Integrated receiver transmitter switch

Abstract

A communication integrated circuit (IC) device (200) includes a silicon substrate and radio circuitry formed on the silicon substrate. The radio circuitry includes receive and transmit circuitry (118) including common-source common-gate amplifiers (202 and 205) and low noise amplifiers (228) coupled with the common-source common-gate amplifiers (202 and 205). The radio circuitry also includes radio frequency input / output channels (223) configured to be coupled with a radio antenna (219). In some examples, the communication IC device (200) further includes a receive modem coupled with the low noise amplifiers (228) and a transmit modem coupled with the common-source common-gate amplifiers (202 and 205).

Description

Background Technology

[0001] In radio, transmitters and receivers can be combined and connected to a single antenna to transmit (Tx) the transmitted signal and receive (Rx) the received signal from another wireless power source. The combination of the transmitted and received signals can be achieved using an Rx / Tx switch. In many applications, the power amplifier (PA) used for signal transmission and the low-noise amplifier (LNA) used for signal reception cannot be connected together because the voltage swing at the output of the power amplifier is very large, and the LNA input needs to be protected from such large signals.

[0002] The transmitter and receiver can be combined on a single common substrate, such as silicon. However, given the voltage requirements of Rx / Tx switches, they are typically formed on external components (e.g., printed circuit boards (PCBs)) outside the single common substrate to provide satisfactory performance. While existing Rx / Tx switches can be integrated on silicon using CMOS technology, this type of fabrication can be quite poor. Because the Rx / Tx switch is an external component of the single common substrate for both the transmitter and receiver, separate pins may be required for the transmitter-to-PA connection and the receiver-to-LNA connection. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a communication integrated circuit (IC) device includes a silicon substrate and radio circuitry formed on the silicon substrate. The radio circuitry includes receiving and transmitting circuitry, which includes a cascode amplifier and a low-noise amplifier coupled to the cascode amplifier. The radio circuitry also includes a radio frequency input / output channel configured to be coupled to a radio antenna. The communication IC further includes a receive modem coupled to the low-noise amplifier and a transmit modem coupled to the cascode amplifier.

[0004] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a receive and transmit (Rx / Tx) circuit formed on a silicon substrate includes a first cascode amplifier, the first cascode amplifier including a radio frequency (RF) input / output (IO) node and a first low-noise amplifier node. The RF IO node is configured to output a first transmit signal via an antenna. The Rx / Tx circuit also includes a low-noise amplifier coupled to the first low-noise amplifier node and having a first low-noise output, the first low-noise output being configured to output a first low-noise signal to a first receive channel formed on the silicon substrate. The Rx / Tx circuit further includes a first transmitter input coupled to the first cascode amplifier and configured to supply a first input signal from the first transmit channel formed on the silicon substrate to the first cascode amplifier. The first cascode amplifier is configured to generate the first transmit signal based on the first input signal.

[0005] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a radio communication circuit includes a cascode amplifier formed on a silicon substrate. The cascode amplifier includes a first transistor, a second transistor, an amplifier coupled to the first and second transistors, and an input coupled to the second transistor. The amplifier includes an output. The radio communication circuit also includes a transmission circuit formed on the silicon substrate and coupled to the input, and a receiving circuit formed on the silicon substrate and coupled to the output. Attached Figure Description

[0006] In the diagram:

[0007] Figure 1 It is a circuit block diagram of a radio device according to one or more disclosed embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2 It is a circuit including Rx / Tx according to one or more disclosed embodiments. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a radio device.

[0009] Figure 3 It is based on one or more publicly disclosed implementation schemes. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the Rx / Tx circuit of a radio device.

[0010] Figure 4 It is a block diagram of a radio chip according to one or more disclosed embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0011] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth for purposes of explanation in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples disclosed herein. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed exemplary embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, structures and apparatuses are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the disclosed examples. Furthermore, the language used in this disclosure has been chosen primarily for readability and instructional purposes and may not have been chosen to depict or limit the subject matter of the invention, but rather to rely on the claims necessary to define such inventive subject matter. References to “an example” or “example” in the specification mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one embodiment.

[0012] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a portion of a radio device or circuit 100 according to an embodiment. The radio device 100 includes a transmitter 101 forming a transmission channel or chain and a receiver 102 forming a reception channel or chain. Both the transmitter 101 and the receiver 102 are formed on a single common substrate 103, such as a silicon substrate.

