A millimeter-wave broadband gain self-equalizing low-power amplifier capable of switching power up and down

Abstract

The present invention discloses a millimeter-wave broadband gain self-balancing low-power amplifier that can switch power supply up and down, which adopts a parallel negative feedback structure combined with a current multiplexing structure to broaden the bandwidth, and realizes gain self-balancing within an ultra-wideband range, and the balancing amount can reach 2 to 3dB, while achieving low power consumption. At the same time, the present invention sets a power filter structure at the two power supply feeding ends of the output matching network respectively. When feeding at one end, the other end remains suspended to realize the up and down switchable power supply, which is easy to use and is conducive to the layout of the microwave component where the ultra-wideband millimeter-wave amplifier chip is located.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of microwave monolithic integrated circuits, and in particular relates to the design of a millimeter-wave broadband gain self-balancing low-power amplifier capable of switching power supply up and down. Background Art

[0002] Microwave monolithic integrated circuit, abbreviated as MMIC, is a microwave circuit that makes active and passive components on the same semiconductor substrate. It has the characteristics of small size, high stability, good consistency, and small parasitic parameters, making it the most attractive choice for military electronics and civilian communication systems. Ultra-wideband millimeter-wave amplifier chips are key products for electronic equipment in many fields with their advantages of wide bandwidth and large communication capacity. They are widely used in precision guidance, radar communication, aerospace measurement and control, and satellite communication.

[0003] With the rapid development of semiconductor technology and the increase in chip operating frequency, the power consumption of chips has increased rapidly, and the increase in power consumption will lead to an increase in chip heat and a decrease in reliability. Therefore, power consumption has become an important consideration in integrated circuit design. In order to make products more competitive, the industry's requirements for chip design have changed from simply pursuing high performance and small area to comprehensive requirements for performance, area, and power consumption. As the core component of the microwave system, the low-power design of the chip is of great significance to reducing the power consumption of the entire system.

[0004] In microwave systems, the problem of increased loss as the frequency increases is often encountered. It is necessary to add additional equalizing devices to increase the loss at the low end of the band to obtain wide-band gain flatness. This approach often reduces receiving sensitivity, increases power loss, and increases system complexity. If the amplifier we use in the microwave system has the characteristic of self-gain equalization, that is, the gain increases with the increase of frequency, this problem can be effectively solved. At present, the main obstacle to designing broadband amplifiers is the restriction of the gain-bandwidth product of active devices. The gain of any active device has the characteristic of gradually decreasing at the high-frequency end. In addition to the decrease in forward gain S21, the reverse gain S12 increases, which will further reduce the overall gain of the amplifier and increase the possibility of the device entering an oscillation state. Especially in the millimeter wave band, it will be more difficult to achieve self-gain equalization.

[0005] Microwave components often involve multiple components, so the layout of components in the component is also very important. An unreasonable layout will lead to an increase in component size and electromagnetic interference and other problems. If the chip design can facilitate the power supply of components, the flexibility of component layout will be greatly increased. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to propose a millimeter-wave broadband gain self-balancing low-power amplifier that can switch power up and down. Without affecting the performance of an ultra-wideband millimeter-wave amplifier chip, the power supply can be switched up and down flexibly, and gain self-balancing and low power consumption of the chip can be achieved within the ultra-wideband range.

[0007] The technical scheme of the present invention is: a millimeter-wave broadband gain self-balancing low-power amplifier capable of switching power supply up and down, comprising a transistor M1 and a transistor M2, wherein the gate of the transistor M1 is respectively connected to the output end of an input matching network and one end of a first parallel negative feedback network through a microstrip line TL4, the drain of the transistor M1 is respectively connected to the other end of the first parallel negative feedback network and the input end of a current multiplexing network through a microstrip line TL5, the source of the transistor M1 is connected to the M1 tube self-biasing network through a microstrip line TL6, and the input end of the input matching network is the radio frequency input end RFIN of the low-power amplifier; the transistor M The gate of 2 is connected to the output end of the current multiplexing network, the source thereof is respectively connected to the current multiplexing network and the RF to ground network of the M2 tube through the microstrip line TL13, the drain thereof is respectively connected to the input end of the output matching network and one end of the second parallel negative feedback network through the microstrip line TL14, the other end of the second parallel negative feedback network is connected to the gate of the transistor M2 through the current multiplexing network, the two feeding ends of the output matching network are respectively connected to the power supply VDD through the first power supply filter network and the second power supply filter network, and the output end thereof is the RF output end RFOUT of the low power amplifier.

