Power amplifier and radio frequency front-end module

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a power amplifier (100) and a radio frequency front-end module (950). The power amplifier (100) comprises a first-stage power amplification circuit (10), a second-stage power amplification circuit (20), a choke unit (30), and a stabilizing unit (40). A power source end (205) of the second-stage power amplification circuit (20) is connected to a first power supply end (16), and the choke unit (30) is connected between a power source end (105) of the first-stage power amplification circuit (10) and the first power supply end (16). The stabilizing unit (40) and the choke unit (30) are connected in parallel, and the stabilizing unit (40) comprises at least one resistor (410).

Description

Power amplifiers and RF front-end modules

[0001] This application is based on the Chinese patent application number 202311855219.5 filed on December 29, 2023, and entitled "Power Amplifier and RF Front-end Module", and claims priority. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of radio frequency technology, and more specifically, to a power amplifier and a radio frequency front-end module. Background Art

[0003] Existing RF front-end modules have been widely used in wireless communications, the Internet of Things, smart homes and other fields. Among them, the power amplifier is the core unit of the RF front-end module, and its performance has a great impact on the signal output indicators of the RF front-end module.

[0004] When the power amplifier is implemented using a power amplifier circuit, a choke inductor is provided between the power supply terminal of the transistor in the power amplifier circuit and the power supply. The choke inductor can prevent the radio frequency signal output by the transistor from leaking to the power supply.

[0005] However, when the power amplifier circuit is implemented using a multi-stage amplifier architecture, signal coupling often occurs between the first-stage power amplifier circuit and the second-stage power amplifier circuit, resulting in poor stability of the power amplifier.

[0006] Application Contents

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a power amplifier and a radio frequency front-end module.

[0008] According to the first aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application provides a power amplifier, which is provided with a signal input terminal, a signal output terminal and a first power supply terminal, and the power amplifier includes a first-stage power amplifier circuit, a second-stage power amplifier circuit, a choke unit and a stabilization unit. The input terminal of the first-stage power amplifier circuit is connected to the signal input terminal, the output terminal of the first-stage power amplifier circuit is connected to the input terminal of the second-stage power amplifier circuit; and the output terminal of the second-stage power amplifier circuit is connected to the signal output terminal. The first terminal of the choke unit is connected to the power supply terminal of the first-stage power amplifier circuit, and the second terminal of the choke unit and the power supply terminal of the second-stage power amplifier circuit are respectively connected to the first power supply terminal. The stabilization unit and the choke unit are connected in parallel, and the stabilization unit includes at least one resistor.

[0009] The present application provides a power amplifier, which may include a first-stage power amplifier circuit, a second-stage power amplifier circuit, a choke unit, and a stabilization unit. The power supply terminal of the second-stage power amplifier circuit is connected to the first power supply terminal, and the choke unit is connected between the power supply terminal of the first-stage power amplifier circuit and the first power supply terminal.

[0010] The stabilization unit and the choke unit are connected in parallel, and the stabilization unit includes at least one resistor. Exemplarily, the stabilization unit can be resistive, so that a portion of the out-of-band low-frequency signals in the RF signal coupled to the first-stage power amplifier circuit via the second-stage power amplifier circuit and the subsequent stage pass through the stabilization unit. The stabilization unit can suppress these out-of-band low-frequency signals, thereby reducing the signal gain caused by the out-of-band low-frequency signals and alleviating signal coupling between the first-stage power amplifier circuit and the second-stage power amplifier circuit, thereby improving the stability of the power amplifier during operation. When the output terminal and the power supply terminal of the second-stage power amplifier circuit share the same signal port, the stabilization unit and the choke unit can also suppress the output signal fed back from the second-stage power amplifier circuit to the first-stage power amplifier circuit to prevent oscillation of the power amplifier.

[0011] According to a second aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application further provides a power amplifier, which is provided with a signal input terminal, a signal output terminal, and a power supply terminal. The power amplifier includes a power amplifier circuit, a choke unit, and a stabilization unit. The input terminal of the power amplifier circuit is connected to the signal input terminal, and the output terminal of the power amplifier circuit is connected to the signal output terminal. The first end of the choke unit is connected to the power supply terminal of the power amplifier circuit, and the second end of the choke unit is connected to the power supply terminal. The stabilization unit and the choke unit are connected in parallel, and the stabilization unit includes at least one resistor.