[0013] Transmitter 101 includes a transmission modem 104 coupled to transmission circuitry 105 having an in-phase (I) channel 106 and a quadrature (Q) channel 107. Each of the I channel 106 and Q channel 107 includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 108, 109 coupled to the transmission modem 104, the DACs 108, 109 being configured to convert a corresponding digital signal from the transmission modem 104 into an analog signal. A pair of filters 110, 111 filter the analog-to-analog converted signal and output the filtered signal to corresponding mixers 112, 113. Mixers 112, 113 mix the filtered signal with a high-frequency signal provided by a local oscillator (not shown) to increase the frequency of the filtered signal for transmission from radio antenna 114. A summer 115 sums the high-frequency signals output from mixers 112, 113 from the I channel 106 and Q channel 107 and generates an output signal 116 to be transmitted.

[0014] The power amplifier circuit 117 of the receive / transmit (Rx / Tx) circuit 118 receives the output signal 116 and generates the transmission signal 119. For example... Figure 1 As described, the power amplifier circuit 117 performs a receive / transmit (Rx / Tx) switching function 120, which supplies the output signal 116 as a transmit signal 119 for radio transmission during transmit mode, and supplies the received signal 121 from the radio antenna 114 to the low-noise amplifier 122 of the Rx / Tx circuit 118 during receive mode. The Rx / Tx functionality of the power amplifier circuit 117 is described in one or more examples. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The embodiments are described in detail.

[0015] As stated, power amplifier circuit 117 receives the received signal 121 during receive mode and provides the received signal 121 to low-noise amplifier 122. The received signal 121 is typically a high-frequency signal with a very low power level compared to the power level of the transmitted signal 119. Low-noise amplifier 122 is sensitive to low input level signals and is used to amplify the received signal 121 while attempting to keep the noise of the received signal 121 low. The amplified signal 123 is supplied as an input signal to receive circuit 124 of receiver 102. I-channel 125 and Q-channel 126 of receiver 102 include mixers 127 and 128 that receive the amplified signal 123 and convert the amplified signal 123 into a corresponding lower frequency signal. For example, I-channel 125 receives an I-channel local oscillator signal to generate an I-channel frequency signal 129 based on the amplified signal 123. Q channel 126 receives the Q channel local oscillator signal to generate a Q channel frequency signal 130 based on the amplified signal 123. The I channel frequency signal 129 and the Q channel frequency signal 130 are filtered by filters 131 and 132, amplified by amplifiers 133 and 134, filtered by filters 135 and 136, and converted into digital signals by analog-to-digital controllers (ADCs) 137 and 138, respectively. A receiving modem 139 receives the digital signals from the ADC for downstream signal transmission.

[0016] In this example, controller 140 may be coupled to transmit modem 104 and receive modem 139 to control communication with additional systems or circuitry on silicon substrate 103. However, it is also contemplated that transmit modem 104 and receive modem 139 may each have their own controller, as a replacement for or complement to controller 140. Controller 140 is coupled to Rx / Tx circuitry 118 to control the transmit and receive modes of power amplifier circuitry 117, and may also control local oscillators coupled to mixers 112-113 and 127-128.

[0017] Figure 2 Description of the embodiment including Rx / Tx circuit 118 Figure 1A schematic diagram 200 of a portion of a radio device 100. An Rx / Tx circuit 118 includes a cascode amplifier 201. In the illustrated embodiment, the cascode amplifier 201 is a cascode amplifier with an inductive load. A first transistor 202 is coupled in series with an inductor 203 via an RF input / output (RF_IO) node 204 and in series with a second transistor 205 via a transistor / amplifier node (e.g., a low-noise amplifier node) 206. The inductor 203 is coupled between the RF_IO node 204 and the Rx / Tx input 207. The first transistor 202 includes a gate 208, which is coupled in series with a parallel arrangement of a control transistor or switch 209 and a control resistor 210, and in series with a control voltage input 211. The second transistor 205 includes a gate 212 coupled to a power amplifier input 213 via an input capacitor 214. A voltage bias input 215 coupled to a bias resistor 216 provides a bias voltage across the gate 212.

