A gain module amplifier capable of improving power consumption difference under different process corners

Abstract

The application discloses a gain module amplifier capable of improving power consumption difference under different process angles, and belongs to the technical field of radio frequency integrated circuits. The gain module amplifier comprises a main circuit, an active bias circuit and a feedback circuit. The main circuit comprises Darlington amplifying tubes, the second poles of the Darlington amplifying tubes are formed by a plurality of transistors in parallel connection and cascade connection, the total area of the emitter of each parallel connection transistor is equal to the emitter area when a single transistor scheme is adopted, the active bias circuit is connected with the main circuit and constitutes a closed loop negative feedback bias loop, and the closed loop negative feedback bias loop is used for inhibiting static working point drift caused by temperature change; the feedback circuit comprises a capacitor and a resistor which are connected in series and then connected in parallel between the base of the input end of the Darlington amplifying tube and the ground, and constitutes a base series-to-ground resistance-capacitance structure, and is used for improving high-frequency stability and optimizing input standing wave. Through the cooperation of the multi-transistor parallel connection cascade and the active bias circuit, the static power consumption difference under different process angles is effectively reduced, and the temperature drift and input matching problems are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of radio frequency integrated circuit technology, and more specifically to a gain module amplifier that can improve the power consumption difference under different process corners. Background Technology

[0002] Gain amplifier modules are key components in radio frequency (RF) transceiver systems. Their operating bandwidth typically covers frequency bands from DC to several GHz or even tens of GHz, and they are widely used in drive amplification stages in base stations, measuring instruments, and fiber optic communications. With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, increasingly stringent requirements are being placed on the power consumption consistency, temperature stability, and production yield of RF chips.

[0003] In current RF amplifier designs, the Darlington structure is widely used as the core topology for gain module amplifiers due to its wide bandwidth response and high linearity. To suppress the impact of temperature drift on the amplifier's quiescent operating point, active bias circuits are typically introduced to form closed-loop negative feedback, enabling adaptive adjustment of the bias voltage. However, in actively biased Darlington amplifiers, the second-stage transistor of the Darlington transistor is usually implemented using a single, large-sized transistor. During the photolithography and etching processes, the actual size of this large transistor is prone to deviation from the design value. When process parameters fluctuate, resulting in different process angle characteristics (slow, typical, and fast process angles), the electrical parameters of this large transistor change significantly. This leads to a large dispersion in the amplifier's quiescent current at different process angles, resulting in significant differences in quiescent power consumption between different batches of chips, affecting chip process consistency and production yield. Furthermore, how to optimize input standing wave ratio (VSWR) while ensuring overall circuit stability is also a technical problem that needs to be solved in the design.

[0004] Therefore, it is essential to design a gain module amplifier that can improve the power consumption difference under different process corners. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a gain module amplifier that can improve the power consumption difference under different process corners. Through the combined effect of multi-transistor parallel cascade and active bias circuit, the static power consumption difference under different process corners is effectively reduced, while improving temperature drift and input matching problems.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A gain module amplifier that can improve the power consumption difference under different process corners includes: a main circuit, an active bias circuit and a feedback circuit; The main circuit includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a fourth transistor, a fifth transistor, a sixth transistor, and a seventh transistor. The input terminal is connected to the base of the first transistor. The collectors of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh transistors are connected to an active bias circuit. The emitter of the first transistor is connected to a sixth resistor, which is grounded. The emitter of the first transistor and the bases of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh transistors are connected to the active bias circuit. The first and second transistors constitute a Darlington amplifier tube. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh transistors are cascaded to form the second terminal of the Darlington amplifier tube. The active bias circuit is used to suppress temperature drift and maintain stable static power consumption. The feedback circuit includes a seventh resistor, an eighth resistor, a ninth resistor, a tenth resistor, an eleventh resistor, and a twelfth resistor. The emitters of the second transistor, the third transistor, the fourth transistor, the fifth transistor, the sixth transistor, and the seventh transistor are grounded through the seventh resistor, the eighth resistor, the ninth resistor, the tenth resistor, the eleventh resistor, and the twelfth resistor, respectively.