[0012] The present application also provides a power amplifier, which may include a power amplifier circuit, a choke unit, and a stabilization unit, wherein a first end of the choke unit is connected to a power supply terminal of the power amplifier circuit, and a second end of the choke unit is connected to a power supply terminal. The stabilization unit and the choke unit are connected in parallel, and the stabilization unit includes at least one resistor.

[0013] Because the stabilizing units are connected in parallel on both sides of the choke unit in the present application, the stabilizing units can be resistive, thereby reducing the quality factor (i.e., Q value) of the choke unit. Therefore, when the parasitic capacitance of the transistor itself in the power amplifier circuit is coupled with the choke unit, the reduced Q value of the choke unit can reduce the amplification gain of the power amplifier, thereby reducing the risk of oscillation in the power amplifier and improving the stability of the power amplifier during operation.

[0014] According to a third aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application further provides a radio frequency front-end module, the radio frequency front-end module comprising a substrate and the above-mentioned power amplifier, wherein the power amplifier is disposed on the substrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0016] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a first structure of a power amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a stabilization unit in the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0018] FIG3 is another schematic diagram of the structure of the stabilization unit in the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0019] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a second structure of the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0020] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a third structure of the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0021] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of the first balun, the third-stage power amplifier circuit, and the second balun in the power amplifier shown in FIG5 .

[0022] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a fourth structure of the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0023] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a fifth structure of the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0024] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a sixth structure of the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0025] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a seventh structure of the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0026] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of an eighth structure of the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0027] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a ninth structural embodiment of the power amplifier shown in FIG1 .

[0028] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a power amplifier provided in yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG14 is another schematic structural diagram of the power amplifier shown in FIG13 .

[0030] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of the RF front-end module provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] An embodiment of the present application provides a power amplifier 100, which is a device for increasing the output power of a radio frequency signal. The power amplifier 100 in this embodiment is provided with a signal input terminal 12, a signal output terminal 14, and a first power supply terminal 16, wherein the signal input terminal 12 is used to input a radio frequency signal to be power amplified, and the signal output terminal 14 is used to output the radio frequency signal after power amplification by the power amplifier 100. The first power supply terminal 16 is used to supply power to components or chips in the power amplifier 100. Specifically, the first power supply terminal 16 can provide a first power supply voltage (Volt Current Condenser, VCC1). For example, VCC1 can be 3V, 5V, 8V, etc., which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0033] 1 , a power amplifier 100 may include a first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, a second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, a choke unit 30, and a stabilization unit 40. The input terminal 101 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 is connected to the signal input terminal 12, the output terminal 103 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 is connected to the input terminal 201 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is connected to the signal output terminal 14.

[0034] Therefore, the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 in this embodiment form a two-stage amplifier circuit to increase the upper limit of the power amplification of the radio frequency signal. Of course, more power amplifier circuits can be cascaded between the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 and the signal output terminal 14, such as a third-stage power amplifier circuit, a fourth-stage power amplifier circuit, etc., which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0035] The first end 301 of the choke unit 30 is connected to the power supply terminal 105 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, and the second end 303 of the choke unit 30 and the power supply terminal 205 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 are respectively connected to the first power supply terminal 16. Therefore, in this embodiment, the power supply terminals 105 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the power supply terminals 205 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 are both connected to the same power supply terminal, namely, the first power supply terminal 16. Electromagnetic coupling exists between the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 and other circuits and the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, which will generate out-of-band low-frequency signals in the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10. If the out-of-band low-frequency signals are amplified by the first-stage power amplifier circuit and the second-stage power amplifier circuit according to normal gain, they will interfere with the output of the power amplifier 100 and reduce the stability of the power amplifier 100.

[0036] The stabilization unit 40 and the choke unit 30 are connected in parallel, and the stabilization unit 40 includes at least one resistor 410. For example, the stabilization unit 40 can be implemented using a purely resistive circuit, making the stabilization unit 40 resistive. When a portion of the out-of-band low-frequency signal in the radio frequency signal coupled to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 via the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 and the subsequent circuit passes through the stabilization unit 40, the stabilization unit 40 can suppress the out-of-band low-frequency signal, thereby reducing the signal gain for the out-of-band low-frequency signal, alleviating signal coupling between the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and thereby improving the stability of the power amplifier 100 during operation.

