Power Amplifier Circuit

Abstract

This power amplification circuit is provided with: a splitter which splits an input signal into a first signal and a second signal having a different phase to the first signal; a first amplifier which amplifies the first signal and outputs a first amplified signal; a second amplifier which amplifies the second signal and outputs a second amplified signal; a first balun which splits the first amplified signal into a third amplified signal and a fourth amplified signal having a different phase to the third amplified signal; a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier which respectively amplify the third amplified signal and the fourth amplified signal; a second balun which splits the second amplified signal into a fifth amplified signal and a sixth amplified signal having a different phase to the fifth amplified signal; a fifth amplifier which amplifies the fifth amplified signal if the power level exhibited by the fifth amplified signal is at least equal to a predetermined power level; and a sixth amplifier which amplifies the sixth amplified signal if the power level exhibited by the sixth amplified signal is at least equal to a predetermined power level.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power amplifier circuit. [Background technology]

[0002] A Doherty amplifier is a highly efficient power amplifier. A Doherty amplifier generally consists of a carrier amplifier, which operates regardless of the power level of the input signal, and a peak amplifier, which is turned off when the input signal power level is low and turned on when the input signal power level is high, connected in parallel. When the input signal power level is high, the carrier amplifier operates while maintaining saturation at the saturated output power level. That is, in a back-off state where only the carrier amplifier is amplifying, only the carrier amplifier operates, so the peak amplifier does not consume unnecessary current, resulting in high efficiency. A differential Doherty amplifier incorporating this Doherty amplifier can cancel out signals of the same amplitude and phase (e.g., noise) when they are simultaneously input to each of the two amplifying elements. This allows the generation of noise and harmonics of the input signal to be suppressed in a power amplifier circuit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-153193 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The power combining power amplifier circuit described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which first and second push-pull amplifiers with the same configuration are connected in parallel. The divider distributes an input signal input from an input terminal to a path provided with the first push-pull amplifier and a path provided with a phase shifter and the second push-pull amplifier. The first push-pull amplifier amplifies the input signal by class B operation. Meanwhile, the second push-pull amplifier amplifies the input signal by class C operation. The combiner receives the output power of the first push-pull amplifier and the output power of the second push-pull amplifier via the first isolator and the second isolator, respectively, and combines these output powers.

[0005] The first push-pull amplifier is provided with a first balun that distributes the input signal supplied from the distributor to a path provided with a first class B operation transistor and a path provided with a second class B operation transistor. The second push-pull amplifier is also provided with a balun similar to the first balun.

[0006] A balun often converts a balanced signal to an unbalanced signal or vice versa by, for example, placing two lines close to each other and electromagnetically coupling them. To achieve better performance, it is common to place the two lines as close as possible.

[0007] However, when the distance between the lines approaches the minimum processing accuracy of the manufacturing equipment, manufacturing errors in the distance between the lines can easily cause significant variations in the characteristics of the balun, such as its input impedance. For example, if the input impedance of a balun varies significantly during mass production, the balun is more likely to generate reflected waves of the input signal.

[0008] Since the isolation characteristics of the divider, which prevent the reflected wave from passing to the other terminal at the output terminal of the divider and being reflected back to the input terminal, are not ideal in the divider, if a balun is directly connected to the output of the divider, as in a power combining type power amplifier circuit, the reflected wave generated at the balun in one push-pull amplifier will propagate through the divider to the circuit in the previous stage of the divider or to the other push-pull amplifier. This can have a negative effect on the power distribution ratio and distribution phase of the divider, and ultimately on the distortion characteristics of the circuit in the previous stage, making it unsuitable for mass production.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power amplifier circuit suitable for mass production, in a configuration in which signals distributed by a balun are differentially amplified. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A power amplifier circuit according to one aspect of the present invention includes a divider that divides an input signal into a first signal and a second signal that is out of phase with the first signal, a first amplifier that amplifies the first signal and outputs a first amplified signal, a second amplifier that amplifies the second signal and outputs a second amplified signal, a first balun that divides the first amplified signal into a third amplified signal and a fourth amplified signal that is out of phase with the third amplified signal, a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier that amplify the third amplified signal and the fourth amplified signal, respectively, a second balun that divides the second amplified signal into a fifth amplified signal and a sixth amplified signal that is out of phase with the fifth amplified signal, a fifth amplifier that amplifies the fifth amplified signal when a power level of the fifth amplified signal indicates a predetermined power level or higher, and a sixth amplifier that amplifies the sixth amplified signal when a power level of the sixth amplified signal indicates a predetermined power level or higher. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a power amplifier circuit suitable for mass production in a configuration in which signals distributed by a balun are differentially amplified. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic example of the configuration of a power amplifier circuit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a first modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a second modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a third modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a fourth modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of the distribution deviation fluctuation amount in the power amplifier circuit 11. In FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of the amount of phase variation distributed in the power amplifier circuit 11. In FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing a basic example of a power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of the amount of variation in the distribution deviation in the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of the amount of phase variation in the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram showing a first modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram showing a second modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram showing a third modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of frequency change of the insulation isolation capability of the power divider according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as much as possible.

[0014] [First embodiment] A basic example of a power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the basic example of a power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the basic example of a power amplifier circuit 11 according to the first embodiment (hereinafter, may be referred to as a power amplifier circuit 11A) is a circuit that amplifies an input signal (radio frequency signal) RFin and outputs an output signal (amplified signal) RFout.

[0015] The power amplifier circuit 11A includes a 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 (divider), a driver stage amplifier circuit 30, a balun circuit 40, a power stage amplifier circuit 50, a resistive element 61, and a power combiner 201. The driver stage amplifier circuit 30 is connected between the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 and the balun circuit 40. The power stage amplifier circuit 50 is connected between the balun circuit 40 and the power combiner 201. The elements constituting the power amplifier circuit 11A are formed on the same semiconductor substrate. Note that the elements constituting the power amplifier circuit 11A may be formed on multiple semiconductor substrates.

[0016] The driver stage amplifier circuit 30 includes driver stage amplifiers 31C (first amplifier) ​​and 31P (second amplifier). For convenience, the following description will be given assuming that the driver stage amplifier circuit 30 is a single-stage amplifier element, but the driver stage amplifier circuit 30 may also be an amplifier circuit with multiple stages of amplifier elements. The balun circuit 40 includes a carrier-side balun 41 (first balun) and a peak-side balun 46 (second balun). The power stage amplifier circuit 50 includes carrier amplifiers 51Cp (third amplifier) ​​and 51Cm (fourth amplifier), and peak amplifiers 51Pp (fifth amplifier) ​​and 51Pm (sixth amplifier). Hereinafter, each of the driver stage amplifiers 31C and 31P may be referred to as a driver stage amplifier 31.

[0017] In this embodiment, the driver stage amplifier 31, the carrier amplifiers 51Cp and 51Cm, and the peak amplifiers 51Pp and 51Pm are configured by bipolar transistors such as heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). Note that the driver stage amplifier 31, the carrier amplifiers 51Cp and 51Cm, and the peak amplifiers 51Pp and 51Pm may also be configured by field effect transistors (FETs).

[0018] An overview of the power amplifier circuit 11A will be described. An input signal RFin is supplied to an input terminal 21. A 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 divides the input signal RFin supplied through the input terminal 21 into a signal RF1 (first signal) and a signal RF2 (second signal) that is out of phase with the signal RF1.

[0019] In the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, the driver stage amplifier 31C amplifies the signal RF1 and outputs an amplified signal ARF1 (first amplified signal). The driver stage amplifier 31P amplifies the signal RF2 and outputs an amplified signal ARF2 (second amplified signal).

[0020] In the balun circuit 40, the carrier-side balun 41 divides the amplified signal ARF1 into an amplified signal ARF3 (third amplified signal) and an amplified signal ARF4 (fourth amplified signal) that is out of phase with the amplified signal ARF3. The peak-side balun 46 divides the amplified signal ARF2 into an amplified signal ARF5 (fifth amplified signal) and an amplified signal ARF6 (sixth amplified signal) that is out of phase with the amplified signal ARF5.

[0021] In the power stage amplifier circuit 50, the carrier amplifier 51Cp amplifies the amplified signal ARF3 and outputs the amplified signal ARFCp. The carrier amplifier 51Cm amplifies the amplified signal ARF4 and outputs the amplified signal ARFCm. The peak amplifier 51Pp amplifies the amplified signal ARF5 and outputs the amplified signal ARFPp. The peak amplifier 51Pm amplifies the amplified signal ARF6 and outputs the amplified signal ARFPm.

[0022] The power combiner 201 combines the amplified signals ARFCp, ARFCm, ARFPp, and ARFPm, and outputs to the output terminal 22 an output signal RFout, which is an amplified signal of the input signal RFin.

[0023] The power amplifier circuit 11A will be described in detail below. In this embodiment, the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 divides the input signal RFin into a signal RF1 and a signal RF2 whose phase is delayed by approximately 90 degrees from the signal RF1. Note that the meaning of "delayed by approximately 90 degrees" in the power divider of the present invention includes an adjustment range of plus or minus 45 degrees from 90 degrees.