[0008] Furthermore, the input matching network includes a capacitor C1, a microstrip line TL1 and a ground microstrip line TL2, one end of the capacitor C1 is the input end of the input matching network, and the other end is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL1, and the other end of the microstrip line TL1 is connected to the ground microstrip line TL2 and serves as the output end of the input matching network.

[0009] Furthermore, the self-biasing network of transistor M1 includes a grounding resistor R1 and a grounding capacitor C2, and both the grounding resistor R1 and the grounding capacitor C2 are connected to the source of transistor M1 through a microstrip line TL6.

[0010] Furthermore, the first parallel negative feedback network includes a resistor R2, a microstrip line TL3 and a capacitor C3 connected in sequence, one end of the resistor R2 is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL3, and the other end thereof is connected to the gate of the transistor M1 through the microstrip line TL4, one end of the capacitor C3 is connected to the other end of the microstrip line TL3, and the other end thereof is connected to the drain of the transistor M1 through the microstrip line TL5.

[0011] Furthermore, the current multiplexing network includes a microstrip line TL7, a capacitor C4, a microstrip line TL9, a microstrip line TL10 and a microstrip line TL11 connected in sequence. One end of the microstrip line TL7 is connected to the capacitor C4, and the other end thereof is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL8, and serves as the input end of the current multiplexing network; the connection node between the microstrip line TL9 and the microstrip line TL10 is also connected to one end of the resistor R4, and the other end of the resistor R4 is respectively connected to one end of the resistor R3, the other end of the microstrip line TL8, one end of the microstrip line TL12, the grounding resistor R5 and the grounding capacitor C6, the other end of the resistor R3 is connected to the grounding capacitor C8, and the other end of the microstrip line TL12 is connected to the source of the transistor M2 through the microstrip line TL13; one end of the microstrip line TL11 is connected to the microstrip line TL10, and the other end thereof serves as the output end of the current multiplexing network.

[0012] Furthermore, the second parallel negative feedback network includes a resistor R6, a microstrip line TL15 and a capacitor C5 connected in sequence, one end of the resistor R6 is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL15, and the other end thereof is connected to the gate of the transistor M2 through the microstrip line TL11, one end of the capacitor C5 is connected to the other end of the microstrip line TL15, and the other end thereof is connected to the drain of the transistor M2 through the microstrip line TL14.

[0013] Furthermore, the radio frequency to ground network of transistor M2 includes a grounding capacitor C7, and the grounding capacitor C7 is connected to the source of transistor M2 through a microstrip line TL13.

[0014] Furthermore, the output matching network includes a microstrip line TL16, one end of which is respectively connected to one end of a microstrip line TL18 and one end of a microstrip line TL19 and serves as an input end of the output matching network, and the other end is respectively connected to one end of a capacitor C9 and an open microstrip line TL17, and the other end of the capacitor C9 serves as an output end of the output matching network; the other end of the microstrip line TL18 serves as a first feeding end of the output matching network, and the other end of the microstrip line TL19 serves as a second feeding end of the output matching network.

[0015] Furthermore, the first power supply filter network includes a resistor R7, one end of which is connected to the ground capacitor C10, and the other end of which is respectively connected to the ground capacitor C11, the power supply VDD and the first feeding end of the output matching network.

[0016] Furthermore, the second power supply filter network includes a resistor R8, one end of which is connected to the ground capacitor C12, and the other end of which is respectively connected to the ground capacitor C13, the power supply VDD and the second feeding end of the output matching network.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0018] (1) The present invention adopts a parallel negative feedback structure combined with a current multiplexing structure, thereby widening the bandwidth and achieving gain self-balancing within an ultra-wideband range, and the balancing amount can reach 2 to 3 dB, while achieving low power consumption.

[0019] (2) In the present invention, both the first-stage transistor M1 and the second-stage transistor M2 use a parallel negative feedback structure, thereby increasing the gain self-balancing.

[0020] (3) The present invention adopts a current multiplexing structure, which improves the output impedance matching of the amplifier and widens the frequency band, so that the amplifier can achieve higher gain and higher reverse isolation within a wider frequency range, which makes gain self-balancing easier to achieve. At the same time, compared with the existing two-stage cascade structure, the current multiplexing structure reduces the power consumption of the circuit while ensuring the gain.

