Low noise amplifier and radio frequency module

Abstract

The application provides a low-noise amplifier and a radio frequency module, the low-noise amplifier comprising an amplification circuit, an input matching circuit and an output matching circuit, the amplification circuit adopting a current multiplexing structure and comprising a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a first capacitor, a second capacitor and a first inductor, wherein the gate of the first transistor is connected with the first end of the first inductor, the source of the second transistor is connected with the second end of the first inductor, the gate of the second transistor is connected with the source of the third transistor, the first end of the first capacitor is connected with the drain of the first transistor, the second end of the first capacitor is connected with the gate of the second transistor, the first end of the second capacitor is connected with the source of the second transistor, and the second end of the second capacitor is grounded; the first capacitor, the second capacitor and the first inductor jointly constitute the current multiplexing structure.The low-noise amplifier structure has the advantages of low power consumption, low noise and good working stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a low-noise amplifier and radio frequency module. Background Technology

[0002] Satellite communication is an important component of global communication, with wide coverage and no terrestrial limitations, which can make up for the coverage shortcomings of 5G in remote areas and emergency disaster relief scenarios. Satellite communication receivers generally use phased arrays to adapt to the needs of mobile and complex electromagnetic environments. As a core component, the low-noise amplifier's noise figure, gain flatness, and channel consistency directly affect the receiving performance, and it must also meet the requirements of low power consumption and resistance to extreme environments.

[0003] Existing low-noise amplifiers adapted to the millimeter-wave band of satellite communication are mainly based on common-source, common-gate, cascode (common-source and common-gate) structures, as well as various improved structures. Among them, the common-source structure has higher gain, the common-gate structure has wider bandwidth, and the cascode structure has better overall performance.

[0004] However, existing low-noise amplifiers have shortcomings in all mainstream topologies and cannot simultaneously meet the core requirements of phased array satellite communication: common-source structures have narrow bandwidth, common-gate structures have poor noise performance, and cascode structures have high power consumption and degraded performance at high frequencies. At the same time, it is difficult to balance noise figure and power consumption, the gain flatness at high frequencies is insufficient, channel consistency is easily affected by process fluctuations, and the stability against extreme environments is poor, which cannot fully guarantee the reliability of satellite communication systems. Therefore, it is urgent to design a high-performance, high-stability low-noise amplifier. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a low-noise amplifier and RF module, aiming to solve the technical problems of poor working stability and difficulty in balancing noise and power consumption in existing low-noise amplifiers.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a low-noise amplifier, the low-noise amplifier including an amplification circuit, an input matching circuit and an output matching circuit, the input matching circuit being used to provide input impedance matching for the amplification circuit, and the output matching circuit being used to provide output impedance matching for the amplification circuit; The amplifier circuit employs a current multiplexing structure, comprising a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a first inductor, wherein: The gate of the first transistor serves as the input terminal of the amplifier circuit, the source of the first transistor is grounded after being connected in series with a grounding branch, and the drain of the first transistor is connected to the first terminal of the first inductor. The source of the second transistor is connected to the second terminal of the first inductor, the gate of the second transistor is used to apply a first bias voltage, and the drain of the second transistor is connected to the source of the third transistor. The gate of the third transistor is used to connect to the second bias voltage, and the drain of the third transistor serves as the output terminal of the amplifier circuit. The first terminal of the first capacitor is connected to the drain of the first transistor, and the second terminal of the first capacitor is connected to the gate of the second transistor. The first terminal of the second capacitor is connected to the source of the second transistor, and the second terminal of the second capacitor is grounded. The first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the first inductor together constitute the current multiplexing structure.

[0007] Furthermore, the input matching circuit includes a third capacitor, a second inductor, and a third inductor, wherein: The first end of the third capacitor serves as the input terminal of the input matching circuit, used to receive radio frequency signals, and the second end of the third capacitor serves as the output terminal of the input matching circuit, connected to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit. The first terminal of the second inductor is connected to the first terminal of the third capacitor, and the second terminal of the second inductor is grounded. The third inductor serves as the ground branch of the first transistor, with its first end connected to the source of the first transistor and its second end grounded.