[0024] Specifically, the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 includes, for example, a transmission line 101a and a transmission line 101b. The transmission lines 101a and 101b are, for example, striplines or microstriplines provided on a semiconductor substrate, and are lines represented by distributed constant circuits. The transmission lines 101a and 101b are formed so as to extend together in a certain direction when, for example, the semiconductor substrate on which the power amplifier circuit 11A is formed is viewed in plan.

[0025] The 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 has a first end connected to the input terminal 21 and supplied with an input signal RFin, a second end connected to the driver stage amplifier 31C and supplied with a signal RF1, a third end grounded via a resistive element 61, and a fourth end connected to the driver stage amplifier 31P and supplied with a signal RF2.

[0026] The transmission line 101a in the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 has a first end connected to the input terminal 21 through a first end of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, and a second end connected to the driver stage amplifier 31C through a second end of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101. The transmission line 101b has a first end connected to ground through the third end of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 and the resistive element 61, and a second end connected to the driver stage amplifier 31P through the fourth end of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101.

[0027] The resistive element 61 connected to the third end of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 attenuates the reflected wave from the carrier-side balun 41 or the peak-side balun 46. This makes it possible to prevent the reflected wave from being further reflected by the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 and supplied to the driver stage amplifier circuit 30.

[0028] The driver stage amplifier 31C in the driver stage amplifying circuit 30 is connected to the second end of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, and has an input terminal to which the signal RF1 is input, and an output terminal to which the amplified signal ARF1 is output. The driver stage amplifier 31C includes a matching circuit (not shown) that matches the impedance between the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 and its own driver stage amplifier 31C.

[0029] The driver stage amplifier 31P is connected to the fourth end of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, and has an input terminal to which the signal RF2 is input, and an output terminal from which the amplified signal ARF2 is output. The driver stage amplifier 31P includes a matching circuit (not shown) that matches the impedance between the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 and the driver stage amplifier 31P itself.

[0030] The carrier-side balun 41 in the balun circuit 40 converts the amplified signal ARF1, which is an unbalanced signal, into amplified signals ARF3 and ARF4, which are balanced signals. Here, the phase of the amplified signal ARF4 lags behind the phase of the amplified signal ARF3 by, for example, approximately 180 degrees (the phase is inverted). Note that in the balun circuit 40 of the present invention, "lags behind by approximately 180 degrees" means an adjustment range of plus or minus 90 degrees from 180 degrees. In other words, the phase lag of the amplified signal ARF4 relative to the phase of the amplified signal ARF3 is between 90 degrees and 270 degrees.

[0031] Furthermore, the carrier-side balun 41 matches the impedance between the driver stage amplifier 31C and the carrier amplifiers 51Cp and 51Cm.

[0032] Specifically, the carrier-side balun 41 includes a transformer 42 having a primary winding 42a and a secondary winding 42b. The primary winding 42a has a first end connected to the power supply voltage supply node N1 of the driver stage amplifier 31C and a second end connected to the output terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31C and receiving the amplified signal ARF1. The secondary winding 42b is electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding 42a and has a first end connected to the carrier amplifier 51Cp and receiving the amplified signal ARF3, and a second end connected to the carrier amplifier 51Cm and receiving the amplified signal ARF4.

[0033] The peak-side balun 46 converts the amplified signal ARF2, which is an unbalanced signal, into amplified signals ARF5 and ARF6, which are balanced signals. Here, the phase of the amplified signal ARF6 lags behind the phase of the amplified signal ARF5 by, for example, approximately 180 degrees (the phase is inverted).

[0034] Furthermore, the peak-side balun 46 matches the impedance between the driver stage amplifier 31P and the peak amplifiers 51Pp and 51Pm.

[0035] Specifically, the peak-side balun 46 includes a transformer 47 having a primary winding 47a and a secondary winding 47b. The primary winding 47a has a first end connected to the power supply voltage supply node N2 of the driver stage amplifier 31P and a second end connected to the output terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31P and supplied with the amplified signal ARF2. The secondary winding 47b is electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding 47a and has a first end connected to the peak amplifier 51Pp and supplying the amplified signal ARF5, and a second end connected to the peak amplifier 51Pm and supplying the amplified signal ARF6.

[0036] In the power stage amplifier circuit 50, carrier amplifiers 51Cp and 51Cm form a differential pair in the carrier-side output stage (power stage). The carrier amplifiers 51Cp and 51Cm are biased, for example, to class A, class AB, or class B. That is, the carrier amplifiers 51Cp and 51Cm amplify the input signal and output the amplified signal regardless of the power level of the input signal, such as a small instantaneous input power.

[0037] Specifically, the carrier amplifier 51Cp is connected to a first end of the secondary winding 42b in the carrier balun 41, and has an input terminal to which the amplified signal ARF3 is input, and an output terminal that outputs the amplified signal ARFCp.

[0038] The carrier amplifier 51Cm is connected to the second end of the secondary winding 42b in the carrier balun 41, and has an input terminal to which the amplified signal ARF4 is input, and an output terminal that outputs the amplified signal ARFCm.

[0039] The peak amplifiers 51Pp and 51Pm form a differential pair in the output stage (power stage) on the peak side. The peak amplifiers 51Pp and 51Pm are biased to class C, for example.

[0040] In detail, the peak amplifier 51Pp is connected to a first end of the secondary winding 47b in the peak side balun 46 and has an input terminal to which the amplified signal ARF5 is input, and an output terminal that amplifies the amplified signal ARF5 and outputs the amplified signal ARFPp when the power level of the amplified signal ARF5 indicates a predetermined power level or higher.

[0041] The peak amplifier 51Pm is connected to the second end of the secondary winding 47b in the peak side balun 46, and has an input terminal to which the amplified signal ARF6 is input, and an output terminal that amplifies the amplified signal ARF6 and outputs the amplified signal ARFPm when the power level of the amplified signal ARF6 indicates a predetermined power level or higher.

[0042] Thus, in the power amplifier circuit 11A, two carrier amplifiers 51Cp and 51Cm, which respectively amplify amplified signals ARF3 and ARF4 having a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, form a differential amplifier circuit. Furthermore, two peak amplifiers 51Pp and 51Pm, which respectively amplify amplified signals ARF5 and ARF6 having a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, form a differential amplifier circuit. The differential amplifier circuit includes two paired amplifier elements, which amplify and output the potential difference between signals of the same amplitude and opposite phase input to each of the two amplifier elements. Therefore, when signals of the same amplitude and phase (e.g., noise) are simultaneously input to each of the two amplifier elements, the signals of the same amplitude and phase are canceled out. This makes it possible to suppress the generation of noise and harmonics of the input signals in the power amplifier circuit 11A.

[0043] Furthermore, when the power stage amplifier circuit 50 performs an amplification operation, a large current flows through the emitter (or source) terminal. In a configuration that amplifies a single-ended signal, that current flows to the ground of the circuit board, but because the ground of the circuit board has inductance, the ground potential may fluctuate. Fluctuations in the ground potential on the carrier side and the peak side can interfere with each other, resulting in unwanted frequency characteristics or, in the worst case, oscillation. By using a differential configuration such as the power stage amplifier circuit 50, the AC components of the emitter currents of the differential pair can cancel each other out, reducing fluctuations in the ground potential and reducing mutual interference with other single-ended circuits in the circuit (e.g., the driver stage amplifier circuit 30 or a distributor).

[0044] Furthermore, the power amplifier circuit 11A, for example, forms a Doherty amplifier circuit with the carrier amplifier 51Cp and the peak amplifier 51Pp, and also forms a Doherty amplifier circuit with the carrier amplifier 51Cm and the peak amplifier 51Pm. As a result, the carrier amplifier 51Cp performs amplification operations in a range where the power level is equal to or greater than zero, regardless of the power level of the input signal RFin. The peak amplifier 51Pp performs amplification operations in a range where the voltage level of the input signal RFin is equal to or greater than a level (predetermined power level) that is a predetermined level lower than the maximum level Vmax. In other words, by combining the operations of the two amplifiers according to the power level of the input signal, the range in which the carrier amplifier 51Cp operates at saturated output is expanded. This improves the power efficiency of the power amplifier circuit 11A. The carrier amplifier 51Cm and the peak amplifier 51Pm also operate in a similar manner.

[0045] The power combiner 201 includes quarter-wave lines 202 and 203 and a transformer 204. The transformer 204 includes a primary winding 204a and a secondary winding 204b.

[0046] The quarter-wave line 202 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cp, and a second end. The quarter-wave line 202 delays the phase of the amplified signal ARFCp supplied from the carrier amplifier 51Cp by, for example, approximately 90 degrees. Note that the meaning of "delaying by approximately 90 degrees" in the power combiner 201 of the present invention includes an adjustment range of plus or minus 45 degrees from 90 degrees.

[0047] The quarter-wave line 203 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cm, and a second end. The quarter-wave line 203 delays the phase of the amplified signal ARFCm supplied from the carrier amplifier 51Cm by, for example, approximately 90 degrees.

[0048] The primary winding 204a of the transformer 204 has a first end connected to the second end of the quarter-wavelength line 202 and the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pp, and a second end connected to the second end of the quarter-wavelength line 203 and the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pm. The secondary winding 204b is electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding 204a, and has a first end connected to the output terminal 22, and a second end grounded.