[0021] (4) The present invention sets a power filter structure at each of the two power feeding ends of the output matching network. When power is fed at one end, the other end remains suspended to achieve up and down switchable power supply. It is easy to use and is beneficial to the layout of the microwave component where the ultra-wideband millimeter wave amplifier chip is located. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of a millimeter-wave broadband gain self-balancing low-power amplifier circuit capable of switching power supply up and down provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Now, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments shown and described in the accompanying drawings are only exemplary and are intended to explain the principles and spirit of the present invention, rather than to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0024] The embodiment of the present invention provides a millimeter wave broadband gain self-balancing low power amplifier capable of switching power supply up and down, such as Figure 1As shown, it includes a transistor M1 and a transistor M2, the gate of the transistor M1 is connected to the output end of the input matching network and one end of the first parallel negative feedback network through a microstrip line TL4, the drain of the transistor M1 is connected to the other end of the first parallel negative feedback network and the input end of the current multiplexing network through a microstrip line TL5, the source of the transistor M1 is connected to the self-biased network of the M1 tube through a microstrip line TL6, and the input end of the input matching network is the RF input end RFIN of the low-power amplifier; the gate of the transistor M2 is connected to the output end of the current multiplexing network, the source of the transistor M2 is connected to the current multiplexing network and the RF-to-ground network of the M2 tube through a microstrip line TL13, the drain of the transistor M2 is connected to the input end of the output matching network and one end of the second parallel negative feedback network through a microstrip line TL14, the other end of the second parallel negative feedback network is connected to the gate of the transistor M2 through the current multiplexing network, the two feeding ends of the output matching network are connected to the power supply VDD through the first power supply filter network and the second power supply filter network, and the output end is the RF output end RFOUT of the low-power amplifier.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present invention, the input matching network includes a capacitor C1, a microstrip line TL1 and a ground microstrip line TL2. One end of the capacitor C1 is the input end of the input matching network, and the other end is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL1. The other end of the microstrip line TL1 is connected to the ground microstrip line TL2 and serves as the output end of the input matching network.

[0026] In the embodiment of the present invention, the self-biasing network of the transistor M1 includes a grounding resistor R1 and a grounding capacitor C2, and both the grounding resistor R1 and the grounding capacitor C2 are connected to the source of the transistor M1 through a microstrip line TL6.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first parallel negative feedback network includes a resistor R2, a microstrip line TL3 and a capacitor C3 connected in sequence, one end of the resistor R2 is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL3, and the other end thereof is connected to the gate of the transistor M1 through the microstrip line TL4, one end of the capacitor C3 is connected to the other end of the microstrip line TL3, and the other end thereof is connected to the drain of the transistor M1 through the microstrip line TL5.

[0028] In an embodiment of the present invention, the current multiplexing network includes a microstrip line TL7, a capacitor C4, a microstrip line TL9, a microstrip line TL10 and a microstrip line TL11 connected in sequence. One end of the microstrip line TL7 is connected to the capacitor C4, and the other end thereof is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL8, and serves as the input end of the current multiplexing network; the connection node between the microstrip line TL9 and the microstrip line TL10 is also connected to one end of the resistor R4, and the other end of the resistor R4 is respectively connected to one end of the resistor R3, the other end of the microstrip line TL8, one end of the microstrip line TL12, the grounding resistor R5 and the grounding capacitor C6, the other end of the resistor R3 is connected to the grounding capacitor C8, and the other end of the microstrip line TL12 is connected to the source of the transistor M2 through the microstrip line TL13; one end of the microstrip line TL11 is connected to the microstrip line TL10, and the other end thereof serves as the output end of the current multiplexing network.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present invention, the second parallel negative feedback network includes a resistor R6, a microstrip line TL15 and a capacitor C5 connected in sequence, one end of the resistor R6 is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL15, and the other end thereof is connected to the gate of the transistor M2 through the microstrip line TL11, one end of the capacitor C5 is connected to the other end of the microstrip line TL15, and the other end thereof is connected to the drain of the transistor M2 through the microstrip line TL14.

[0030] In the embodiment of the present invention, the radio frequency to ground network of the transistor M2 includes a grounding capacitor C7, and the grounding capacitor C7 is connected to the source of the transistor M2 through a microstrip line TL13.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present invention, the output matching network includes a microstrip line TL16, one end of the microstrip line TL16 is respectively connected to one end of the microstrip line TL18 and one end of the microstrip line TL19, and serves as the input end of the output matching network, and the other end is respectively connected to one end of the capacitor C9 and the open microstrip line TL17, and the other end of the capacitor C9 serves as the output end of the output matching network; the other end of the microstrip line TL18 serves as the first feeding end of the output matching network, and the other end of the microstrip line TL19 serves as the second feeding end of the output matching network.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present invention, the first power supply filter network includes a resistor R7, one end of which is connected to the ground capacitor C10, and the other end of which is respectively connected to the ground capacitor C11, the power supply VDD and the first feeding end of the output matching network.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present invention, the second power supply filter network includes a resistor R8, one end of which is connected to the ground capacitor C12, and the other end of which is respectively connected to the ground capacitor C13, the power supply VDD and the second feeding end of the output matching network.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the operating frequency band of the millimeter-wave broadband gain self-balanced low-power amplifier is 18 to 40 GHz, the gain is 8.8 to 11 dB, and it has a 2.2 dB positive slope, an isolation size of 24 dB, a noise figure of 4 dB, an output P_1 of 13 dBm, and a power consumption of +5 V / 33 mA.