[0007] Furthermore, the active bias circuit includes an eighth transistor, a first resistor, a fourth resistor, a fifth resistor, a thirteenth resistor, and a fifth capacitor. The collector of the first transistor is connected to the first resistor. The first resistor is connected to the collector of the eighth transistor and the thirteenth resistor. The thirteenth resistor is connected to one end of the fifth capacitor. The other end of the fifth capacitor is connected to the fifth resistor and the base of the eighth transistor. The fifth resistor is connected to the bases of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh transistors. The emitter of the eighth transistor is connected to the fourth resistor, and the fourth resistor is grounded.

[0008] Furthermore, the input terminal is connected to the base of the first transistor via a first capacitor.

[0009] Furthermore, the feedback circuit also includes a third resistor and a fourth capacitor. The input terminal is connected to the third resistor through the first capacitor, the third resistor is connected to the fourth capacitor, and the fourth capacitor is connected to ground.

[0010] Furthermore, the feedback circuit also includes a second resistor and a second capacitor. The second resistor is connected between the collector of the eighth transistor and the base of the first transistor, and the second capacitor is connected between the collector of the eighth transistor and the collector of the first transistor.

[0011] Furthermore, the gain module amplifier also includes a first inductor, a third capacitor, and a sixth capacitor. The collector of the first transistor is connected to one end of the first inductor and one end of the third capacitor. The other end of the third capacitor is the output terminal. The other end of the first inductor is connected to the Vc terminal and the sixth capacitor. The sixth capacitor is grounded.

[0012] In summary, the present invention has at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: This invention replaces a single, larger transistor with multiple smaller transistors cascaded in parallel at the second electrode of a Darlington amplifier. The sum of the emitter areas of all the parallel transistors is equal to the equivalent area of ​​a single transistor. Because smaller transistors exhibit better uniformity in manufacturing processes and deviate less from their design dimensions, the difference in static current variation between multiple parallel transistors at different process corners is significantly reduced compared to using a single equivalent large transistor. This effectively improves the static power consumption differences caused by process corners, thus enhancing chip process consistency and production yield.

[0013] Meanwhile, the closed-loop negative feedback bias circuit formed by the active bias circuit effectively suppresses the quiescent operating point drift caused by temperature changes, enabling the amplifier to maintain stable quiescent power consumption under different temperature conditions. The base-to-ground RC structure improves high-frequency stability while optimizing input VSWR, helping to balance stability and input matching performance. The synergistic effect of these three techniques—multi-transistor parallel cascade structure, active bias closed-loop negative feedback, and base-to-ground RC structure—significantly reduces the difference in quiescent power consumption at different process angles and improves temperature drift and input matching issues while maintaining the original broadband and high linearity advantages of the Darlington structure. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the gain module amplifier circuit structure of the present invention, which can improve the power consumption difference under different process angles; Figure 2 For comparison, see the schematic diagram of the active bias Darlington structure circuit; Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the static current results of an active bias Darlington structure at different process angles; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the static current results of the structure of the present invention under different process angles; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram comparing the static current variation amplitude of the two structures. Detailed Implementation

[0015] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of this invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0016] like Figure 1 As shown, this invention provides a gain module amplifier that can improve power consumption differences under different process corners, including: a main circuit, an active bias circuit, and a feedback circuit; the following is combined with... Figure 1 The specific structure and connection relationships of each part of the circuit are explained in detail.