[0018] In transmission mode, the common-source cascode amplifier 201 is used to transmit the input transmission signal 217 (e.g., from transmitter 101) received at the power amplifier input 213. Figure 1 The output signal 116) is converted into an amplified transmission signal 218 to be transmitted (e.g., transmission signal 119). Figure 1 This is used for radio transmission via radio antenna 219. A CMOS voltage source 220 provides a power supply voltage to a control transistor 209, which is controlled to be on to provide a power supply voltage to the gate 208 of a first transistor 202 having low impedance. In one example, a switch 221 is also controlled to provide a power supply voltage from the CMOS voltage source 220 to the Rx / Tx input 207. In another example, a different CMOS voltage source (not shown) may be configured to provide a power supply voltage to the Rx / Tx input 207 during transmission mode.

[0019] By supplying a power supply voltage to both the gate 208 and drain of the first transistor 202 during transmission mode, the gate 208 and drain are at the same voltage potential, thereby allowing the cascode amplifier 201 to amplify the input transmission signal 217 to supply to the RF_IO output 222 coupled to the RF_IO channel 223. As shown, the filter / matching network 224 of the RF_IO channel 223 is coupled between the RF_IO output 222 and the antenna 219. The amplified transmission signal 218 is transmitted from the antenna 219 as an outgoing radio wave 225.

[0020] In the receiving node, a common-source cascode amplifier 201 is used to transmit the received low-noise radio wave 226, converted into the received signal 227, to a low-noise amplifier 228 having an amplifier output 229. A switch 221 is controlled to couple the Rx / Tx input 207 to ground. Additionally, a control transistor 209 is controlled to be off, allowing a control resistor 210 to provide high impedance to the gate 208 of the first transistor 202, allowing the first transistor 202 to act as a switch. In this way, the low-noise received signal 227 is provided to the low-noise amplifier 228 via the low-noise node 206 for low-noise amplification and then transmitted to the receiver 102. Figure 1 Furthermore, the second transistor 205 is disconnected during receive mode.

[0021] In one embodiment, the controller, for example Figure 1 A controller 140, coupled to the gate 230 of a control transistor 209 and to a switch 221, controls the transistor 209 and the switch 221 during transmit and receive modes. During transmit mode, as described above, the controller can control the control transistor 209 to an on state and the switch 221 to a power supply voltage mode. During receive mode, the controller can control the control transistor 209 to an off state and the switch 221 to a ground mode.

[0022] Figure 3 Description of another embodiment including Rx / Tx circuit 118 Figure 1 A schematic diagram 300 of a portion of a radio device 100. As shown, the Rx / Tx circuit 118 may be implemented in a differential arrangement. A first cascode amplifier 301 is coupled to a second cascode amplifier 302 to generate an amplified transmission signal 303 for RF transmission from a radio antenna 304 as a radio transmission signal 305, and to receive and convert low-noise radio waves 306 into a received signal 307 for delivery to a differential low-noise amplifier 308.

[0023] Similar to Figure 2 201, a common-source cascode amplifier Figure 3 The first cascode amplifier 301 shown is a cascode amplifier with an inductive load and includes a first transistor 309, a second transistor 310, and a first inductor 311 coupled in series. A parallel arrangement of a control transistor or switch 312 and a control resistor 313 is coupled to the gate 314 of the first transistor 309 and to a control voltage input 315. A node 316, which series-couples the first transistor 309 and the second transistor 310, is further connected to a first input of a low-noise amplifier 308.

[0024] The second cascode amplifier 302 is a cascode amplifier with an inductive load and includes a third transistor 317 and a fourth transistor 318 coupled in series with the inductive load, which includes a second inductor 319 coupled in series with an inductor 311. A parallel arrangement of a control transistor or switch 320 and a control resistor 321 is coupled to the gate 322 of the third transistor 317 and to a control voltage input 315. A node 323, which connects the third transistor 317 and the fourth transistor 318 in series, is further connected to a second input of a low-noise amplifier 308.

[0025] Each of the second transistor 310 and the fourth transistor 314 includes gates 324 and 325 coupled to corresponding power amplifier inputs 326 and 327 via corresponding capacitors 328 and 329. Gates 324 and 325 are further coupled to a bias voltage via corresponding voltage bias inputs 330 and 331 and bias resistors 332 and 333.