[0049] The phase of the amplified signal ARFCp is delayed by approximately 90 degrees by the quarter-wave line 202, so that the amplified signal ARFCp and the amplified signal ARFPp are combined at the first end of the primary winding 204a in a state where the phases are approximately aligned.

[0050] Furthermore, since the phase of the amplified signal ARFCm is delayed by approximately 90 degrees by the quarter-wave line 203, the amplified signals ARFCm and ARFPm are combined at the second end of the primary winding 204a with their phases substantially aligned.

[0051] Because the phase difference between the amplified signal input to the first end of the primary winding 204a and the amplified signal input to the second end of the primary winding 204a is approximately 180°, a voltage having an amplitude approximately twice that of the amplified signal input to the first end of the primary winding 204a is applied to the primary winding 204a. Based on this voltage, an output signal RFout is generated at the first end of the secondary winding 204b, which is electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding 204a, and the powers are combined.

[0052] (Modification 1 of power amplifier circuit 11) Modification 1 of the power amplifier circuit 11 shown in Fig. 1 will be described. In the description of the modification, matters common to the basic example will be omitted, and only differences will be described. In particular, similar effects resulting from similar configurations will not be mentioned one by one for each modification.

[0053] Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a first modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, the first modification of the power amplifier circuit 11 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a power amplifier circuit 11B) differs from the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in Fig. 1 in that a power combiner is configured by a π-type equivalent circuit of quarter-wavelength lines 202 and 203.

[0054] In this modification, the power amplifier circuit 11B includes a power combiner 211 instead of the power combiner 201 in the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in FIG.

[0055] The power combiner 211 includes inductors 212 and 213 , capacitors 214 and 215 , and a transformer 204 .

[0056] The capacitor 214 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cm. The capacitor 215 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pm.

[0057] The inductor 212 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cp, and a second end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pp and a first end of the primary winding 204a of the transformer 204.

[0058] The inductor 213 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cm, and a second end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pm and a second end of the primary winding 204a of the transformer 204.

[0059] The inductors 212 and 213 and the capacitors 214 and 215 delay, for example, the phase of the amplified signal ARFCp supplied from the carrier amplifier 51Cp and the phase of the amplified signal ARFCm supplied from the carrier amplifier 51Cm by approximately 90 degrees.

[0060] In this way, by replacing the quarter-wavelength lines 202 and 203 (see FIG. 1) with inductors 212 and 213 and capacitors 214 and 215 and configuring the power combiner 211 using a lumped constant circuit, the circuit size of the power combiner 211 can be reduced.

[0061] (Modification 2 of power amplifier circuit 11) A second modification of the power amplifier circuit 11 shown in Fig. 1 will be described. Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a second modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, the second modification of the power amplifier circuit 11 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a power amplifier circuit 11C) differs from the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in Fig. 1 in that a power combiner is formed by a T-type equivalent circuit of quarter-wavelength lines 202 and 203.

[0062] In this modification, the power amplifier circuit 11C includes a power combiner 221 instead of the power combiner 201 in the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in FIG.

[0063] The power combiner 221 includes inductors 222 , 223 , 224 and 225 , a capacitor 226 and a transformer 204 .

[0064] The inductor 222 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cp and a second end. The inductor 223 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cm and a second end. The capacitor 226 has a first end connected to the second end of the inductor 222 and a second end connected to the second end of the inductor 223.

[0065] The inductor 225 has a first end connected to the second end of the inductor 222 and the first end of the capacitor 226, and a second end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pp and the first end of the primary winding 204a of the transformer 204.

[0066] The inductor 224 has a first end connected to the second end of the inductor 223 and the second end of the capacitor 226, and a second end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pm and the second end of the primary winding 204a of the transformer 204.

[0067] The inductors 222, 223, 224, and 225 and the capacitor 226 delay, for example, the phase of the amplified signal ARFCp supplied from the carrier amplifier 51Cp and the phase of the amplified signal ARFCm supplied from the carrier amplifier 51Cm by approximately 90 degrees.

[0068] In this way, by replacing the quarter-wavelength lines 202 and 203 (see FIG. 1) with inductors 222, 223, 224, and 225 and capacitor 226 and configuring power combiner 221 using lumped constant circuits, it is possible to reduce the circuit size of power combiner 221. Although not shown, power combiner 221 may be configured separately in two places, inside a semiconductor chip and on a module board, or may be configured on either one of them. For example, capacitor 226 may be placed inside a layout configuring primary winding 204a and secondary winding 204b.

[0069] (Variation 3 of power amplifier circuit 11) A third modification of the power amplifier circuit 11 shown in Fig. 1 will now be described. Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a third modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the third modification of the power amplifier circuit 11 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a power amplifier circuit 11D) differs from the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in Fig. 1 in that a power combiner is formed by two transformers connected in series.

[0070] In this modification, the power amplifier circuit 11D includes a power combiner 231 instead of the power combiner 201 in the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in FIG.

[0071] Power combiner 231 includes capacitors 232, 233, 234, and 235, and transformers 236 and 237. Transformer 236 includes a primary winding 236a and a secondary winding 236b. Transformer 237 includes a primary winding 237a and a secondary winding 237b.

[0072] The capacitor 232 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cm.

[0073] The primary winding 236a of the transformer 236 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cm. The secondary winding 236b is electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding 236a and has a first end and a second end.

[0074] The capacitor 233 has a first end connected to the first end of the secondary winding 236b and a second end connected to the output terminal 22.

[0075] The capacitor 234 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pm.

[0076] A primary winding 237a of the transformer 237 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pm. The secondary winding 237b is electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding 237a, and has a first end connected to the second end of the secondary winding 236b in the transformer 236, and a second end grounded.

[0077] The capacitor 235 has a first end connected to a first end of the secondary winding 237b of the transformer 237, and a second end connected to a second end of the secondary winding 237b.

[0078] (Fourth Modification of Power Amplifier Circuit 11) A fourth modification of the power amplifier circuit 11 shown in Fig. 1 will be described. Fig. 5 is a circuit diagram showing the fourth modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 5, the fourth modification of the power amplifier circuit 11 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a power amplifier circuit 11E) differs from the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in Fig. 1 in that a power combiner is formed by two transformers connected in parallel.

[0079] 1, the power amplifier circuit 11E includes a power combiner 241 instead of the power combiner 201. A first end of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 is grounded via a resistive element 61. A third end of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 is connected to the input terminal 21.

[0080] Power combiner 241 includes capacitors 242, 243, 244, and 245, and transformers 246 and 247. Transformer 246 includes a primary winding 246a and a secondary winding 246b. Transformer 247 includes a primary winding 247a and a secondary winding 247b.

[0081] The capacitor 242 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cm.

[0082] A primary winding 246a of the transformer 246 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the carrier amplifier 51Cm. A secondary winding 246b is electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding 246a and has a first end connected to the output terminal 22 and a second end grounded.

[0083] Capacitor 243 has a first end connected to the first end of secondary winding 246b and a second end connected to the second end of secondary winding 246b. Capacitor 245 has a first end connected to output terminal 22 and a second end.

[0084] The capacitor 242 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pm.

[0085] A primary winding 247a of the transformer 247 has a first end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pp and a second end connected to the output terminal of the peak amplifier 51Pm. Secondary winding 247b is electromagnetically coupled to primary winding 247a, and has a first end connected to the second end of capacitor 245, and a second end grounded.

[0086] (Action and effect) In order to quantitatively estimate the effect of the power amplifier circuit 11, the inventors have calculated the input impedance of the carrier-side balun 41 or the peak-side balun 46 (hereinafter referred to as the balun input impedance and A simulation was performed to see how the performance of the power amplifier circuit 11 changes when the power consumption (power consumption) fluctuates.

[0087] The inventors set variations in the balun input impedance in the simulation. Specifically, for example, the size and arrangement of the carrier-side balun 41 and the peak-side balun 46 vary for each manufactured unit, so the balun input impedance also varies for each manufactured unit. In this simulation, the balun input impedance Zb was set to have an error of Zb = (α + jβ) × Zave.

[0088] where Zave is the average value of the balun input impedance during mass production. α is a real number that varies with an error function based on an average value αave=1 and a standard deviation σα=0.2. β is a real number that varies with an error function based on an average value βave=0 and a standard deviation σβ=0.2. j is the imaginary unit.

[0089] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of the amount of variation in distribution deviation in the power amplifier circuit 11. In Fig. 6, the horizontal axis indicates the amount of variation in distribution deviation in units of "dB", and the vertical axis indicates the occurrence probability in units of "%".

[0090] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of the amount of distributed phase variation in the power amplifier circuit 11. In Fig. 7, the horizontal axis represents the amount of distributed phase variation in units of "degrees", and the vertical axis represents the occurrence probability in units of "%".

[0091] 6 and 7, the inventors calculated the distribution Dpw1 of the distribution deviation variation amount and the distribution Dph1 of the distribution phase variation amount of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 in the power amplifier circuit 11. In the power amplifier circuit 11, baluns having the statistical properties of the balun input impedance Zb are used as the carrier-side balun 41 and the peak-side balun 46.