[0035] Combine the following Figure 1 The working principle and process of the present invention are described in detail:

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention adopts a parallel negative feedback structure combined with a current multiplexing structure, thereby widening the bandwidth and achieving gain self-balancing within an ultra-wideband range, and the balancing amount can reach 2 to 3 dB, while achieving low power consumption.

[0037] Among them, the basic circuit form of the parallel negative feedback network is to load a resistor between the drain and the gate to form a negative feedback loop, which is used to obtain a positive gain slope and better input-output matching. In the parallel negative feedback structure, the resistor R is a key feedback element, and its value determines the basic gain and bandwidth; the microstrip line TL introduces a certain frequency dependence to the feedback loop: at low frequencies, the microstrip line TL has a small effect, and the resistor R controls the gain. At high frequencies, the reactance of the microstrip line TL increases, thereby reducing the depth of negative feedback. In the embodiment of the present invention, both the first-stage transistor M1 and the second-stage transistor M2 use a parallel negative feedback structure, so that the gain self-balancing can be increased.

[0038] The current multiplexing network improves the output impedance matching of the amplifier, broadens the frequency band, and enables the amplifier to achieve higher gain and higher reverse isolation in a wider frequency range, which makes it easier to achieve gain self-balancing. At the same time, as the operating frequency of the chip increases, the power consumption of the transistor will also increase rapidly. The two transistors M1 and M2 are current multiplexing structures, and M1 and M2 use tubes of the same size. Microstrip line TL7, capacitor C4, microstrip line TL9, microstrip line TL10 and microstrip line TL11 are the RF paths of the current multiplexing network; microstrip line TL8 and microstrip line TL12 are the DC paths of the current multiplexing network, that is, the drain voltage of transistor M1 is supplied by the source voltage of transistor M2 through microstrip line TL12 and microstrip line TL8; and the gate voltage of transistor M2 is the source voltage of transistor M2 through microstrip line TL12, and is supplied from resistor R4 after voltage division by resistor R5; grounding capacitor C6 and grounding capacitor C8 are both bypass capacitors. Microstrip line TL8 is used to provide a high impedance path to prevent the passage of RF signals in the required frequency band. Therefore, the RF signal enters from the gate of transistor M1, enters the gate of transistor M2 from capacitor C4, and finally flows out from the drain of transistor M2. In this way, M1 and M2 are both common source amplifier structures, and the gain is equivalent to a two-stage cascade structure. However, for DC, the drain of M1 is directly connected to the source of M2, so the DC power consumption does not change compared to the single-stage common source circuit. Therefore, compared with the two-stage cascade structure, the current reuse technology reduces the power consumption of the circuit while ensuring the gain.

[0039] At the power supply end, in order to achieve switchable power supply, the upper and lower transmission microstrip lines TL18 and TL19 and the filter circuit branches are all involved in the output matching network. In order to achieve power supply at either end without affecting the output performance of the amplifier chip, the microstrip lines and capacitors in the upper and lower branches are of the same size, that is, Figure 1 In the circuit, TL18 = TL19, R7 = R8, C10 = C12, and C11 = C13. In this way, when one end is fed, the other end can be left floating, which is convenient to use and is beneficial to the layout of the microwave components where the amplifier chip is located.