[0008] Furthermore, the output matching circuit includes a fourth capacitor, a fourth inductor, and a fifth inductor, wherein: The first terminal of the fourth capacitor is connected to the first terminal of the fifth inductor, and the second terminal of the fourth capacitor serves as the output terminal of the output matching circuit for outputting radio frequency amplified signals. The second terminal of the fifth inductor serves as the input terminal of the output matching circuit and is connected to the output terminal of the amplifier circuit. The first terminal of the fourth inductor is used to connect to an external power supply voltage, and the second terminal of the fourth inductor is connected to the second terminal of the fifth inductor. The fourth inductor and the fifth inductor are mutually inductively coupled.

[0009] Furthermore, the output matching circuit also includes a first resistor, the first end of which is connected to the first end of the fourth inductor, and the second end of which is connected to the second end of the fifth inductor.

[0010] Furthermore, the low-noise amplifier also includes a second resistor, the first end of which is connected to the gate of the first transistor, and the second end of which is used to apply a third bias voltage.

[0011] Furthermore, the low-noise amplifier also includes a third resistor, the first end of which is connected to the gate of the second transistor, and the second end of which is used to connect to the first bias voltage.

[0012] Furthermore, the low-noise amplifier also includes a fourth resistor and a fifth capacitor, with the first end of the fourth resistor connected to the gate of the third transistor and the second end of the fourth resistor used to connect to the second bias voltage; The first terminal of the fifth capacitor is connected to the first terminal of the fourth resistor, and the second terminal of the fifth capacitor is grounded.

[0013] Furthermore, the low-noise amplifier also includes a sixth capacitor, the first end of which is connected to the first end of the fourth inductor, and the second end of which is grounded.

[0014] Secondly, the present invention also provides a radio frequency module, the radio frequency module including the low noise amplifier as described above.

[0015] The beneficial effects achieved by this invention lie in proposing a low-noise amplifier for satellite communication. This low-noise amplifier employs a current multiplexing structure in the main part of the amplifier circuit, enabling it to output high gain with low power consumption. Simultaneously, the common-gate stage in the subsequent stage improves operational stability. Compared with existing technologies, the low-noise amplifier structure proposed in this invention possesses the advantages of low power consumption, low noise, and excellent operational stability. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The above and other aspects of the present invention will become clearer and more readily understood through the detailed description following the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a circuit diagram of a low-noise amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the output matching RF performance curve of the low-noise amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] The specific embodiments / examples described herein are specific implementations of the present invention, used to illustrate the concept of the invention, and are illustrative and exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the implementation methods or scope of the present invention. In addition to the embodiments described herein, those skilled in the art can employ other obvious technical solutions based on the content disclosed in the claims and specification of this application. These technical solutions include those that make any obvious substitutions and modifications to the embodiments described herein, all of which are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0019] Example 1 Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a circuit diagram of a low-noise amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The low-noise amplifier 100 includes an amplification circuit 101, an input matching circuit 102, and an output matching circuit 103. The input matching circuit 102 is used to provide input impedance matching for the amplification circuit 101, and the output matching circuit 103 is used to provide output impedance matching for the amplification circuit 101. The amplifier circuit 101 adopts a current multiplexing structure, which includes a first transistor M1, a second transistor M2, a third transistor M3, a first capacitor C1, a second capacitor C2, and a first inductor L1, wherein: The gate of the first transistor M1 serves as the input terminal of the amplifier circuit 101, the source of the first transistor M1 is grounded through a series grounding branch, and the drain of the first transistor M1 is connected to the first terminal of the first inductor L1. The source of the second transistor M2 is connected to the second terminal of the first inductor L1, the gate of the second transistor M2 is used to connect to the first bias voltage VGCS2, and the drain of the second transistor M2 is connected to the source of the third transistor M3. The gate of the third transistor M3 is used to connect to the second bias voltage VGCG, and the drain of the third transistor M3 serves as the output terminal of the amplifier circuit 101. The first terminal of the first capacitor C1 is connected to the drain of the first transistor M1, and the second terminal of the first capacitor C1 is connected to the gate of the second transistor M2. The first terminal of the second capacitor C2 is connected to the source of the second transistor M2, and the second terminal of the second capacitor C2 is grounded. The first capacitor C1, the second capacitor C2, and the first inductor L1 together constitute a current multiplexing structure 1011.