[0092] The distribution Dpw1 is a histogram showing, for example, in each class of distribution deviation fluctuation amount in increments of 0.2 dB, the occurrence probability of a power amplifier circuit 11 having a distribution deviation fluctuation amount included in that class. The distribution Dph1 is a histogram showing, for example, in each class of distribution phase fluctuation amount in increments of 2 degrees, the occurrence probability of a power amplifier circuit 11 having a distribution phase fluctuation amount included in that class.

[0093] Furthermore, the inventors calculated a reference distribution Dpwr1 of the distribution deviation fluctuation amount and a reference distribution Dphr1 of the distribution phase fluctuation amount of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 in a configuration (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a first reference configuration) in which, unlike the power amplifier circuit 11, the driver stage amplifier circuit 30 is not provided between the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 and the balun circuit 40. In the first reference configuration, baluns having the statistical properties of the balun input impedance Zb are used as the carrier-side balun 41 and the peak-side balun 46.

[0094] The reference distribution Dpwr1 is a histogram showing, for example, in each class of distribution deviation fluctuation amount in increments of 0.2 dB, the occurrence probability of the first reference configuration having a distribution deviation fluctuation amount included in that class. The reference distribution Dphr1 is a histogram showing, for example, in each class of distribution phase fluctuation amount in increments of 2 degrees, the occurrence probability of the first reference configuration having a distribution phase fluctuation amount included in that class.

[0095] The distributions Dpw1 and Dph1 and the reference distributions Dpwr1 and Dphr1 were calculated using 1000 samples.

[0096] Here, the distribution deviation variation indicates, for example, how much the power distribution from the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 to the driver stage amplifiers 31C and 31P has varied from a power distribution standard. The power distribution standard is, for example, the power distribution from the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 to the driver stage amplifiers 31C and 31P when the power amplifier circuit 11 operates according to the design values. When the power amplifier circuit 11 operates according to the design values, the distribution deviation variation is zero, and reflected waves from the carrier-side balun 41 and the peak-side balun 46 are sufficiently suppressed.

[0097] The distribution phase variation indicates, for example, how much the phase of signal RF1 from the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 to the driver stage amplifier 31C or the phase of signal RF2 from the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 to the driver stage amplifier 31P has varied from a reference phase. The reference phase is, for example, the phase of signal RF1 or the phase of signal RF2 when the power amplifier circuit 11 operates according to the design values. When the power amplifier circuit 11 operates according to the design values, the distribution phase variation is zero, and the phases of signals RF1 and RF2 are according to the design values.

[0098] The distribution Dpw1 of the power amplifier circuit 11 has reduced variation compared to the reference distribution Dpwr1 of the first reference configuration (see FIG. 6). The distribution Dph1 of the power amplifier circuit 11 has reduced variation compared to the reference distribution Dphr1 of the first reference configuration (see FIG. 7).

[0099] Specifically, the standard deviations of the reference distribution Dpwr1 and the reference distribution Dphr1 are 0.71 dB and 4.8 degrees, respectively. In contrast, by applying the power amplifier circuit 11, the standard deviations of the distribution Dpw1 and the distribution Dph1 are improved to 0.31 dB and 2.0 degrees, respectively.

[0100] That is, even if the balun input impedance Zb varies between manufactured units, the power amplifier circuit 11 can suppress imbalance in power distribution from the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 to the carrier side and the peak side. Also, even if the balun input impedance Zb varies between manufactured units, the power amplifier circuit 11 can suppress deviations of the phase of the signal RF1 and the phase of the signal RF2 from their designed values. Therefore, it is possible to suppress variations in the performance of the power amplifier circuit 11 between manufactured units, and to provide a power amplifier circuit 11 with stable performance.

[0101] [Second embodiment] A power amplifier circuit according to a second embodiment will be described. From the second embodiment onwards, descriptions of matters common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and only differences will be described. In particular, similar effects resulting from similar configurations will not be mentioned in each embodiment.

[0102] Fig. 8 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 8, a power amplifier circuit 12 according to the second embodiment differs from the power amplifier circuit 11 according to the first embodiment in that it is connected to an external circuit.

[0103] The power amplifier circuit 12 has a circuit configuration similar to that of the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in Fig. 1. In this embodiment, the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, the balun circuit 40, and the power stage amplifier circuit 50 in the power amplifier circuit 12 are provided inside the semiconductor region 71. The power combiner 201 is provided outside the semiconductor region 71.

[0104] The semiconductor region 71 is, for example, on the surface or inside of the same semiconductor substrate. That is, the elements of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, the balun circuit 40, and the power stage amplifier circuit 50 are mounted on either the surface or inside of the same semiconductor substrate.

[0105] The input terminal 21 and the connection terminals 23C, 23P, 24Cp, 24Cm, 24Pp, and 24Pm are terminals provided inside the semiconductor region 71. The power stage amplifier circuit 50 is Connection terminals The power combiner 201 is connected via 24Cp, 24Cm, 24Pp and 24Pm.

[0106] The carrier-side balun 41 has a terminal connected to, for example, an external circuit 301 on the semiconductor substrate. The peak-side balun 46 has a terminal connected to, for example, an external circuit 306 on the semiconductor substrate. The external circuits 301 and 306 are provided outside the semiconductor region 71 and are circuits having, for example, a power supply terminal and a ground terminal.

[0107] In this embodiment, when the power amplifier circuit 12 is mounted, the connection terminal 23C and the power supply terminal or the ground terminal of the external circuit 301 are connected via, for example, a wire or a microbump. Similarly, the connection terminal 23P and the power supply terminal or the ground terminal of the external circuit 306 are connected via, for example, a wire or a microbump. A parasitic inductor component exists in the wire and the microbump.

[0108] Specifically, a first end of primary winding 42a of carrier-side balun 41 is connected to connection terminal 23C. Connection terminal 23C is connected to a power supply terminal or a ground terminal in external circuit 301 through parasitic inductance 311 of a wire or microbump. A first end of primary winding 47a of peak-side balun 46 is connected to connection terminal 23P. Connection terminal 23P is connected to a power supply terminal or a ground terminal in external circuit 306 through parasitic inductance 316 of a wire or microbump.

[0109] The wires and microbumps are structurally larger in size than the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, the balun circuit 40, and the power stage amplifier circuit 50, which are manufactured using semiconductor processes. For this reason, the variations in the wires and microbumps between individual manufactured components, i.e., manufacturing errors, during mounting generally become large.

[0110] Since the sizes of the wires and microbumps vary greatly between manufactured units, the inductance of the parasitic inductor 311 also varies greatly between manufactured units.

[0111] When the first end of the primary winding 42a of the carrier side balun 41 is connected to the parasitic inductor 311, the input impedance of the carrier side balun 41 varies due to variations between individual manufactured carrier side baluns 41 themselves and variations between individual manufactured wires or microbumps.

[0112] That is, the input impedance of carrier-side balun 41 varies more significantly between individual manufactured components due to the first end of primary-side winding 42a being connected to parasitic inductor 311.

[0113] Similarly, the input impedance of the peak-side balun 46 varies more significantly between individual units because the first end of the primary winding 47a is connected to the parasitic inductor 316.

[0114] Therefore, in the power amplifier circuit 12, the input impedance of the carrier-side balun 41 and the peak-side balun 46 varies greatly for each manufactured unit, which increases the possibility that the reflected waves from the carrier-side balun 41 and the peak-side balun 46 will be large.

[0115] In contrast, in the power amplifier circuit 12, the reflected waves from the balun circuit 40 can be suppressed by the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, which has good isolation characteristics, so that even in manufactured units of the power amplifier circuit 12 where the balun input impedance varies greatly and the reflected waves are large, it is possible to suppress degradation in the performance of the power amplifier circuit 12. Therefore, even in cases where the balun input impedance varies greatly between manufactured units due to connection to an external circuit, it is possible to suppress the variation in performance between manufactured units of the power amplifier circuit 12, and provide a power amplifier circuit 12 with stable performance.

[0116] In the power amplifier circuit 12 according to the present embodiment, the carrier-side balun 41 has a terminal connected to the external circuit 301 on the semiconductor substrate, and the peak-side balun 46 has a terminal connected to the external circuit 306 on the semiconductor substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Either the carrier-side balun 41 or the peak-side balun 46 may have a configuration without a terminal connected to the external circuit 301 or the external circuit 306.

[0117] Furthermore, in the power amplifier circuit 12 according to the present embodiment, the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, the balun circuit 40, and the power stage amplifier circuit 50 are configured to be provided inside the semiconductor region 71, but the present invention is not limited to this. Only the driver stage amplifier circuit 30 and the balun circuit 40 may be configured to be provided within the semiconductor region 71.

[0118] [Third embodiment] A power amplifier circuit according to a third embodiment will now be described. Fig. 9 is a circuit diagram showing a basic example of a power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 9, a power amplifier circuit 13 according to the third embodiment differs from the power amplifier circuit 11 according to the first embodiment in that the power divider is not grounded via a resistive element.

[0119] In this embodiment, a basic example of the power amplifier circuit 13 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the power amplifier circuit 13A) includes a power divider 111 instead of the resistive element 61 and the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, as compared to the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in FIG.