[0017] 1. Main circuit The main circuit includes a first transistor Q1, a second transistor Q2, a third transistor Q3, a fourth transistor Q4, a fifth transistor Q5, a sixth transistor Q6, and a seventh transistor Q7. The input terminal is connected to the base of the first transistor Q1 through a first capacitor C1. The collectors of the first transistor Q1, second transistor Q2, third transistor Q3, fourth transistor Q4, fifth transistor Q5, sixth transistor Q6, and seventh transistor Q7 are connected to an active bias circuit. The emitter of the first transistor Q1 is connected to a sixth resistor R6, which is grounded. The emitter of the first transistor Q1 and the bases of the second transistors Q2, third transistor Q3, fourth transistor Q4, fifth transistor Q5, sixth transistor Q6, and seventh transistor Q7 are connected to the active bias circuit. The first transistor Q1 and the second transistor Q2 form a Darlington amplifier, and the third transistor Q3, fourth transistor Q4, fifth transistor Q5, sixth transistor Q6, and seventh transistor Q7 are cascaded to form the second terminal of the Darlington amplifier.

[0018] In the main circuit, the second terminal of the Darlington amplifier is formed by six transistors connected in parallel: Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q7. The sum of the emitter areas of all the parallel transistors is equal to the emitter area when using a single transistor. The main circuit also includes a seventh resistor R7, which is connected between the amplifier output and the collector of the second transistor Q2.

[0019] 2. Active bias circuit The active bias circuit is used to suppress temperature drift and maintain stable static power consumption. The active bias circuit includes an eighth transistor Q8, a first resistor R1, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, a thirteenth resistor R13, and a fifth capacitor C5. The collector of the first transistor Q1 is connected to the first resistor R1. The first resistor R1 is connected to the collector of the eighth transistor Q8 and the thirteenth resistor R13. The thirteenth resistor R13 is connected to one end of the fifth capacitor C5. The other end of the fifth capacitor C5 is connected to the fifth resistor R5 and the base of the eighth transistor Q8. The fifth resistor R5 is connected to the bases of the second transistor Q2, the third transistor Q3, the fourth transistor Q4, the fifth transistor Q5, the sixth transistor Q6, and the seventh transistor Q7. The emitter of the eighth transistor Q8 is connected to the fourth resistor R4, which is grounded.

[0020] In this configuration, the base of the eighth transistor Q8 is connected to the fifth resistor R5 to isolate radio frequency signals. The base and collector of the eighth transistor Q8 are connected in series through the thirteenth resistor R13 and the fifth capacitor C5 to reduce low-frequency noise. The collector of the eighth transistor Q8 is connected to the base of the first transistor Q1 through the first resistor R1, forming a closed-loop negative feedback bias circuit.

[0021] In the feedback circuit, a second resistor R2 is connected between the collector of the eighth transistor Q8 and the base of the first transistor Q1, and a second capacitor C2 is connected between the collector of the eighth transistor Q8 and the collector of the first transistor Q1. The second capacitor C2 and the second resistor R2 are connected in series and then in parallel between the first resistor R1 and the amplifier output terminal, forming a series negative feedback branch, which is used to flatten the gain and improve the overall stability of the circuit. The voltage at the series node of the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 remains constant, and their voltage division relationship is modulated by the collector current of the eighth transistor Q8, thereby achieving closed-loop control of the quiescent current of the main circuit by adjusting the base voltage of the first transistor Q1.

[0022] The temperature compensation process of the active bias circuit is as follows: When the temperature rises, the on-state voltage of the first transistor Q1 and the second transistor Q2 decreases, the collector-emitter current increases, and the signal flowing from the emitter current of the first transistor Q1 to the base of the eighth transistor Q8 is amplified. After being amplified by the eighth transistor Q8, the collector current of the eighth transistor Q8 increases, and the voltage drop across the second resistor R2 increases accordingly, causing the voltage across the first resistor R1 to decrease. This further reduces the base voltage of the first transistor Q1, suppressing the amplifier current from continuing to increase and achieving temperature stability of the quiescent operating point. When the temperature decreases, the on-state voltage of each transistor increases, the emitter current of the first transistor Q1 decreases, the collector current of the eighth transistor Q8 decreases, the voltage drop across the second resistor R2 decreases, the voltage across the first resistor R1 increases, and the base voltage of the first transistor Q1 increases, thereby suppressing the decrease in amplifier current. Through the above closed-loop negative feedback mechanism, the active bias circuit effectively suppresses the quiescent operating point drift caused by temperature changes.