[0026] In transmission mode, power amplifier inputs 326 and 327 are from the transmitter (e.g., Figure 1 The transmitter 101 receives the first transmission signal 334 and the second input transmission signal 335, and controls the transistors 312 and 320 by a controller (e.g., Figure 1 The controller 140 is turned on. A CMOS voltage source 344 provides a power supply voltage to control transistors 312 and 320, which, after being turned on, provide a power supply voltage to the gates 314 and 322 of a first transistor 314 and a third transistor 317, which have low impedance. In one example, a switch 345 is also controlled to provide the power supply voltage from the CMOS voltage source 344 to the Rx / Tx input 346. The input transmission signals 334 and 335 are correspondingly amplified into transmission signals 336 and 337.

[0027] A balun 338 converts a differential signal to a single-ended signal. In one example, the balun 338 may be implemented as an LC balun as illustrated. However, the balun 338 may alternatively be implemented as a different type of balun, such as a transformer-based balun or a balun with other suitable architectures. A balun 228 converts differential transmission signals 336, 337 into a single-ended amplified transmission signal 303, which is provided to a filter / matching network 339 for RF transmission. In receive mode, control transistors 312, 320 are disconnected by the controller, and the received signal 307 is provided by the balun 338 as separate received signals 340, 341 for input to a low-noise amplifier 308 via corresponding low-noise nodes 316, 323. A pair of low-noise amplifier outputs 342, 343 provide the received signal to a receiver, for example... Figure 1 Receiver 102.

[0028] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates a radio integrated circuit (IC) or chip 400 according to an embodiment. Chip 400 integrates radio circuitry 401, a microcontroller 402, memory 403, and input / output (IO) hardware 404 onto a single silicon substrate 405. In this manner, a single-chip package can be formed. Radio circuitry 401 is formed using one or more of the embodiments described herein, and microcontroller 402 is used for operation of controller 140. Multiple analog and / or digital input / output pins 406 and multiple power input pins 407 are provided for external connection to appropriate signals and power supplies. In one embodiment, the multiple I / O pins 406 are used for programming, operating and communicating with microcontroller 402, and for communicating with memory 403. Additionally, a single external antenna pin 408 is provided for connection to an antenna and a filter / matching network as described herein.

[0029] In one embodiment, the transmitter, receiver, power amplifier, low-noise amplifier, and other components described herein are formed on the same silicon substrate (e.g., Figure 1All other components on the silicon substrate 103 described herein are complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) components fabricated into a single CMOS chip according to CMOS manufacturing technology. This disclosure provides an improvement over the prior art by using the disclosed power amplifier and one or more of its components in both transmit and receive modes. An embodiment is described that provides an integrated solution for RF transmit and receive signals generated by CMOS without requiring a separate transmit / receive board. Furthermore, since the RF signal transmit / receive switch is internal to the chip, only one external pin is needed on the radio device to connect the radio chip to an antenna for radio communication.

[0030] A device “configured” to perform a task or function may be configured (e.g., programmed and / or hardwired) to perform the function during manufacturing by the manufacturer, and / or may be configured (or reconfigurable) by the user after manufacturing to perform the function and / or other additional or alternative functions. This configuration may be performed through firmware and / or software programming of the device, through the construction and / or layout of the device’s hardware components and interconnects, or through a combination thereof.

[0031] In this specification, the term "coupled" may encompass a connection, communication, or signaling path that enables the functional relationship to be consistent with this specification. For example, if device A generates a signal to control device B to perform an action, then: (a) in a first instance, device A is coupled to device B via a direct connection; or (b) in a second instance, device A is coupled to device B via an intermediate component C, provided that the intermediate component C does not alter the functional relationship between device A and device B, such that device B is controlled by device A via a control signal generated by device A.

[0032] The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the foregoing teachings. Embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications suitable for the particular intended use. Unless limited by the prior art, the appended claims are intended to encompass other alternative embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A communication integrated circuit (IC) device, comprising: silicon substrate; as well as A radio circuit formed on the silicon substrate and comprising: The receiving and transmitting (Rx / Tx) circuitry includes: Common-source cascode amplifier; and A low-noise amplifier coupled to the common-source cascode amplifier; and Radio frequency (RF) input / output (IO) channels, which are configured to be coupled to a radio antenna; A receiving modem coupled to the low-noise amplifier; and A transmission modem coupled to the common-source cascode amplifier.

2. The communication IC device according to claim 1, wherein the common-source cascode amplifier comprises: First transistor; Second transistor; as well as Inductor; The first transistor, the second transistor, and the inductor are coupled in series. and The first transistor is coupled to the second transistor via a first node.