[0037] The following is a detailed introduction to each module in the power amplifier 100.

[0038] In this embodiment, the choke unit 30 is used to prevent the radio frequency signal at the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 from leaking to the first power supply terminal 16, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the power amplifier 100. In addition, the choke unit 30 can also prevent the AC component (i.e., interference signal) in the first power supply voltage VCC1 output by the first power supply terminal 16 from entering the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10.

[0039] In the embodiment shown in FIG1 , the choke unit 30 may include a first inductor 310 , which is connected between the power supply terminal 105 and the first power supply terminal 16 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 . Specifically, the first inductor 310 may be a surface-mount inductor, a plug-in inductor, or the like. The first inductor 310 may also be a metal trace wound around a substrate or a chip, and the metal trace may be equivalent to the first inductor 310 .

[0040] In this embodiment, the stabilizing unit 40 and the choke unit 30 are connected in parallel. Specifically, the first end 401 of the stabilizing unit 40 is connected to the first end 301 of the choke unit 30, and the second end 403 of the stabilizing unit 40 is connected to the second end 303 of the choke unit 30. The stabilizing unit 40 is used to suppress a portion of the out-of-band low-frequency signals in the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 and the subsequent stage of the RF signal coupled to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, thereby reducing the out-of-band low-frequency gain of the RF signal and improving the stability of the power amplifier 100 during operation.

[0041] In some possible embodiments, the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 and the power supply terminal 205 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 can share the same signal port. In this case, the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is also connected to the first power supply terminal 16, causing the output signal of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 to be fed back to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10. At this time, a portion of the output signal of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is fed back to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 through the choke unit 30 and the stabilization unit 40. The choke unit 30 presents a high impedance to in-band signals, which can reduce the signal fed back from the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10. Even if a small amount of in-band signal is fed back to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, the choke unit 30 and the stabilization unit 40 can reduce the gain of the feedback signal, reduce interference with the output signal of the power amplifier 100, and thereby improve the stability of the power amplifier 100.

[0042] It is not difficult to understand here that the “out-of-band low-frequency signal” refers to a low-frequency signal outside the operating frequency band of the power amplifier 100, which is mainly generated by electromagnetic coupling, and the “in-band signal” is a signal within the operating frequency band of the power amplifier 100, including the fundamental signal fed back to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 via the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20.

[0043] As an implementation, the stabilizing unit 40 may include a resistor 410 connected in parallel with the first inductor 310 .

[0044] As another embodiment, the stabilization unit 40 may include M resistors 410 and M switches 430 corresponding to the M resistors 410, where M is an integer greater than 1. Specifically, the resistance values ​​of the M resistors 410 may be the same or different from each other. The switch 430 may be a transistor switch. Therefore, in this embodiment, the on / off state of the switch 430 corresponding to the resistor 410 is used to control whether the resistor 410 is connected to the resistor network corresponding to the stabilization unit 40, thereby adjusting the equivalent resistance value of the stabilization unit 40.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 2, M resistors 410 are connected in series with each other, and switches 430 are connected in parallel with the corresponding resistors 410. Among them, one end formed by the M resistors 410 being connected in series is the first end 401 of the stabilization unit 40, and the other end formed by the M resistors 410 being connected in series is the second end 403 of the stabilization unit 40. Please refer to Figure 3, M resistors 410 are connected in parallel with each other, and switches 430 are connected in series in the branch where the corresponding resistors 410 are located. Among them, one end formed by the M resistors 410 being connected in parallel with each other is the first end 401 of the stabilization unit 40, and the other end formed by the M resistors 410 being connected in parallel with each other is the second end 403 of the stabilization unit 40. Of course, the M resistors 410 and the M switches 430 can also adopt other connection methods, which are not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0046] In the embodiments shown in FIG2 and FIG3 , the power amplifier 100 may further include a control unit 50 connected to the M switches 430. The control unit 50 is configured to adjust the equivalent resistance of the stabilization unit 40 based on the inductance of the first inductor 310 and the signal frequency of the RF signal to be suppressed. Specifically, the inductance of the first inductor 310 and the equivalent resistance of the stabilization unit 40 satisfy the following formula:

[0047] Wherein, f is the signal frequency of the RF signal to be suppressed, R is the equivalent resistance value of the stabilization unit 40, and L is the inductance value of the first inductor 310. Therefore, when L is a fixed value, f and R are positively correlated.