[0120] The power divider 111 includes a quarter-wave line 112, a branching section 113, and a transmission line 114. In detail, the power divider 111 has a first end connected to the input terminal 21, a second end connected to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31P, and a third end connected to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31C.

[0121] The quarter-wave line 112 has a first end connected to a first end of the power divider 111 via the branch 113, and a second end connected to a second end of the power divider 111. The transmission line 114 has a first end connected to the branch 113, and a second end connected to a third end of the power divider 111.

[0122] The branching unit 113 branches the input signal RFin supplied through the first terminal of the power divider 111 into a signal RF1 and a signal RF2. The signal RF1 is supplied through a transmission line 114 to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31C.

[0123] The signal RF2 is supplied to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31P via the quarter-wave line 112. The phase of the signal RF2 when it passes through the quarter-wave line 112 lags behind the phase of the signal RF1 when it passes through the transmission line 114 by approximately 90 degrees.

[0124] (Action and effect) Since the power divider 111 is not connected to a resistive element that attenuates reflected waves from the carrier-side balun 41 or the peak-side balun 46, such as the resistive element 61 (see FIG. 1) in the power amplifier circuit 11A, the configuration of the power amplifier circuit 13A can be simplified. On the other hand, the power divider 111 does not have good isolation characteristics. In this way, even when the power divider 111 that does not have good isolation characteristics is used, the configuration of the power amplifier circuit 13 shows that the effect of the present invention is particularly great.

[0125] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of the amount of variation in the distribution deviation in the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents the amount of variation in the distribution deviation in units of "dB," and the vertical axis represents the probability of occurrence in units of "%."

[0126] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of the amount of distributed phase variation in the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 11, the horizontal axis represents the amount of distributed phase variation in units of degrees, and the vertical axis represents the occurrence probability in units of %.

[0127] 10 and 11 , the inventors calculated the distribution Dpw2 of the distribution deviation fluctuation amount and the distribution Dph2 of the distribution phase fluctuation amount of the power divider 111 in the power amplifier circuit 13. In the power amplifier circuit 13, baluns having the statistical properties of the balun input impedance Zb are used as the carrier-side balun 41 and the peak-side balun 46.

[0128] The distribution Dpw2 is a histogram showing, for example, in each class of distribution deviation fluctuation amount in increments of 0.5 dB, the occurrence probability of a power amplifier circuit 13 having a distribution deviation fluctuation amount included in that class. The distribution Dph2 is a histogram showing, for example, in each class of distribution phase fluctuation amount in increments of 4 degrees, the occurrence probability of a power amplifier circuit 13 having a distribution phase fluctuation amount included in that class.

[0129] Furthermore, the inventors calculated a reference distribution Dpwr2 of the distribution deviation fluctuation amount and a reference distribution Dphr2 of the distribution phase fluctuation amount of the power divider 111 in a configuration (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a second reference configuration) in which, unlike the power amplifier circuit 13, the driver stage amplifier circuit 30 is not provided between the power divider 111 and the balun circuit 40. In the second reference configuration, baluns having the statistical properties of the balun input impedance Zb are used as the carrier-side balun 41 and the peak-side balun 46.

[0130] The reference distribution Dpwr2 is a histogram showing, for example, in each class of distribution deviation fluctuation amount in increments of 0.5 dB, the occurrence probability of the second reference configuration having a distribution deviation fluctuation amount included in that class. The reference distribution Dphr2 is a histogram showing, for example, in each class of distribution phase fluctuation amount in increments of 4 degrees, the occurrence probability of the second reference configuration having a distribution phase fluctuation amount included in that class.

[0131] The distributions Dpw2 and Dph2 and the reference distributions Dpwr2 and Dphr2 were calculated using 1000 samples.

[0132] The distribution Dpw2 of the power amplifier circuit 13 has less variation than the reference distribution Dpwr2 of the second reference configuration (see FIG. 10). The distribution Dph2 of the power amplifier circuit 13 has less variation than the reference distribution Dphr2 of the second reference configuration (see FIG. 11).

[0133] Specifically, the standard deviations of the reference distribution Dpwr2 and the reference distribution Dphr2 were 1.8 dB and 11.6 degrees, respectively. In contrast, by applying the power amplifier circuit 13, the standard deviations of the distribution Dpw2 and the distribution Dph2 were improved to 0.8 dB and 5.0 degrees, respectively. In this way, it was confirmed by simulation that by applying the power amplifier circuit 13, it is possible to suppress variations in the amount of distribution deviation fluctuation and the amount of distribution phase fluctuation during mass production.

[0134] That is, even if the power divider 111 does not have good isolation characteristics, the power amplifier circuit 13 can suppress imbalance in power distribution from the power divider 111 to the carrier side and the peak side. Furthermore, even if the power divider 111 does not have good isolation characteristics, the power amplifier circuit 13 can suppress deviations of the phase of the signal RF1 and the phase of the signal RF2 from their design values. Therefore, even if the power divider 111 does not have good isolation characteristics, it is possible to suppress variations in the performance of the power amplifier circuit 13 between individual manufactured units, and to provide a power amplifier circuit 13 with stable performance.

[0135] (Modification 1 of power amplifier circuit 13) A first modification of the power amplifier circuit 13 shown in Fig. 9 will be described. Fig. 12 is a circuit diagram showing the first modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 12, the first modification of the power amplifier circuit 13 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a power amplifier circuit 13B) differs from the power amplifier circuit 13A shown in Fig. 9 in that a power divider is formed by a π-type equivalent circuit of a quarter-wavelength line 112.

[0136] In this modification, the power amplifier circuit 13B includes a power divider 121 instead of the power divider 111, as compared to the power amplifier circuit 13A shown in FIG.

[0137] The power divider 121 includes a branch section 113, a transmission line 114, an inductor 122, and capacitors 123 and 124.

[0138] Inductor 122 has a first end connected to branch 113 and a second end connected to the input terminal of driver stage amplifier 31P. Capacitor 123 has a first end connected to the first end of inductor 122 and a second end grounded. Capacitor 124 has a first end connected to the second end of inductor 122 and a second end grounded.

[0139] In this way, by replacing the quarter-wave line 112 (see FIG. 9) with the inductor 122 and the capacitors 123 and 124 and configuring the power divider 121 using a lumped constant circuit, the circuit scale of the power divider 121 can be reduced.

[0140] (Modification 2 of power amplifier circuit 13) Fig. 13 is a circuit diagram showing a second modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 13, the second modification of the power amplifier circuit 13 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a power amplifier circuit 13C) differs from the power amplifier circuit 13A shown in Fig. 9 in that a power divider is formed by a T-type equivalent circuit of a quarter-wavelength line 112.

[0141] In this modification, the power amplifier circuit 13C includes a power divider 131 instead of the power divider 111 in the power amplifier circuit 13A shown in FIG.

[0142] The power divider 131 includes a branch section 113, a transmission line 114, inductors 132 and 133, and a capacitor .

[0143] Inductor 132 has a first end connected to branch 113 and a second end. Inductor 133 has a first end connected to the second end of inductor 132 and a second end connected to the input terminal of driver stage amplifier 31P. Capacitor 134 has a first end connected to the second end of inductor 132 and the first end of inductor 133, and a second end grounded.

[0144] In this way, by replacing the quarter-wave line 112 (see FIG. 9) with the inductors 132 and 133 and the capacitor 134 and configuring the power divider 131 using a lumped constant circuit, the circuit scale of the power divider 131 can be reduced.

[0145] (Variation 3 of power amplifier circuit 13) Fig. 14 is a circuit diagram showing a third modification of the power amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 14, the third modification of the power amplifier circuit 13 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a power amplifier circuit 13D) differs from the power amplifier circuit 13A shown in Fig. 9 in that the input signal RFin is divided by a Wilkinson divider 143.

[0146] In this modification, the power amplifier circuit 13D includes a power divider 141 instead of the power divider 111, as compared to the power amplifier circuit 13A shown in FIG.

[0147] The power divider 141 includes a quarter-wave line 112, a transmission line 114, and a Wilkinson divider 143. The Wilkinson divider 143 includes quarter-wave lines 143a and 143b, and a resistive element 143c.

[0148] The Wilkinson divider 143 splits the input signal RFin supplied from the input terminal 21 through the first end of the power divider 141 into a signal RF1 and a signal RF2.

[0149] Specifically, the quarter-wave line 143a in the Wilkinson divider 143 has a first end connected to the first end of the power divider 141 through the node 143d, and a second end. The quarter-wave line 143b has a first end connected to the first end of the power divider 141 through the node 143d, and a second end. The resistive element 143c has a first end connected to the second end of the quarter-wave line 143a, and a second end connected to the second end of the quarter-wave line 143b.

[0150] The transmission line 114 has a first end connected to the second end of the quarter-wave line 143a and a second end connected to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31C via the third end of the power divider 141. The quarter-wave line 112 has a first end connected to the second end of the quarter-wave line 143b and a second end connected to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31P via the second end of the power divider 141.

[0151] The signal RF1 is supplied to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31C via a quarter wavelength line 143a and a transmission line 114. The signal RF2 is supplied to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31P via a quarter wavelength line 143b and a quarter wavelength line 112.