[0023] 3. Feedback circuit The feedback circuit includes resistors R7 (seventh), R8 (eighth), R9 (ninth), R10 (tenth), R11 (eleventh), and R12 (twelfth). The emitters of transistors Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q7 are grounded through resistors R7, R8, R9, R10, R11, and R12, respectively. Resistors R8, R9, R10, R11, and R12 are ballast resistors, which, in addition to flattening the gain and improving low-frequency stability, also reduce the amplifier's sensitivity to temperature changes.

[0024] The feedback circuit also includes a third resistor R3 and a fourth capacitor C4. The input terminal is connected to the third resistor R3 via the first capacitor C1, and the third resistor R3 is connected to the fourth capacitor C4, which is grounded. The fourth capacitor C4 and the third resistor R3 are connected in series and then in parallel between the base of the first transistor Q1 and ground, forming a base-to-ground RC structure to improve high-frequency stability and optimize input VSWR. This base-to-ground RC structure significantly improves the overall circuit stability and optimizes the input VSWR, resolving the contradiction between stability optimization and input matching in traditional solutions.

[0025] In addition, the gain module amplifier also includes a first inductor L1, a third capacitor C3, and a sixth capacitor C6. The collector of the first transistor Q1 is connected to one end of the first inductor L1 and one end of the third capacitor C3. The other end of the third capacitor C3 is the output terminal. The other end of the first inductor L1 is connected to the Vc terminal and the sixth capacitor C6, which is grounded. The third capacitor C3 is the output DC blocking capacitor, the first inductor L1 is the collector bias inductor and also serves as an output matching element, and the sixth capacitor C6 is the power supply decoupling capacitor.

[0026] The following section will explain in detail the principle by which the multi-transistor parallel structure improves the power consumption difference in the process corner: The core innovation of this invention lies in implementing the second electrode of the Darlington amplifier transistor using multiple identical HBT minimum units connected in parallel and cascaded, with the sum of the emitter areas of each parallel transistor equal to the equivalent area of ​​a single transistor. In traditional active bias Darlington structures, the current mirror transistor is usually implemented directly using a single, large-sized transistor. However, due to the precision deviations in photolithography, etching, and other steps during the fabrication of large-size devices, the deviation between the actual size and the design value is relatively large. When process parameters fluctuate, resulting in different process angle characteristics such as SS (slow process angle), TT (typical process angle), and FF (fast process angle), the electrical parameters of a single equivalent large transistor change significantly, leading to a large dispersion of the static current under different process angles.

[0027] This invention achieves its effect by splitting the second-stage transistor into multiple small-sized transistors connected in parallel and cascaded. Because the small-sized transistors exhibit better uniformity in the photolithography and etching processes, the actual size of each small transistor deviates less from the design value. During design and fabrication, the difference in static current variation exhibited by multiple small transistors in parallel is smaller than when using a single equivalent large-area transistor. In other words, the static current difference between the FF and SS process corners is significantly reduced, thereby fundamentally improving the power consumption difference problem caused by process corners.

[0028] To verify the technical effectiveness of the proposed solution, simulations were performed to compare the two structures: the comparison structure (the second electrode of the Darlington transistor is a single equivalent large transistor, and its circuit is as follows) Figure 2 As shown in the figure, and with the circuit structure of the present invention, under the same other device values, the S-parameters, P-1, linearity, and static power consumption values ​​under the three process angles SS, TT, and FF were obtained through simulation.

[0029] like Figure 3 The figure shows a comparison of the quiescent current of an active bias Darlington structure at different process angles. As can be seen from the figure, the quiescent current curves at the FF, TT, and SS process angles show significant dispersion. Figure 4The figure shows the static current results of the active bias Darlington structure of this application at different process corners. As can be seen from the figure, the three curves converge significantly, and the difference in static current between the FF and SS process corners is significantly reduced. Figure 5 The figure shows a comparison of the static current variation amplitudes of the two structures. Quantitative comparison shows that the power consumption difference (FF-SS) of the comparative structure is 33.2% of the power consumption value at the TT process corner, while the power consumption difference of the structure in this application is 23.8%, representing an improvement of approximately 10 percentage points. Meanwhile, the two structures are essentially the same in terms of S-parameters, P-1, and linearity. Therefore, it can be concluded that the structure in this application significantly improves the power consumption difference at different process corners without affecting the core RF performance indicators of the amplifier.