[0048] Specifically, the control unit 50 can determine the signal frequency of the RF signal to be suppressed based on the operating frequency band of the power amplifier 100, and control the on / off states of the M switches 430 to adjust the equivalent resistance value of the stabilization unit 40. For example, the operating frequency band of the power amplifier 100 can be the N77 band, that is, the frequency band of the in-band signal is 3.3 GHz to 4.2 GHz, and the corresponding out-of-band low-frequency signal is a RF signal with a frequency less than 3.3 GHz. In other words, the RF signal to be suppressed may include a signal with a frequency less than 3.3 GHz. For example, the signal frequency of the RF signal to be suppressed can be 2.5 GHz, 3 GHz, etc.

[0049] Of course, the RF signal frequency to be suppressed may also include the frequency of an in-band signal. Again, taking the N77 band as an example, the RF signal to be suppressed may include a signal with a frequency greater than or equal to 3.3 GHz and less than 4.2 GHz. For example, the frequency of the RF signal to be suppressed may be 3.5 GHz, 4 GHz, and so on. Therefore, by suppressing the in-band signal, this embodiment can weaken the positive feedback of the in-band signal between the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, thereby improving the stability of the power amplifier 100 during operation.

[0050] It's easy to understand that when the choke unit 30 and the stabilization unit 40 perform signal suppression, they produce "broadband" suppression, meaning they suppress signals near the frequency of the intended RF signal. When the out-of-band low-frequency signal generated by signal coupling is close in frequency to the in-band signal, the choke unit 30 and the stabilization unit 40 can suppress both the out-of-band low-frequency signal and the in-band signal.

[0051] Specifically, the signal frequency of the RF signal to be suppressed may also be directly stored in the memory of the electronic device where the power amplifier 100 is located, and the control unit 50 may determine the signal frequency of the RF signal to be suppressed by directly reading the data in the memory.

[0052] As an embodiment, when the control unit 50 determines the signal frequency of the RF signal to be suppressed, it can determine the on / off states of the M switches 430 based on a pre-stored switch state mapping relationship, and then control the M switches 430 to operate based on the on / off states of the M switches 430 to adjust the equivalent resistance value of the stabilization unit 40. The pre-stored switch state mapping relationship represents the correspondence between different signal frequencies and different on / off states of the M switches 430. Specifically, the switch state mapping relationship can be a mapping table, which can be summarized by R&D personnel based on a large amount of test data of the power amplifier 100, and this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0053] Therefore, when the stabilization unit 40 includes M resistors 410, the control unit 50 can dynamically adjust the equivalent resistance value of the stabilization unit 40, so that when the power amplifier 100 is used to amplify radio frequency signals of different frequency bands, the stabilization unit 40 can suppress part of the out-of-band low-frequency signals in the radio frequency signal, making the application scenarios of the power amplifier 100 more diverse.

[0054] In this embodiment, the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 are used to sequentially amplify the radio frequency signal input to the power amplifier 100. Referring to FIG. 4 , the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 are each single-ended power amplifier circuits. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the output terminal 103 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the power supply terminal 105 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 share the same signal port. Therefore, the output terminal 103 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 in this embodiment is not only used to output the radio frequency signal amplified by the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, but also used to input the first power supply voltage VCC1 provided by the first power supply terminal 16, thereby achieving signal port multiplexing.

[0055] Similarly, the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 and the power supply terminal 205 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 share the same signal port. Therefore, in this embodiment, the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is not only used to output the RF signal amplified by the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, but also used to input the first power supply voltage VCC1 provided by the first power supply terminal 16, thereby achieving signal port multiplexing.