3. The communication IC device of claim 2, wherein the low-noise amplifier includes an input coupled to the first node.

4. The communication IC device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission modem is coupled to the gate of the second transistor.

5. The communication IC device according to claim 4, further comprising a control transistor, the control transistor being coupled in series between a voltage source and the gate of the first transistor.

6. The communication IC device of claim 5, wherein the control transistor is further coupled in parallel with a resistor.

7. The communication IC device according to claim 1, wherein the common source cascode amplifier includes a power amplifier.

8. A receiving and transmitting (Rx / Tx) circuit formed on a silicon substrate and comprising: The first common-source cascode amplifier includes: A radio frequency (RF) input / output (IO) node configured to output a first transmitted signal via an antenna; and First low-noise amplifier node; A low-noise amplifier coupled to the first low-noise amplifier node and having a first low-noise output, the first low-noise output being configured to output a first low-noise signal to a first receiving channel formed on the silicon substrate; and A first transmitter input, coupled to the first cascode amplifier, is configured to supply a first input signal from a first transmission channel formed on the silicon substrate to the first cascode amplifier. The first common-source cascode amplifier is configured to generate the first transmitted signal based on the first input signal.

9. The Rx / Tx circuit of claim 8, wherein the first cascode amplifier further comprises a first inductor coupled in series with the first transistor and the second transistor; The first inductor and the first transistor are coupled in series via the RF IO node; and The first transistor and the second transistor are coupled in series via the first low-noise amplifier node.

10. The Rx / Tx circuit of claim 9, further comprising a first control transistor coupled in parallel with the first control resistor; and The first control transistor and the first control resistor are coupled between the control voltage and the gate of the first transistor.

11. The Rx / Tx circuit according to claim 10, further comprising: A second common-source cascode amplifier is configured to output a second transmitted signal via the antenna and includes a second low-noise amplifier node; as well as A second transmitter input, coupled to the second cascode amplifier, is configured to supply a second input signal from a second transmission channel formed on the silicon substrate to the second cascode amplifier. The low-noise amplifier is further coupled to the second low-noise amplifier node and has a second low-noise output, which is configured to output a second low-noise signal to a second receiving channel formed on the silicon substrate.

12. The Rx / Tx circuit of claim 11, wherein the second cascode amplifier further comprises a second inductor coupled in series with the first inductor, the third transistor, and the fourth transistor; and The second low-noise amplifier node is coupled between the third transistor and the fourth transistor.

13. The Rx / Tx circuit of claim 12, further comprising a second control transistor coupled in parallel with the second control resistor; and The second control transistor and the second control resistor are coupled between the control voltage and the gate of the third transistor.

14. The Rx / Tx circuit of claim 9, wherein the first transmitter input is coupled in series with a capacitor and in series with the gate of the second transistor.

15. A radio communication circuit, comprising: A common-source, common-gate amplifier, formed on a silicon substrate, includes: First transistor; Second transistor; An amplifier coupled to the first transistor and the second transistor, the amplifier including an output; and The input is coupled to the second transistor; A transmission circuit, formed on the silicon substrate and coupled to the input; and A receiving circuit is formed on the silicon substrate and coupled to the output.

16. The radio communication circuit of claim 15, wherein the first transistor and the second transistor are coupled together in series via a low-noise amplifier node; and The amplifier therein is coupled to the low-noise amplifier node.

17. The radio communication circuit of claim 16, wherein the common-source cascode amplifier further comprises an inductor coupled in series with the first transistor via a radio frequency (RF) input / output (I / O) node; and The RF IO node is configured to be coupled to a radio antenna.

18. The radio communication circuit of claim 17, further comprising a controller coupled to the transmission circuit and configured to control the transmission circuit to transmit an input signal to the input so that the RF IO node outputs a transmission signal via the radio antenna.

19. The radio communication circuit of claim 18, wherein the controller is further coupled to the receiving circuit and configured to control the receiving circuit to receive transmitted signals from the radio antenna.

20. The radio communication circuit of claim 19, further comprising: A control resistor is coupled to the gate of the first transistor; as well as The third transistor is coupled in parallel with the control resistor and coupled to the controller; The controller is further configured to control the third transistor in a conductive mode during the period when the transmission circuit is controlling the transmission of the input signal to the input.

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