannot be widely used in wireless communication products. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a radio frequency amplification module and a communication terminal, so as to reduce the chip area of ​​the radio frequency amplification module and reduce the product cost.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a radio frequency amplification module, comprising: an input balun, an output balun and a power amplifier module;

[0007] The input balun and the output balun are implemented by using an integrated passive device process;

[0008] The power amplifier module is arranged on the substrate, and the input balun is electrically connected to the output balun through the power amplifier module.

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a communication terminal, including:

[0010] A radio frequency amplification module as described above.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the embodiments of the present invention are different from those of the prior art because the input balun and the output balun in the RF amplification module are implemented using an integrated passive device process, and the processing technology of the integrated passive device process is more sophisticated, so the areas of the input balun and the output balun can be made very small, which ultimately reduces the area of ​​the RF amplification module. In addition, the processing cost of the integrated passive device process is low, which also reduces the cost of the RF amplification module.

[0012] In addition, the power amplifier module includes a first amplifier and a second amplifier, the two ends of the main coil of the input balun are electrically connected to the input end of the first amplifier and the input end of the second amplifier, respectively, and the output end of the first amplifier and the output end of the second amplifier are electrically connected to the two ends of the main coil of the output balun, respectively.

[0013] In addition, the RF amplification module also includes a first signal input terminal, and the power amplifier module also includes a third amplifier. The first signal input terminal is electrically connected to one end of the slave coil of the input balun, and the other end of the slave coil of the input balun is electrically connected to the third amplifier.

[0014] In addition, the radio frequency amplification module further includes a first capacitor, one end of the first capacitor is electrically connected to the first signal input end, and the other end of the first capacitor is grounded.

[0015] In addition, the RF amplification module further includes a first signal output end and a second signal output end, and two ends of the slave coil of the output balun are electrically connected to the first signal output end and the second signal output end respectively.

[0016] In addition, the radio frequency amplification module further includes a second capacitor, one end of the second capacitor is electrically connected to the first signal output end, and the other end of the second capacitor is grounded.

[0017] In addition, the radio frequency amplification module further includes a radio frequency switch chip, and the radio frequency switch chip is electrically connected to the second signal output end.

[0018] In addition, the radio frequency amplification module also includes a second signal input terminal, and the second signal input terminal is electrically connected to the center tap of the main coil of the output balun.

[0019] In addition, the radio frequency amplification module also includes a third capacitor, one end of the third capacitor is electrically connected to the second signal input end, and the other end of the third capacitor is grounded. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] One or more embodiments are exemplarily described by pictures in the corresponding drawings, and these exemplified descriptions do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent similar elements, and unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute proportional limitations.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the radio frequency amplification module of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. ;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the radio frequency amplification module of embodiment 2 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that in the various embodiments of the present invention, many technical details are proposed in order to enable readers to better understand the present application. However, even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical solutions claimed in this application can be implemented. The division of the following embodiments is for the convenience of description and should not constitute any limitation on the specific implementation of the present invention. The various embodiments can be combined with each other and referenced to each other without contradiction.

[0024] The first embodiment of the present invention relates to a radio frequency amplification module, such as Figure 1 As shown, the RF amplification module includes an integrated balun module 1 and a power amplifier module 2. The integrated balun module 1 is implemented by an integrated passive device process, and the integrated balun module includes an input balun 11 and an output balun 12. The power amplifier module 2 is arranged on a substrate, and the input balun 11 is electrically connected to the output balun 12 through the power amplifier module 2. In practical applications, the input balun 11 and the output balun 12 can be arranged on the same passive module according to actual needs, or they can be arranged on different passive modules respectively, which is not limited here.

[0025] A balun is a broadband RF transmission line transformer that enables the connection between a balanced transmission line circuit and an unbalanced transmission line circuit by converting a matched input to a differential output. The function of a balun is to make the system have different impedances or be compatible with differential / single-ended signaling, and is used in modern communication systems such as mobile phones and data transmission networks.

[0026] The RF amplifier module uses an input balun to achieve phase differential at the input part, and uses an output balun to combine signals at the output part. In the prior art, the input balun and the output balun in the RF amplifier module are both implemented by winding on a substrate, and since the ratio of the balun is generally required to be above 2:1, the number of layers of the substrate is relatively high, and the number of layers of the substrate occupied by the input balun and the output balun reaches 3 layers.

[0027] In electronic products, the Integrated Passive Device (IPD) process technology can integrate passive devices into the substrate to form a functional substrate. However, 30% to 50% of the solder joints on the PCB (printed circuit board) using a substrate are passive devices, which not only occupy area but also reduce the reliability of the system. IPD can replace the surface-mounted discrete components on the substrate, reduce the area occupied by discrete components, simplify the surface mounting steps, improve integration, and avoid the parasitic effects caused by surface soldering in the RF band.

[0028] Currently available IPD technologies are divided into thick film technology and thin film technology. In this embodiment, the integrated balun module 1 adopts low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) process technology. Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) is a typical thick film IPD technology, which is widely used in civil communications and military electronics. This technology has become the mainstream technology of passive integration, the development direction of the passive component field and the economic growth point of the new component industry.

[0029] The input balun and output balun, which are the most complex parts of the RF amplifier module and require more layers of substrate, are implemented using an integrated passive device process. Therefore, compared with the traditional substrate structure, the substrate of the RF amplifier module of this embodiment can be greatly simplified, and the number of layers of the substrate can be reduced by at least 3 layers occupied by the previous balun. Therefore, compared with the traditional push-pull power amplifier module design, the chip area of ​​the packaged RF amplifier module will be greatly reduced, and the area reduction is about 30% or more.