[0056] Specifically, the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 may include a first transistor 120, and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 may include a second transistor 210. The control terminal 1201 of the first transistor 120 is connected to the input terminal 101 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, the first terminal 1203 of the first transistor 120 is connected to the output terminal 103 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, and the second terminal 1205 of the first transistor 120 is grounded. The control terminal 2101 of the second transistor 210 is connected to the input terminal 201 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, the first terminal 2103 of the second transistor 210 is connected to the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and the second terminal 2105 of the second transistor 210 is grounded.

[0057] As an embodiment, the first transistor 120 and the second transistor 210 can be respectively implemented by heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). The control terminal 1201 of the first transistor 120 and the control terminal 2101 of the second transistor 210 serve as the base of the HBTs, the first terminal 1203 of the first transistor 120 and the first terminal 2103 of the second transistor 210 serve as the collector of the HBTs, and the second terminal 1205 of the first transistor 120 and the second terminal 2105 of the second transistor 210 serve as the emitter of the HBTs.

[0058] As another embodiment, the first transistor 120 and the second transistor 210 may be implemented by bipolar junction transistors (BJTs). Alternatively, the first transistor 120 and the second transistor 210 may be implemented by metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSs), which are not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0059] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the power amplifier 100 may further include a first blocking capacitor 121 and a second blocking capacitor 212. The first blocking capacitor 121 is connected between the signal input terminal 12 and the control terminal 1201 of the first transistor 120, and is used to prevent the DC bias signal applied to the control terminal 1201 of the first transistor 120 from flowing to the signal input terminal 12, so as to ensure that the first transistor 120 can operate smoothly. The second blocking capacitor 212 is connected between the first terminal 1203 of the first transistor 120 and the control terminal 2101 of the second transistor 210, and is used to prevent the DC bias signal applied to the control terminal 2101 of the second transistor 210 from flowing to the first transistor 120, so as to ensure that the second transistor 210 can operate smoothly. Specifically, the first blocking capacitor 121 and the second blocking capacitor 212 can be chip capacitors, plug-in capacitors, etc.

[0060] In the embodiment shown in FIG4 , the power amplifier 100 may further include a choke inductor 214. The choke inductor 214 is connected between the first terminal 2103 of the second transistor 210 and the first power supply terminal 16, and is used to prevent the radio frequency signal output by the second transistor 210 from leaking to the first power supply terminal 16, so as to ensure the normal operation of the power amplifier 100. In addition, the choke inductor 214 can also prevent the AC component (i.e., the interference signal) in the first power supply voltage VCC1 output by the first power supply terminal 16 from entering the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20. Specifically, the choke inductor 214 can be a chip inductor, a plug-in inductor, etc. The choke inductor 214 can also be a metal trace wound around a substrate or a chip, and the metal trace can be equivalent to the choke inductor 214.

[0061] In the embodiment shown in FIG4 , the power amplifier 100 may further include a first bypass capacitor 416, wherein one end of the first bypass capacitor 416 is connected to the first power supply terminal 16 and the other end is grounded. The first bypass capacitor 416 can filter out noise signals in the first power supply voltage VCC1 to ensure power supply safety for the power amplifier 100. Specifically, the first bypass capacitor 416 can be a chip capacitor, a plug-in capacitor, or the like.

[0062] In some possible embodiments, the power amplifier 100 may further include a first isolation unit 312 and a second isolation unit 314. The first end 3121 of the first isolation unit 312 is connected to the second end 303 of the choke unit 30, and the second end 3123 of the first isolation unit 312 is connected to the first power supply terminal 16. The first end 3141 of the second isolation unit 314 is connected to the power supply terminal 205 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and the second end 3143 of the second isolation unit 314 is connected to the first power supply terminal 16. The first isolation unit 312 and the second isolation unit 314 are used to isolate the radio frequency signals between the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 to improve the operating stability of the power amplifier 100. Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG4 , the first isolation unit 312 and the second isolation unit 314 can each be implemented using an inductor, for example, a surface-mount inductor, a plug-in inductor, or an inductor equivalent to a metal trace wound on a substrate.

[0063] In some possible embodiments, the power amplifier 100 may further include a first decoupling unit 412 and a second decoupling unit 414. One end of the first decoupling unit 412 is connected to the first end of the first isolation unit 312, and the other end is grounded. One end of the second decoupling unit 414 is connected to the first end of the second isolation unit 314, and the other end is grounded. Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG4 , the first decoupling unit 412 and the second decoupling unit 414 can each be implemented using a capacitor, such as a surface-mount capacitor, a plug-in capacitor, or the like.