[0020] Based on the three-stage amplification structure in the amplifier circuit 101, in this embodiment of the invention, the third transistor M3, which serves as a common gate, is equivalent to setting a high-impedance load between the input and output terminals of the amplifier circuit 101. Since the amplification factor of the entire amplifier circuit 101 is proportional to the load resistance, in the three-stage amplification structure, when the first transistor M1 and the second transistor M2 achieve high gain through the current multiplexing structure 1011, the third transistor M3 can improve the inverting isolation of the amplifier circuit 101, which is beneficial to improving the working stability of the low-noise amplifier 100.

[0021] Furthermore, based on the current multiplexing structure 1011 connection method described in the above embodiment, the present invention realizes the DC series connection of the first transistor M1 and the second transistor M2 through the first inductor L1, so that the two share the same drain DC current and complete the current multiplexing. The AC signal amplified by the first transistor M1 is coupled to the gate of the second transistor M2 through the first capacitor C1. With the second capacitor C2, the second transistor M2 is made to work in the common source amplification state. In this way, two-stage AC signal amplification is achieved with only single-stage DC power consumption, thereby reducing power consumption and improving circuit gain.

[0022] During implementation, the first inductor L1 can also play a role in achieving interstage matching between the first transistor M1 and the second transistor M2. By adjusting the inductance value of the first inductor L1 to adjust the interstage matching, the output efficiency of the amplifier circuit 101 can be optimized.

[0023] In this embodiment of the invention, the input matching circuit 102 includes a third capacitor C3, a second inductor L2, and a third inductor L3, wherein: The first end of the third capacitor C3 serves as the input terminal of the input matching circuit 102, used to receive the radio frequency signal RFin, and the second end of the third capacitor C3 serves as the output terminal of the input matching circuit 102, connected to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit 101. The first terminal of the second inductor L2 is connected to the first terminal of the third capacitor C3, and the second terminal of the second inductor L2 is grounded. The third inductor L3 serves as the grounding branch, with its first end connected to the source of the first transistor M1 and its second end grounded.

[0024] In the input matching circuit 102, the third inductor L3 serves as the source degenerate inductor of the first transistor M1, and together with the second inductor L2, determines the magnitude of the input matching impedance.

[0025] In this embodiment of the invention, the output matching circuit 103 includes a fourth capacitor C4, a fourth inductor L4, and a fifth inductor L5, wherein: The first end of the fourth capacitor C4 is connected to the first end of the fifth inductor L5, and the second end of the fourth capacitor C4 serves as the output end of the output matching circuit 103 for outputting the radio frequency amplified signal RFout. The second end of the fifth inductor L5 serves as the input end of the output matching circuit 103 and is connected to the output end of the amplifier circuit 101. The first terminal of the fourth inductor L4 is used to connect to the external power supply voltage VDD, and the second terminal of the fourth inductor L4 is connected to the second terminal of the fifth inductor L5. The second terminal of the fifth inductor L5 is connected to the second terminal of the fourth inductor L4; The fourth inductor L4 and the fifth inductor L5 are mutually inductively coupled.

[0026] The output matching circuit 103 is used to achieve efficient output of the RF amplified signal, complete the impedance matching between the drain of the third transistor M3 and the subsequent load, reduce signal reflection loss, and ensure stable transmission of the amplified signal.