[0152] The phase of signal RF1 when it passes through quarter-wave line 143a and the phase of signal RF2 when it passes through quarter-wave line 143b are approximately the same. The phase of signal RF2 when it passes through quarter-wave line 112 lags behind the phase of signal RF1 when it passes through transmission line 114 by approximately 90 degrees.

[0153] [Fourth embodiment] A power amplifier circuit according to a fourth embodiment will now be described. Fig. 15 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 15, a power amplifier circuit 14 according to the fourth embodiment differs from the power amplifier circuit 11 according to the first embodiment in that the distributed constant circuit in a 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 is replaced with a lumped constant circuit.

[0154] In this embodiment, the power amplifier circuit 14 includes a power divider 151 instead of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, as compared to the power amplifier circuit 11A shown in FIG.

[0155] The power divider 151 has a first terminal to which the input signal RFin is supplied via the input terminal 21, a second terminal connected to the driver stage amplifier 31C and supplying the signal RF1, a third terminal grounded via the resistive element 61, and a fourth terminal connected to the driver stage amplifier 31P and supplying the signal RF2.

[0156] In detail, the power divider 151 includes a transformer 152, and capacitors 153 (first capacitor), 154 (second capacitor), 155, 156, 157, and 158. The transformer 152 includes a primary winding 152a (first inductor) and a secondary winding 152b (second inductor).

[0157] The primary winding 152a of the transformer 152 has a first end connected to the input terminal 21 through a first end of the power divider 151 and a second end connected to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31C through a second end of the power divider 151. The secondary winding 152b is electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding 152a and has a first end grounded through the third end of the power divider 151 and the resistive element 61, and a second end connected to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31P through a fourth end of the power divider 151.

[0158] Capacitor 153 has a first end connected to the first end of primary winding 152a and a second end connected to the first end of secondary winding 152b. Capacitor 155 has a first end connected to the first end of primary winding 152a and a second end connected to ground. Capacitor 156 has a first end connected to the first end of secondary winding 152b and a second end connected to ground.

[0159] Capacitor 157 has a first end connected to the second end of primary winding 152a and a second end connected to ground. Capacitor 158 has a first end connected to the second end of secondary winding 152b and a second end connected to ground. Capacitor 154 has a first end connected to the second end of primary winding 152a and a second end connected to the second end of secondary winding 152b.

[0160] In the power amplifier circuit 14, instead of the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101 (see FIG. 1) including transmission lines 101a and 101b represented by a distributed constant circuit, the power divider 151 is configured using a lumped constant circuit, thereby enabling good power distribution while reducing the circuit size of the power divider 151.

[0161] Furthermore, in the power amplifier circuit 14, even when the balun input impedance varies and a reflected wave is generated from the carrier-side balun 41 or the peak-side balun 46 to the power divider 151, the reflected wave can be suppressed by the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, which has good isolation characteristics. As a result, even when the power divider 151 is used, it is possible to suppress the variation in performance of the power amplifier circuit 14 between manufactured units, and to provide a power amplifier circuit 14 with stable performance.

[0162] [Fifth embodiment] A power amplifier circuit according to a fifth embodiment will now be described. Fig. 16 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 16, a power amplifier circuit 15 according to the fifth embodiment differs from the power amplifier circuit 14 according to the fourth embodiment in that the power divider is not grounded via a capacitor.

[0163] In this embodiment, the power amplifier circuit 15 includes a power divider 161 instead of the power divider 151, as compared to the power amplifier circuit 14 shown in FIG.

[0164] The power divider 161 has a first terminal to which the input signal RFin is supplied via the input terminal 21, a second terminal connected to the driver stage amplifier 31C and supplying the signal RF1, a third terminal grounded via the resistive element 61, and a fourth terminal connected to the driver stage amplifier 31P and supplying the signal RF2.

[0165] In detail, the power divider 161 includes a transformer 152 and capacitors 153 and 154. A primary winding 152a of the transformer 152 has a first end connected to the input terminal 21 through a first end of the power divider 161 and a second end connected to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31C through a second end of the power divider 161. A secondary winding 152b has a first end grounded through a third end of the power divider 161 and a resistive element 61, and a second end connected to the input terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31P through a fourth end of the power divider 161.

[0166] Capacitor 153 has a first end connected to the first end of primary winding 152a and a second end connected to the first end of secondary winding 152b. Capacitor 154 has a first end connected to the second end of primary winding 152a and a second end connected to the second end of secondary winding 152b.

[0167] 17 is a diagram showing an example of frequency change of the isolation capability of the power divider according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the horizontal axis represents frequency in units of "GHz" and the vertical axis represents isolation capability in units of "dB."

[0168] The isolation capability is the proportion of the reflection from the driver stage amplifier 31C, to which the reflected wave caused by reflection at the carrier side balun 41 is added, that ends up as input to the driver stage amplifier 31P, expressed in dB units.

[0169] As shown in FIG. 17, curve IC5 represents the frequency change of the isolation capability when power divider 161 is designed so that the isolation capability is optimized at a frequency of 2.5 GHz in power amplifier circuit 15 (see FIG. 16).

[0170] Curve IC4 represents the frequency change of the isolation capability when power divider 151 is designed so that the isolation capability is optimized at a frequency of 2.5 GHz in power amplifier circuit 14 (see FIG. 15).

[0171] Since the curve IC4 indicates an isolation capability of approximately -32 dB at 2.5 GHz, the power divider 151 in the power amplifier circuit 14 sufficiently suppresses the reflected wave supplied from the driver stage amplifier 31C to the driver stage amplifier 31P through itself.

[0172] On the other hand, since the curve IC5 indicates an isolation capability of approximately -14 dB at 2.5 GHz, the power amplifier circuit 15 does not sufficiently suppress the reflected wave supplied from the driver stage amplifier 31C to the driver stage amplifier 31P via the power divider 161.

[0173] This deterioration of the isolation capability occurs, for example, when capacitors 155, 156, 157, and 158 are removed one by one from power divider 151 (see FIG. 15) in power amplifier circuit 14, the isolation capability deteriorates with each removal.

[0174] In this way, even when a power divider 161 with poor isolation capability is used, the reflected waves from the carrier side balun 41 or the peak side balun 46 to the power divider 161 can be suppressed by the driver stage amplifier circuit 30 with good isolation characteristics, so that the variation in performance of the power amplifier circuit 15 between individual manufactured units can be suppressed, and a power amplifier circuit 15 with stable performance can be provided.

[0175] [Sixth embodiment] A power amplifier circuit according to a sixth embodiment will now be described. Fig. 18 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 18, the power amplifier circuit 16 according to the sixth embodiment differs from the power amplifier circuit 12 according to the second embodiment in that the balun is grounded to an external circuit via a capacitor.

[0176] In this embodiment, the power amplifier circuit 16 includes a balun circuit 80 instead of the balun circuit 40, as compared to the power amplifier circuit 12 shown in FIG.

[0177] The 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, the balun circuit 80, and the power stage amplifier circuit 50 in the power amplifier circuit 16 are provided inside the semiconductor region 71. The power combiner 201 is provided outside the semiconductor region 71. The connection terminals 25C and 25P are terminals provided inside the semiconductor region 71.

[0178] The balun circuit 80 includes a carrier-side balun 81 and a peak-side balun 86. The carrier-side balun 81 includes a transformer 42, and capacitors 82 (third capacitor) and 83. The peak-side balun 86 includes a transformer 47, and capacitors 87 (fourth capacitor) and 88.

[0179] In the transformer 42 in the carrier-side balun 81, the primary winding 42a has a first end connected to the connection terminal 23C and a second end connected to the output terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31C and supplied with the amplified signal ARF1. Enter a first end connected to the input terminal and supplying an amplified signal ARF3; Enter and a second end connected to the input terminal for providing the amplified signal ARF4.

[0180] The capacitor 83 has a first end connected to the first end of the secondary winding 42b and a second end connected to the second end of the secondary winding 42b.

[0181] In the carrier-side balun 81, the second end of the primary winding 42a is connected to the external circuit 301 through a capacitor 82. In this embodiment, the capacitor 82 has a first end connected to the second end of the primary winding 42a and a second end connected to the connection terminal 25C. The connection terminal 25C is grounded to the external circuit 301, for example, through a wire or microbump having a parasitic inductor component. That is, the connection terminal 25C is grounded to the external circuit 301 through a parasitic inductor 312 of the wire or microbump.

[0182] The connection terminal 23C is connected to the power supply voltage supply node N3 in the external circuit 301 through, for example, a wire or a microbump having a parasitic inductor component. That is, the connection terminal 23C is connected to the power supply voltage supply node N3 in the external circuit 301 through a parasitic inductor 311 of the wire or microbump.

[0183] In the transformer 47 in the peak-side balun 86, the primary winding 47a has a first end connected to the connection terminal 23P and a second end connected to the output terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31P and supplied with the amplified signal ARF2. Enter a first end connected to the input terminal and supplying an amplified signal ARF5; Enterand a second end connected to the input terminal for providing the amplified signal ARF6.