[0064] It is easy to understand that if the output signal of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 (i.e., the in-band fundamental signal) is fed back to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, positive feedback amplification of the signal will occur, thereby causing operating oscillation of the power amplifier 100. Therefore, to address the above-mentioned problem, this embodiment provides a first decoupling unit 412 and a second decoupling unit 414 to filter out most of the output signal coupled to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10. The unfiltered signal will reach the branch where the choke unit 30 and the stabilizing unit 40 are located, and then the choke unit 30 and the stabilizing unit 40 will suppress the signal, thereby preventing oscillation of the power amplifier 100 and improving the operating stability of the power amplifier 100.

[0065] In some possible embodiments, referring to FIG. 5 , the power amplifier 100 may further include a first balun 60, a third-stage power amplifier circuit 70, and a second balun 80. The second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is a single-ended power amplifier circuit, and the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70 is a differential power amplifier circuit. The output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is connected to the signal output terminal 14 via the first balun 60, the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70, and the second balun 80, in sequence. Therefore, in this embodiment, the provision of the first balun 60, the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70, and the second balun 80 achieves three-stage amplification of the RF signal, further improving the power amplification gain of the power amplifier 100.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 6 , the first balun 60 may include a coupled first primary 610 and a first secondary 630. The first end 6101 of the first primary 610 is connected to the output 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and the second end 6103 of the first primary 610 is grounded. The first secondary 630 is connected between the first input 701 and the second input 703 of the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70. Therefore, the first balun 60 in this embodiment employs a single-ended-to-differential architecture, capable of converting an RF signal outputted from the output 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 into a pair of differential signals. Specifically, the first balun 60 may be implemented using a dedicated balun chip. The first primary 610 and the first secondary 630 included in the first balun 60 may also be formed by equivalent metal traces routed on a substrate. This embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of the first balun 60.

[0067] In the embodiment shown in FIG6 , the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70 may include a third transistor 720 and a fourth transistor 740. The control terminal 7201 of the third transistor 720 is connected to the first input terminal 701 of the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70, the first terminal 7203 of the third transistor 720 is connected to the first output terminal 705 of the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70, and the second terminal 7205 of the third transistor 720 is grounded. The control terminal 7401 of the fourth transistor 740 is connected to the second input terminal 703 of the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70, the first terminal 7403 of the fourth transistor 740 is connected to the second output terminal 707 of the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70, and the second terminal 7405 of the fourth transistor 740 is grounded.

[0068] As an embodiment, the third transistor 720 and the fourth transistor 740 can be respectively implemented by heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), wherein the control terminal 7201 of the third transistor 720 and the control terminal 7401 of the fourth transistor 740 serve as the base of the HBTs, the first terminal 7203 of the third transistor 720 and the first terminal 7403 of the fourth transistor 740 serve as the collector of the HBTs, and the second terminal 7205 of the third transistor 720 and the second terminal 7405 of the fourth transistor 740 serve as the emitter of the HBTs.

[0069] As another embodiment, the third transistor 720 and the fourth transistor 740 may be implemented by bipolar junction transistors (BJTs). Alternatively, the third transistor 720 and the fourth transistor 740 may be implemented by metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSs), which are not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0070] In some examples, the third transistor 720 and the fourth transistor 740 can be two transistors of exactly the same model. For example, both can be NPN-type HBT transistors, which are more suitable for high-power circuits. The third transistor 720 and the fourth transistor 740 can also be two transistors of opposite models. For example, one can be an NPN-type HBT transistor and the other can be a PNP-type HBT transistor.

[0071] The third-stage power amplifier circuit 70 in this embodiment is implemented using a differential power amplifier circuit. Compared to a single-ended power amplifier circuit, a differential power amplifier circuit can provide higher power output. Furthermore, it can improve the operating efficiency and anti-interference capability of the power amplifier 100, thereby enhancing the stability of the RF signal output by the power amplifier 100.