[0027] In this embodiment of the invention, by utilizing the mutually coupled fourth inductor L4 and fifth inductor L5, two resonant points can be formed in the output matching circuit 103. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the output matching RF performance parameter curves after mutual coupling of the fourth inductor L4 and the fifth inductor L5 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The diagram circles the positions of the two resonant points of the S(2,2) performance parameter (i.e., port reflection coefficient) curve. It can be seen that by splitting the traditional single resonant point into two resonant points, adding an extra pole for impedance matching, the matching bandwidth of the circuit S(2,2) can be effectively widened. During implementation, the spacing between the two resonant points can be flexibly adjusted by regulating the coupling coefficient between the inductors, improving the flexibility of the broadband matching design.

[0028] Furthermore, the output matching circuit 103 also includes a first resistor R1, the first end of which is connected to the first end of the fourth inductor L4, and the second end of which is connected to the second end of the fifth inductor L5. The first resistor R1, in conjunction with the mutually coupled fourth inductor L4, fifth inductor L5, and fourth capacitor C4, can optimize in-band gain flatness, improve gain fluctuations during broadband operation, and enhance the output quality and stability of the RF amplified signal.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown in the embodiment of the present invention, the low-noise amplifier 100 further includes a second resistor R2, the first end of the second resistor R2 is connected to the gate of the first transistor M1, and the second end of the second resistor R2 is used to connect to a third bias voltage VGCS1.

[0030] The second resistor R2 provides a stable gate bias for the first transistor M1, ensuring that the first transistor M1 operates in the preset amplification region and guaranteeing the low noise and high gain performance of the common source stage.

[0031] The low-noise amplifier 100 also includes a third resistor R3, the first end of which is connected to the gate of the second transistor M2, and the second end of which is used to connect to a first bias voltage VGCS2.

[0032] The third resistor R3 is used to stabilize the gate potential of the second transistor M2, so that the second transistor M2 maintains the common-source amplification state, and achieves stable two-stage amplification in conjunction with the current multiplexing structure.

[0033] The low-noise amplifier 100 also includes a fourth resistor R4 and a fifth capacitor C5. The first end of the fourth resistor R4 is connected to the gate of the third transistor M3, and the second end of the fourth resistor R4 is used to connect to the second bias voltage VGCG. The first terminal of the fifth capacitor C5 is connected to the first terminal of the fourth resistor R4, and the second terminal of the fifth capacitor C5 is grounded.

[0034] The fourth resistor R4 is used to provide a suitable gate bias for the third transistor M3, and the fifth capacitor C5 is used as a gate bypass capacitor to filter out AC noise in the gate bias voltage of the third transistor M3. The two work together to ensure that the third transistor M3 operates in the common gate state and improve the inverting isolation of the amplifier circuit 101.

[0035] The low-noise amplifier 100 also includes a sixth capacitor C6, the first end of which is connected to the first end of the fourth inductor L4, and the second end of the sixth capacitor C6 is grounded.

[0036] The sixth capacitor, C6, serves as a power supply filter capacitor, used to filter out high-frequency noise in the external power supply voltage VDD, prevent noise from coupling to the output terminal, and ensure the stability of the circuit operation.

[0037] The beneficial effects achieved by this invention lie in proposing a low-noise amplifier for satellite communication. This low-noise amplifier employs a current multiplexing structure in the main part of the amplifier circuit, enabling it to output high gain with low power consumption. Simultaneously, the common-gate stage in the subsequent stage improves operational stability. Compared with existing technologies, the low-noise amplifier structure proposed in this invention possesses the advantages of low power consumption, low noise, and excellent operational stability.

[0038] Example 2 This invention also provides a radio frequency (RF) module, which includes the low-noise amplifier 100 described in the above embodiment. It is understood that, based on the circuit structure of the low-noise amplifier 100, the RF module can improve the power amplifier output gain and operating stability while maintaining low power consumption, based on a three-stage amplifier circuit including a current multiplexing structure. Referring to the technical effects described in Embodiment 1 above, further details are omitted here.