[0030] Compared with the existing push-pull power amplifier modules in the industry, the RF amplifier module of this embodiment integrates the input balun 11 and the output balun 12 into a separate LTCC integrated balun module. Since the cost of LTCC is relatively low and the processing technology is more sophisticated, the area of ​​the integrated balun module can be made very small, thereby reducing the area of ​​the RF amplifier module and also reducing the cost of the RF amplifier module.

[0031] The second embodiment of the present invention relates to a radio frequency amplification module. The second embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, with the main difference being: Figure 2As shown, the RF amplification module also includes a RF switch chip 3, a first signal input terminal 13, a second signal input terminal 14, a first signal output terminal 15 and a second signal output terminal 16, a first capacitor 17, a second capacitor 18, and a third capacitor 19.

[0032] More specifically, the power amplifier module 2 includes a first amplifier 21, a second amplifier 22 and a third amplifier 23. The two ends of the main coil 11b of the input balun 11 are electrically connected to the input end of the first amplifier 21 and the input end of the second amplifier 22 respectively. The output end of the first amplifier 21 and the output end of the second amplifier 22 are electrically connected to the two ends of the main coil 12b of the output balun 12 respectively.

[0033] The first signal input terminal 13 is electrically connected to one end of the slave coil 11a of the input balun 11, and the first signal input terminal 13 is used to receive a first external voltage signal to power the input balun 11. The other end of the slave coil 11a of the input balun 11 is electrically connected to the third amplifier 23. Both ends of the slave coil 12a of the output balun 12 are electrically connected to the first signal output terminal 15 and the second signal output terminal 16, respectively.

[0034] One end of the first capacitor 17 is electrically connected to the first signal input terminal 13, and the other end of the first capacitor 17 is grounded. One end of the second capacitor 18 is electrically connected to the first signal output terminal 15, and the other end of the second capacitor 18 is grounded. One end of the third capacitor 19 is electrically connected to the second signal input terminal 14, and the other end of the third capacitor 19 is grounded.

[0035] The RF switch chip 3 is electrically connected to the second signal output terminal 16 .

[0036] The second signal input terminal 14 is electrically connected to the center tap of the main coil 12a of the output balun 12. The second signal input terminal 14 is used to input a second external voltage signal to power the output balun 12.

[0037] Since the input balun and output balun, which are the most complex parts of the RF amplifier module and require more layers of substrate, are implemented by integrated passive devices and integrated passive device technology, the substrate of the RF amplifier module of this embodiment can be greatly simplified compared with the traditional 6-layer substrate structure, and the number of layers of the substrate can be reduced by at least 3 layers previously occupied by the balun to reduce the number of layers of the substrate of the RF amplifier module from the original 6 layers to less than 4 layers. At the same time, compared with the traditional push-pull power amplifier module design, the chip area of ​​the packaged RF amplifier module is also greatly reduced, and the area is reduced by more than 30%.

[0038] The cost comparison is shown in the following table. It can be seen from the following table that the RF amplification module of the present invention also greatly saves costs:

[0039]

[0040] A third embodiment of the present invention relates to a communication terminal, which includes the radio frequency amplification module in the second embodiment.

[0041] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-mentioned embodiments are specific examples for implementing the present invention, and in actual applications, various changes may be made thereto in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A radio frequency amplification module, characterized in that: The radio frequency amplification module includes: an input balun, an output balun and a power amplifier module; The input balun and the output balun are implemented by using an integrated passive device process; The power amplifier module is arranged on the substrate, and the input balun is electrically connected to the output balun through the power amplifier module; The power amplifier module includes a first amplifier and a second amplifier, two ends of the main coil of the input balun are electrically connected to the input end of the first amplifier and the input end of the second amplifier respectively, and the output end of the first amplifier and the output end of the second amplifier are electrically connected to the two ends of the main coil of the output balun respectively; The RF amplification module further includes a first signal input terminal, which is used to receive a first external voltage signal to power the input balun; the power amplifier module further includes a third amplifier, the first signal input terminal is electrically connected to one end of the slave coil of the input balun, and the other end of the slave coil of the input balun is electrically connected to the third amplifier; The RF amplification module further includes a first capacitor, one end of the first capacitor is electrically connected to the first signal input end, and the other end of the first capacitor is grounded; The RF amplification module also includes a second signal input terminal, which is electrically connected to the center tap of the main coil of the output balun and is used to input a second external voltage signal to power the output balun.

2. The radio frequency amplification module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radio frequency amplification module further includes a first signal output terminal and a second signal output terminal, and two ends of the slave coil of the output balun are electrically connected to the first signal output terminal and the second signal output terminal respectively.

3. The radio frequency amplification module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The radio frequency amplification module further includes a second capacitor, one end of the second capacitor is electrically connected to the first signal output end, and the other end of the second capacitor is grounded.

4. The radio frequency amplification module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The radio frequency amplification module further includes a radio frequency switch chip, and the radio frequency switch chip is electrically connected to the second signal output end.

5. The radio frequency amplification module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radio frequency amplification module further includes a third capacitor, one end of the third capacitor is electrically connected to the second signal input end, and the other end of the third capacitor is grounded.

6. A communication terminal, characterized in that: The communication terminal comprises a radio frequency amplification module according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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