[0072] In the embodiment shown in FIG6 , the second balun 80 may include a coupled second primary 810 and a second secondary 830 , wherein the second primary 810 is connected between the first output terminal 705 and the second output terminal 707 of the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70 , and one end of the second secondary 830 is connected to the signal output terminal 14 , and the other end is grounded. Therefore, the second balun 80 in this embodiment adopts a differential-to-single-ended architecture, which can convert a pair of differential signals output by the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70 into a single RF signal. Specifically, the second balun 80 can be implemented using a dedicated balun chip, and the second primary 810 and the second secondary 830 included in the second balun 80 can also be formed by equivalent metal traces wound on a substrate. This embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of the second balun 80.

[0073] In the embodiment shown in FIG6 , the power amplifier 100 may further include a second power supply terminal 18. The second power supply terminal 18 is used to supply power to components or chips within the power amplifier 100. The second power supply terminal 18 and the first power supply terminal 16 are two different power supply ports. Specifically, the second power supply terminal 18 may provide a second supply voltage (VoltCurrentCondenser, VCC2). For example, VCC2 may be 3V, 5V, 8V, etc., and this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0074] Specifically, the second primary 810 may include a first coil 8120 and a second coil 8140. The first coil 8120 and the second coil 8140 are connected in series and connected between the first terminal 7203 of the third transistor 720 and the first terminal 7403 of the fourth transistor 740. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first coil 8120 and the second coil 8140 can be understood as two parts of the second primary 810, and the first coil 8120 and the second coil 8140 are connected in series to form the second primary 810.

[0075] The common terminal of the first coil 8120 and the second coil 8140 is connected to the second power supply terminal 18. Therefore, the second power supply voltage VCC2 output by the second power supply terminal 18 flows through the first coil 8120 to the first terminal 7203 of the third transistor 720, thereby supplying power to the third transistor 720. The first coil 8120 acts as a choke, preventing the AC component (i.e., interference signal) in the second power supply voltage VCC2 output by the second power supply terminal 18 from entering the third transistor 720, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the third transistor 720.

[0076] Similarly, the second supply voltage VCC2 outputted from the second power supply terminal 18 flows through the second coil 8140 to the first terminal 7403 of the fourth transistor 740, thereby supplying power to the fourth transistor 740. The second coil 8140 also functions as a choke to prevent the AC component (i.e., interference signal) in the second supply voltage VCC2 outputted from the second power supply terminal 18 from entering the fourth transistor 740, thereby ensuring normal operation of the fourth transistor 740.

[0077] To sum up, the first coil 8120 can be used as a choke inductor between the third transistor 720 and the second power supply terminal 18, and the second coil 8140 can be used as a choke inductor between the fourth transistor 740 and the second power supply terminal 18, thereby realizing the structural reuse of the second primary side 810, simplifying the hardware structure of the power amplifier 100, and saving the hardware cost of the power amplifier 100.

[0078] In some possible embodiments, the power amplifier 100 may further include a third blocking capacitor 650 and a fourth blocking capacitor 670. One end of the first secondary side 630 is connected to the control terminal 7201 of the third transistor 720 via the third blocking capacitor 650. The third blocking capacitor 650 can prevent the DC bias signal applied to the control terminal 7201 of the third transistor 720 from flowing to the first secondary side 630, thereby ensuring that the third transistor 720 can operate smoothly. The other end of the first secondary side 630 is connected to the control terminal 7401 of the fourth transistor 740 via the fourth blocking capacitor 670. The fourth blocking capacitor 670 can prevent the DC bias signal applied to the control terminal 7201 of the fourth transistor 740 from flowing to the first secondary side 630, thereby ensuring that the fourth transistor 740 can operate smoothly. Furthermore, the third blocking capacitor 650 and the fourth blocking capacitor 670 can also participate in impedance matching together with the first balun 60 to improve the transmission efficiency of the RF signal. Specifically, the third DC blocking capacitor 650 and the fourth DC blocking capacitor 670 can be respectively a chip capacitor, a plug-in capacitor, etc.

[0079] In some possible embodiments, the power amplifier 100 may further include a second bypass capacitor 850, wherein one end of the second bypass capacitor 850 is connected to the second power supply terminal 18 and the other end is grounded. The second bypass capacitor 850 can filter out noise signals in the second power supply voltage VCC2 to ensure power supply safety of the power amplifier 100. Specifically, the second bypass capacitor 850 can be a chip capacitor, a plug-in capacitor, etc.