[0184] The capacitor 88 has a first end connected to the first end of the secondary winding 47b and a second end connected to the second end of the secondary winding 47b.

[0185] In the peak-side balun 86, the second end of the primary winding 47a is connected to the external circuit 306 through a capacitor 87. In this embodiment, the capacitor 87 has a first end connected to the second end of the primary winding 47a and a second end connected to the connection terminal 25P. The connection terminal 25P is grounded to the external circuit 306 through, for example, a wire or microbump having a parasitic inductor component. That is, the connection terminal 25P is grounded to the external circuit 306 through a parasitic inductor 317 of the wire or microbump.

[0186] The connection terminal 23P is connected to the power supply voltage supply node N4 in the external circuit 306 through, for example, a wire or a microbump having a parasitic inductor component. That is, the connection terminal 23P is connected to the power supply voltage supply node N4 in the external circuit 306 through a parasitic inductor 316 of the wire or microbump.

[0187] In the carrier-side balun 81, a resonant circuit is often formed by the inductance of the primary-side winding 42a, the inductance of the parasitic inductor 311, the inductance of the parasitic inductor 312, the capacitance of the capacitor 82, and other parasitic capacitances. If the inductance of the parasitic inductor 311 and the inductance of the parasitic inductor 312 vary due to manufacturing errors, the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit fluctuates, and the reflected wave by the carrier-side balun 81 increases.

[0188] Similarly, in the peak side balun 86, a resonant circuit is often formed by the inductance of the primary side winding 47a, the inductance of the parasitic inductor 316, the inductance of the parasitic inductor 317, the capacitance of the capacitor 87, and other parasitic capacitances. If the inductance of the parasitic inductor 316 and the inductance of the parasitic inductor 317 vary due to manufacturing errors, the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit fluctuates, and the reflected wave from the peak side balun 86 increases.

[0189] In contrast, in the power amplifier circuit 16, the reflected waves from the balun circuit 80 can be suppressed by the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, which has good isolation characteristics. As a result, even in a manufactured power amplifier circuit 16 in which the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit in the carrier-side balun 81 or the peak-side balun 86 fluctuates significantly and the reflected waves are large, it is possible to suppress degradation in the performance of the power amplifier circuit 16. Therefore, even if the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit varies greatly between manufactured power amplifier circuits, it is possible to suppress variation in the performance of the power amplifier circuit 16 between manufactured power amplifier circuits, and provide a power amplifier circuit 16 with stable performance.

[0190] In the power amplifier circuit 16 according to the present embodiment, the carrier-side balun 81 is connected to the external circuit 301 through the parasitic inductors 311 and 312 connected in parallel, and the peak-side balun 86 is connected to the external circuit 306 through the parasitic inductors 316 and 317 connected in parallel. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the peak-side balun 86 may not be connected to the external circuit 306 through the parasitic inductors 316 and 317, but the carrier-side balun 81 may be connected to the external circuit 301 through one of the parasitic inductors 311 and 312. Alternatively, the carrier-side balun 81 may not be connected to the external circuit 301 through the parasitic inductors 311 and 312, but the peak-side balun 86 may be connected to the external circuit 306 through one of the parasitic inductors 316 and 317.

[0191] Furthermore, in the power amplifier circuit 16 according to the present embodiment, the 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, the balun circuit 80, and the power stage amplifier circuit 50 are configured to be provided inside the semiconductor region 71, but the present invention is not limited to this. Only the driver stage amplifier circuit 30 and the balun circuit 80 may be configured to be provided within the semiconductor region 71.

[0192] The above describes exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In the power amplifier circuits 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, the dividers divide the input signal RFin into a signal RF1 and a signal RF2 that is out of phase with the signal RF1. The driver stage amplifier 31C amplifies the signal RF1 and outputs an amplified signal ARF1. The driver stage amplifier 31P amplifies the signal RF2 and outputs an amplified signal ARF2. The carrier side balun 41 divides the amplified signal ARF1 into an amplified signal ARF3 and an amplified signal ARF4 that is out of phase with the amplified signal ARF3. The carrier amplifiers 51Cp and 51Cm amplify the amplified signals ARF3 and ARF4, respectively. The peak side balun 46 divides the amplified signal ARF2 into an amplified signal ARF5 and an amplified signal ARF6 that is out of phase with the amplified signal ARF5. The peak amplifier 51Pp amplifies the amplified signal ARF5 when the power level of the amplified signal ARF5 indicates a predetermined power level or higher, and the peak amplifier 51Pm amplifies the amplified signal ARF6 when the power level of the amplified signal ARF6 indicates a predetermined power level or higher.

[0193] For example, even in a manufactured product in which a reflected wave of the amplified signal ARF1 occurs at the carrier-side balun 41 due to variations in input impedance during mass production, the driver-stage amplifier 31C, with its excellent isolation characteristics, can suppress the reflected wave from being transmitted to the divider. Furthermore, even in a manufactured product in which a reflected wave of the amplified signal ARF2 occurs at the peak-side balun 46 due to variations in input impedance during mass production, the driver-stage amplifier 31P, with its excellent isolation characteristics, can suppress the reflected wave from being transmitted to the divider. This prevents the reflected wave from propagating through the divider to the circuit upstream of the divider or to the other driver-stage amplifier, thereby suppressing adverse effects on the power distribution ratio and distribution phase of the divider, and ultimately on the distortion characteristics of the upstream circuit, and providing power amplifier circuits 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 suitable for mass production. Therefore, a power amplifier circuit suitable for mass production can be provided in a configuration in which signals distributed by a balun are differentially amplified.

[0194] The 90-degree hybrid coupler 101, driver stage amplifier circuit 30, balun circuit 40, and power stage amplifier circuit 50 in the power amplifier circuit 12 are provided inside a semiconductor region 71 of the same semiconductor substrate. The carrier-side balun 41 has a terminal connected to an external circuit 301. The peak-side balun 46 has a terminal connected to an external circuit 306.

[0195] The connection between the external circuit 301 provided outside the semiconductor region 71 and the carrier side balun 41, and the connection between the external circuit 306 provided outside the semiconductor region 71 and the peak side balun 46 are made, for example, through a wire or microbump having a parasitic inductor component. Due to such variations in the wires and microbumps between individual units produced during mass production, the inductances of the parasitic inductors 311 and 316 also vary between individual units, resulting in increased variations in the input impedance of the carrier-side balun 41 and the peak-side balun 46. In contrast, in the power amplifier circuit 12, the reflected waves from the balun circuit 40 can be suppressed by the driver-stage amplifier circuit 30, which has excellent isolation characteristics. Therefore, even in individual units of the power amplifier circuit 12 in which the input impedance of the carrier-side balun 41 or the peak-side balun 46 varies greatly and the reflected waves are large, performance degradation of the power amplifier circuit 12 can be suppressed. Furthermore, because the power amplifier circuit 12 is a circuit in which performance degradation due to manufacturing errors is suppressed, the design range in which a power amplifier circuit 12 with stable and excellent performance can be realized can be expanded. In other words, the design of the power amplifier circuit 12 can be simplified.

[0196] Furthermore, in the power amplifier circuit 13, the power dividers 111, 121, 131, and 141 do not have terminals that are grounded via resistive elements.

[0197] Because the reflected wave from the balun circuit 40 can be suppressed by the driver stage amplifier circuit 30, which has good isolation characteristics, even when using power dividers 111, 121, 131, and 141 that do not have good isolation characteristics because they are not connected to resistive elements that attenuate reflected waves, it is possible to suppress variations in performance between manufactured power amplifier circuits 13 and provide a power amplifier circuit 13 with stable performance. Furthermore, even if the power divider does not have good isolation characteristics, the power amplifier circuit 13 is a circuit in which performance degradation due to manufacturing errors is suppressed, so the design range in which a power amplifier circuit 13 with stable and good performance can be realized can be expanded. In other words, the design of the power amplifier circuit 13 can be made easier. Furthermore, because resistive elements are not connected to the power dividers 111, 121, 131, and 141, the configuration of the power amplifier circuit 13 can be simplified.

[0198] In the power amplifier circuits 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16, the divider has a terminal that is grounded via a resistive element 61.

[0199] In this way, the divider has a terminal that is grounded through the resistive element 61 that attenuates reflected waves, which improves the isolation characteristics of the divider, thereby effectively preventing reflected waves from the balun circuit 40 from propagating through the divider to the circuit preceding the divider or to the other driver stage amplifier.

[0200] In the power amplifier circuit 15, the power divider 161 includes a primary winding 152a of a transformer 152 having a first terminal to which an input signal RFin is supplied and a second terminal to which a signal RF1 is supplied. A secondary winding 152b is electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding 152a and has a first terminal grounded via a resistive element 61 and a second terminal to which a signal RF2 is supplied. A capacitor 153 has a first terminal connected to the first terminal of the primary winding 152a and a second terminal connected to the first terminal of the secondary winding 152b. A capacitor 154 has a first terminal connected to the second terminal of the primary winding 152a and a second terminal connected to the second terminal of the secondary winding 152b.