[0040] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments described herein are intended to help readers understand the principles of the present invention, and should be understood that the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to such specific statements and embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various other specific variations and combinations that do not deviate from the essence of the present invention based on the technical revelations disclosed by the present invention, and these variations and combinations are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A millimeter-wave broadband gain self-balancing low-power amplifier capable of switching power supply up and down, characterized in that: It includes a transistor M1 and a transistor M2, wherein the gate of the transistor M1 is respectively connected to the output end of the input matching network and one end of the first parallel negative feedback network through a microstrip line TL4, the drain of the transistor M1 is respectively connected to the other end of the first parallel negative feedback network and the input end of the current multiplexing network through a microstrip line TL5, the source of the transistor M1 is connected to the self-biased network of the M1 tube through a microstrip line TL6, and the input end of the input matching network is the radio frequency input end RFIN of the low-power amplifier; the gate of the transistor M2 is connected to the output end of the current multiplexing network, the source of the transistor M2 is respectively connected to the current multiplexing network and the radio frequency to ground network of the M2 tube through a microstrip line TL13, the drain of the transistor M2 is respectively connected to the input end of the output matching network and one end of the second parallel negative feedback network through a microstrip line TL14, the other end of the second parallel negative feedback network is connected to the gate of the transistor M2 through the current multiplexing network, the two feeding ends of the output matching network are respectively connected to the power supply VDD through the first power supply filter network and the second power supply filter network, and the output end of the transistor M2 is the radio frequency output end RFOUT of the low-power amplifier; The input matching network includes a capacitor C1, a microstrip line TL1 and a ground microstrip line TL2, one end of the capacitor C1 is the input end of the input matching network, and the other end is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL1, and the other end of the microstrip line TL1 is connected to the ground microstrip line TL2 and serves as the output end of the input matching network; The M1 transistor self-biasing network includes a grounding resistor R1 and a grounding capacitor C2, and the grounding resistor R1 and the grounding capacitor C2 are both connected to the source of the transistor M1 through a microstrip line TL6; The first parallel negative feedback network includes a resistor R2, a microstrip line TL3 and a capacitor C3 connected in sequence, one end of the resistor R2 is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL3, and the other end thereof is connected to the gate of the transistor M1 through the microstrip line TL4, one end of the capacitor C3 is connected to the other end of the microstrip line TL3, and the other end thereof is connected to the drain of the transistor M1 through the microstrip line TL5; The current multiplexing network includes a microstrip line TL7, a capacitor C4, a microstrip line TL9, a microstrip line TL10 and a microstrip line TL11 connected in sequence, one end of the microstrip line TL7 is connected to the capacitor C4, and the other end thereof is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL8, and serves as the input end of the current multiplexing network; the connection node of the microstrip line TL9 and the microstrip line TL10 is also connected to one end of the resistor R4, the other end of the resistor R4 is respectively connected to one end of the resistor R3, the other end of the microstrip line TL8, one end of the microstrip line TL12, the grounding resistor R5 and the grounding capacitor C6, the other end of the resistor R3 is connected to the grounding capacitor C8, and the other end of the microstrip line TL12 is connected to the source of the transistor M2 through the microstrip line TL13; one end of the microstrip line TL11 is connected to the microstrip line TL10, and the other end thereof serves as the output end of the current multiplexing network; The second parallel negative feedback network includes a resistor R6, a microstrip line TL15 and a capacitor C5 connected in sequence, one end of the resistor R6 is connected to one end of the microstrip line TL15, and the other end thereof is connected to the gate of the transistor M2 through the microstrip line TL11, one end of the capacitor C5 is connected to the other end of the microstrip line TL15, and the other end thereof is connected to the drain of the transistor M2 through the microstrip line TL14.

2. The millimeter wave broadband gain self-balancing low power amplifier capable of switching power supply up and down according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The M2 transistor RF-to-ground network includes a grounding capacitor C7, and the grounding capacitor C7 is connected to the source of the transistor M2 through a microstrip line TL13.

3. The millimeter wave broadband gain self-balancing low power amplifier capable of switching power supply up and down according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The output matching network includes a microstrip line TL16, one end of which is respectively connected to one end of a microstrip line TL18 and one end of a microstrip line TL19 and serves as an input end of the output matching network, and the other end is respectively connected to one end of a capacitor C9 and an open microstrip line TL17, and the other end of the capacitor C9 serves as an output end of the output matching network; the other end of the microstrip line TL18 serves as a first feeding end of the output matching network, and the other end of the microstrip line TL19 serves as a second feeding end of the output matching network.

4. The millimeter wave broadband gain self-balancing low power amplifier capable of switching power supply up and down according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The first power supply filter network includes a resistor R7, one end of which is connected to the ground capacitor C10, and the other end of which is respectively connected to the ground capacitor C11, the power supply VDD and the first feeding end of the output matching network.

5. The millimeter wave broadband gain self-balancing low power amplifier capable of switching power supply up and down according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The second power supply filter network includes a resistor R8, one end of which is connected to the ground capacitor C12, and the other end of which is respectively connected to the ground capacitor C13, the power supply VDD and the second feeding end of the output matching network.

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