[0030] In summary, this invention, through the synergistic combination of three techniques—using multiple small transistors in parallel cascade at the second electrode of the Darlington transistor, active bias closed-loop negative feedback, and a base-to-ground resistor-capacitor structure—significantly reduces the static power consumption difference under different process angles while maintaining the original advantages of the Darlington structure in terms of bandwidth and high linearity. It also solves the problems of temperature drift and input matching, thereby improving the chip's process consistency, production yield, and long-term operational reliability.

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention may take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0032] This invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0033] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0034] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0035] Contents not described in detail in this specification are prior art known to those skilled in the art. It is hereby indicated that the above description is intended to help those skilled in the art understand this invention, but does not limit the scope of protection of this invention. Any equivalent substitutions, modifications, improvements, or simplifications of the above descriptions that do not depart from the essential content of this invention fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A gain module amplifier that can improve power consumption differences under different process corners, characterized in that, include: Main circuit, active bias circuit and feedback circuit; The main circuit includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a fourth transistor, a fifth transistor, a sixth transistor, and a seventh transistor. The active bias circuit, used to suppress temperature drift and maintain stable static power consumption, includes an eighth transistor, a first resistor, a fourth resistor, a fifth resistor, a thirteenth resistor, and a fifth capacitor. The input terminal is connected to the base of the first transistor. The collectors of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh transistors are connected to the first resistor. The emitter of the first transistor is connected to the sixth resistor, which is grounded. The first resistor is connected to the collector of the eighth transistor and the thirteenth resistor. The thirteenth resistor is connected to one end of the fifth capacitor. The other end of the fifth capacitor is connected to the fifth resistor and the base of the eighth transistor. The fifth resistor is connected to the bases of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh transistors. The emitter of the eighth transistor is connected to the fourth resistor, which is grounded. The first and second transistors form a Darlington amplifier tube. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh transistors are cascaded to form the second terminal of the Darlington amplifier tube. The feedback circuit includes a seventh resistor, an eighth resistor, a ninth resistor, a tenth resistor, an eleventh resistor, and a twelfth resistor. The emitters of the second transistor, the third transistor, the fourth transistor, the fifth transistor, the sixth transistor, and the seventh transistor are grounded through the seventh resistor, the eighth resistor, the ninth resistor, the tenth resistor, the eleventh resistor, and the twelfth resistor, respectively.

2. The gain module amplifier according to claim 1, which can improve the power consumption difference under different process corners, is characterized in that, The input terminal is connected to the base of the first transistor via a first capacitor.

3. A gain module amplifier according to claim 2 that can improve the power consumption difference under different process angles, characterized in that, The feedback circuit further includes a third resistor and a fourth capacitor. The input terminal is connected to the third resistor through the first capacitor, the third resistor is connected to the fourth capacitor, and the fourth capacitor is connected to ground.

4. A gain module amplifier according to claim 1 that can improve the power consumption difference under different process corners, characterized in that, The feedback circuit further includes a second resistor and a second capacitor. The second resistor is connected between the collector of the eighth transistor and the base of the first transistor, and the second capacitor is connected between the collector of the eighth transistor and the collector of the first transistor.

5. A gain module amplifier according to claim 1 that can improve the power consumption difference under different process corners, characterized in that, The gain module amplifier further includes a first inductor, a third capacitor, and a sixth capacitor. The collector of the first transistor is connected to one end of the first inductor and one end of the third capacitor. The other end of the third capacitor is the output terminal. The other end of the first inductor is connected to the Vc terminal and the sixth capacitor. The sixth capacitor is grounded.

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