[0201] In this way, by configuring the power divider 161 using a lumped constant circuit, the circuit size of the power divider 161 can be reduced while still achieving good power distribution. Although the power divider 161 has inferior isolation capability compared to the power divider 151, even if the input impedance varies and a reflected wave is generated from the carrier-side balun 41 or the peak-side balun 46 toward the power divider 161, the reflected wave can be suppressed by the driver-stage amplifier circuit 30, which has excellent isolation characteristics. As a result, even when using a power divider 161 with a simple configuration but inferior isolation capability compared to the power divider 151, it is possible to suppress the variation in performance of the power amplifier circuit 15 between individual units, thereby providing a power amplifier circuit 15 with stable performance. Furthermore, even if the power divider 161 has inferior isolation capability compared to the power divider 151, the power amplifier circuit 15 is a circuit in which performance degradation due to manufacturing errors is suppressed, thereby expanding the design range in which a power amplifier circuit 15 with stable and good performance can be realized. In other words, the design of the power amplifier circuit 15 can be simplified. Furthermore, by adding at least one of the capacitors 155, 156, 157, and 158 to the power divider 161, the insulating isolation capability of the power divider 161 can be improved, thereby effectively suppressing the variation in performance of the power amplifier circuit 15 between individual manufactured units.

[0202] In the power amplifier circuit 16, the carrier-side balun 81 is formed inside the semiconductor region 71 and includes a capacitor 82. The carrier-side balun 81 is connected to the output terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31C and has a terminal connected to the external circuit 301 via the capacitor 82.

[0203] The external circuit 301, which is provided outside the semiconductor region 71, is connected to the capacitor 82, for example, via a wire or microbumps having a parasitic inductor component. Variations in the wires and microbumps between individual units during mass production cause variations in the inductance of the parasitic inductor 312, resulting in increased variation in the input impedance of the carrier-side balun 81. In contrast, in the power amplifier circuit 16, the driver-stage amplifier circuit 30, which has excellent isolation characteristics, can suppress reflected waves from the balun circuit 80. This suppresses performance degradation of the power amplifier circuit 16 even in individual units of the power amplifier circuit 16 in which the input impedance of the carrier-side balun 81 varies significantly and the reflected waves are large. Furthermore, because the power amplifier circuit 16 is a circuit in which performance degradation due to manufacturing errors is suppressed, the design range in which a power amplifier circuit 16 with stable and excellent performance can be realized can be expanded. This facilitates the design of the power amplifier circuit 16.

[0204] In the power amplifier circuit 16, the peak-side balun 86 is formed inside the semiconductor region 71 and includes a capacitor 87. The peak-side balun 86 is connected to the output terminal of the driver stage amplifier 31P and has a terminal connected to the external circuit 306 via the capacitor 87.

[0205] The external circuit 306, which is provided outside the semiconductor region 71, is connected to the capacitor 87, for example, via a wire or microbumps having a parasitic inductor component. Variations in the wires and microbumps between individual units during mass production cause variations in the inductance of the parasitic inductor 317, resulting in increased variation in the input impedance of the peak-side balun 86. In contrast, in the power amplifier circuit 16, the driver-stage amplifier circuit 30, which has excellent isolation characteristics, can suppress reflected waves from the balun circuit 80. This suppresses performance degradation of the power amplifier circuit 16 even in individual units of the power amplifier circuit 16 in which the input impedance of the peak-side balun 86 varies significantly and the reflected waves are large. Furthermore, because the power amplifier circuit 16 is a circuit in which performance degradation due to manufacturing errors is suppressed, the design range in which a stable, high-performance power amplifier circuit 16 can be realized is expanded. This facilitates the design of the power amplifier circuit 16.

[0206] The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from its spirit, and equivalents are also encompassed within the scope of the present invention. In other words, designs modified by those skilled in the art as appropriate are also encompassed within the scope of the present invention as long as they incorporate the characteristics of the present invention. For example, the elements and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc., included in the embodiments are not limited to those illustrated and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments are merely examples, and partial substitutions or combinations of the configurations shown in different embodiments are naturally possible. These are also encompassed within the scope of the present invention as long as they incorporate the characteristics of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0207] 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16...Power amplifier circuit 21...Input terminal 22...Output terminal 23C, 23P, 25C, 25P...Connection terminals 30...Driver stage amplifier circuit 31C, 31P...Driver stage amplifier 40...Balun circuit 41...Carrier side balun 42...Trans 46...Peak side balun 47...Trans 50...Power stage amplifier circuit 51Cp, 51Cm...Carrier amplifier 51Pp, 51Pm...Peak amplifier 61...Resistance element 71...Semiconductor field 80...Balun circuit 81...Carrier side balun 86...Peak side balun 101...90 degree hybrid coupler 111, 121, 131, 141, 151, 161...power divider 143...Wilkinson Divider 201, 211, 221, 231, 241...Power combiner 301, 306...external circuit 311, 312, 316, 317...parasitic inductors

Claims

1. A power amplifier circuit, a divider that divides an input signal into a first signal and a second signal having a phase different from that of the first signal; a first amplifier that amplifies the first signal and outputs a first amplified signal; a second amplifier that amplifies the second signal and outputs a second amplified signal; a first balun that divides the first amplified signal into a third amplified signal and a fourth amplified signal that is out of phase with the third amplified signal; a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier that amplify the third amplified signal and the fourth amplified signal, respectively; a second balun that divides the second amplified signal into a fifth amplified signal and a sixth amplified signal that is out of phase with the fifth amplified signal; a fifth amplifier that amplifies the fifth amplified signal when the power level of the fifth amplified signal indicates a predetermined power level or higher; a sixth amplifier that amplifies the sixth amplified signal when the power level of the sixth amplified signal indicates a predetermined power level or higher; the power amplifier circuit is formed on the same semiconductor substrate; the first balun has a terminal connected to a power supply terminal or a ground terminal outside the semiconductor substrate through a wire or a microbump; Power amplifier circuit.

2. A power amplifier circuit, a divider that divides an input signal into a first signal and a second signal having a phase different from that of the first signal; a first amplifier that amplifies the first signal and outputs a first amplified signal; a second amplifier that amplifies the second signal and outputs a second amplified signal; a first balun that divides the first amplified signal into a third amplified signal and a fourth amplified signal that is out of phase with the third amplified signal; a third amplifier and a fourth amplifier that amplify the third amplified signal and the fourth amplified signal, respectively; a second balun that divides the second amplified signal into a fifth amplified signal and a sixth amplified signal that is out of phase with the fifth amplified signal; a fifth amplifier that amplifies the fifth amplified signal when the power level of the fifth amplified signal indicates a predetermined power level or higher; a sixth amplifier that amplifies the sixth amplified signal when the power level of the sixth amplified signal indicates a predetermined power level or higher; the power amplifier circuit is formed on the same semiconductor substrate; the second balun has a terminal connected to a power supply terminal or a ground terminal outside the semiconductor substrate through a wire or a microbump; Power amplifier circuit.

3. A power amplifier circuit according to claim 1, The first balun is a first inductor having a first end connected to the output terminal of the first amplifier and a second end connected to the power supply terminal outside the semiconductor substrate through a wire or a microbump; a second inductor electromagnetically coupled to the first inductor, the second inductor having a first end connected to the input terminal of the third amplifier and a second end connected to the input terminal of the fourth amplifier; a first capacitor having a first end connected to the output terminal of the first amplifier and a second end connected to the ground terminal outside the semiconductor substrate through a wire or a microbump; Power amplifier circuit.

4. A power amplifier circuit according to claim 2, The second balun is a third inductor having a first end connected to the output terminal of the second amplifier and a second end connected to the power supply terminal outside the semiconductor substrate through a wire or a microbump; a fourth inductor electromagnetically coupled to the third inductor, the fourth inductor having a first end connected to the input terminal of the fifth amplifier and a second end connected to the input terminal of the sixth amplifier; a second capacitor having a first end connected to the output terminal of the second amplifier and a second end connected to the ground terminal outside the semiconductor substrate through a wire or a microbump; Power amplifier circuit.

5. 5. The power amplifier circuit according to claim 1, The divider does not have a terminal that is grounded through a resistive element. Power amplifier circuit.

6. 5. The power amplifier circuit according to claim 1, The divider has a terminal that is grounded through a resistive element. Power amplifier circuit.

7. 7. The power amplifier circuit according to claim 6, The distributor comprises: a fifth inductor having a first end to which the input signal is supplied and a second end to which the first signal is supplied; a sixth inductor that is electromagnetically coupled to the fifth inductor and has a first end that is the terminal and a second end that supplies the second signal; a third capacitor having a first end connected to the first end of the fifth inductor and a second end connected to the first end of the sixth inductor; a fourth capacitor having a first end connected to the second end of the fifth inductor and a second end connected to the second end of the sixth inductor; Power amplifier circuit.

8. 8. The power amplifier circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a power combiner that combines the amplified signals output from the third amplifier, the fourth amplifier, the fifth amplifier, and the sixth amplifier; At least a part of the power combiner is configured on a semiconductor substrate, and another part is configured on a module substrate. Power amplifier circuit.

9. 9. The power amplifier circuit according to claim 8, When a part of the power combiner is configured with lumped constant elements, at least a part of the lumped constant elements is a surface-mounted component mounted on the module substrate. Power amplifier circuit.

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