[0039] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0040] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The disclosed embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many equivalent changes in form under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All such changes are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A low-noise amplifier, comprising an amplification circuit, an input matching circuit, and an output matching circuit, wherein the input matching circuit provides input impedance matching for the amplification circuit, and the output matching circuit provides output impedance matching for the amplification circuit, characterized in that: The amplifier circuit employs a current multiplexing structure, comprising a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a first inductor, wherein: The gate of the first transistor serves as the input terminal of the amplifier circuit, the source of the first transistor is grounded after being connected in series with a grounding branch, and the drain of the first transistor is connected to the first terminal of the first inductor. The source of the second transistor is connected to the second terminal of the first inductor, the gate of the second transistor is used to apply a first bias voltage, and the drain of the second transistor is connected to the source of the third transistor. The gate of the third transistor is used to connect to the second bias voltage, and the drain of the third transistor serves as the output terminal of the amplifier circuit. The first terminal of the first capacitor is connected to the drain of the first transistor, and the second terminal of the first capacitor is connected to the gate of the second transistor. The first terminal of the second capacitor is connected to the source of the second transistor, and the second terminal of the second capacitor is grounded. The first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the first inductor together constitute a current multiplexing structure.

2. The low-noise amplifier according to claim 1, characterized in that, The input matching circuit includes a third capacitor, a second inductor, and a third inductor, wherein: The first end of the third capacitor serves as the input terminal of the input matching circuit, used to receive radio frequency signals, and the second end of the third capacitor serves as the output terminal of the input matching circuit, connected to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit. The first terminal of the second inductor is connected to the first terminal of the third capacitor, and the second terminal of the second inductor is grounded. The third inductor serves as the grounding branch, with its first end connected to the source of the first transistor and its second end grounded.

3. The low-noise amplifier according to claim 1, characterized in that, The output matching circuit includes a fourth capacitor, a fourth inductor, and a fifth inductor, wherein: The first terminal of the fourth capacitor is connected to the first terminal of the fifth inductor, and the second terminal of the fourth capacitor serves as the output terminal of the output matching circuit for outputting radio frequency amplified signals. The second terminal of the fifth inductor serves as the input terminal of the output matching circuit and is connected to the output terminal of the amplifier circuit. The first terminal of the fourth inductor is used to connect to an external power supply voltage, and the second terminal of the fourth inductor is connected to the second terminal of the fifth inductor. The fourth inductor and the fifth inductor are mutually inductively coupled.

4. The low-noise amplifier according to claim 3, characterized in that, The output matching circuit further includes a first resistor, the first end of which is connected to the first end of the fourth inductor, and the second end of which is connected to the second end of the fifth inductor.

5. The low-noise amplifier according to claim 1, characterized in that, The low-noise amplifier further includes a second resistor, the first end of which is connected to the gate of the first transistor, and the second end of which is used to apply a third bias voltage.

6. The low-noise amplifier according to claim 1, characterized in that, The low-noise amplifier further includes a third resistor, the first end of which is connected to the gate of the second transistor, and the second end of which is used to connect to the first bias voltage.

7. The low-noise amplifier according to claim 1, characterized in that, The low-noise amplifier further includes a fourth resistor and a fifth capacitor. The first end of the fourth resistor is connected to the gate of the third transistor, and the second end of the fourth resistor is used to connect to the second bias voltage. The first terminal of the fifth capacitor is connected to the first terminal of the fourth resistor, and the second terminal of the fifth capacitor is grounded.

8. The low-noise amplifier according to claim 3, characterized in that, The low-noise amplifier also includes a sixth capacitor, the first end of which is connected to the first end of the fourth inductor, and the second end of which is grounded.

9. A radio frequency module, characterized in that, The radio frequency module includes the low-noise amplifier as described in any one of claims 1-8 above.

Images