[0080] In some possible embodiments, referring to FIG7 , when the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 and the power supply terminal 205 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 share the same signal port, the second terminal 6103 of the first primary 610 is also connected to the first power supply terminal 16. Therefore, the first primary 610 in this embodiment can also serve as a choke inductor between the second transistor 210 and the first power supply terminal 16. That is, the first primary 610 can replace the choke inductor 214 in FIG4 , thereby achieving structural reuse of the first primary 610, simplifying the hardware structure of the power amplifier 100, and saving the hardware cost of the power amplifier 100.

[0081] Of course, in some other possible embodiments, an additional choke inductor may be provided, that is, the circuit structure of the embodiment shown in FIG4 may be employed. Specifically, the power supply terminal 16 is connected to the first terminal 2103 of the second transistor 210 via the second isolation unit 314 and the choke inductor 214. In this case, researchers can more flexibly adjust the inductance value of the choke inductor 214, making the hardware parameters of the power amplifier 100 more flexible during debugging.

[0082] In the embodiment shown in FIG7 , the power amplifier 100 may further include a first capacitor 690 , one end of which is connected to the second end 6103 of the first primary 610 and the other end is grounded. Since the first supply voltage VCC1 output by the first power supply terminal 16 flows through the first primary 610 to the first end 2103 of the second transistor 210 to supply power to the second transistor 210 , to prevent the first supply voltage VCC1 from short-circuiting to ground at the second end 6103 of the first primary 610 , this embodiment provides a first capacitor 690 between the second end 6103 of the first primary 610 and the ground terminal, thereby providing a DC isolation function to ensure smooth operation of the second transistor 210 . Specifically, the first capacitor 690 may be a chip capacitor, a plug-in capacitor, or the like. Furthermore, the first capacitor 690 may also participate in impedance matching together with the first balun 60 to improve the transmission efficiency of the RF signal.

[0083] In some possible embodiments, referring to FIG8 , the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, the choke unit 30, the stabilization unit 40, the first balun 60, the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70 and the second balun 80 form a power amplifier module 19, wherein the number of the power amplifier modules 19 is two.

[0084] Specifically, the input terminals 101 of the first-stage power amplifier circuits 10 in the two power amplifier modules 19 are respectively connected to the signal input terminal 12. The secondary sides 830 of the second baluns 80 in the two power amplifier modules 19 are connected in series to form an output combiner 8320, one end of which is connected to the signal output terminal 14, and the other end is grounded. It is not difficult to understand here that the first power supply terminal 16 in Figure 8 supplies power to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 in the two power amplifier modules 19, respectively, and the second power supply terminal 18 supplies power to the third-stage power amplifier circuit 70 in the two power amplifier modules 19, respectively. Therefore, the power amplifier 100 shown in Figure 8 adopts a dual-path differential amplification circuit structure, which can further improve the maximum output power and working efficiency of the power amplifier 100, so as to be applied to application scenarios with higher transmission power, such as satellite communication scenarios.

[0085] In other possible embodiments, referring to FIG9 , the power amplifier 100 may further include a transformer 45, and the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is connected to the signal output terminal 14 via the transformer 45. Therefore, in this embodiment, the transformer 45 can achieve output impedance matching, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the radio frequency signal.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 10 , the transformer 45 may include a coupled third primary 452 and a third secondary 454. A first end 4521 of the third primary 452 is connected to the output 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and a second end 4523 of the third primary 452 is grounded. One end of the third secondary 454 is connected to the signal output 14, and the other end is grounded. Specifically, the transformer 45 may be implemented using a dedicated chip, such as an integrated passive device (IPD). The third primary 452 and the third secondary 454 of the transformer 45 may also be formed by equivalent metal traces wound on a substrate. This embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of the transformer 45.

[0087] In some possible embodiments, when the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 and the power supply terminal 205 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 share the same signal port, the second end 4523 of the third primary 452 is also connected to the first power supply terminal 16. Therefore, the third primary 452 in this embodiment can also serve as a choke inductor between the second transistor 210 and the first power supply terminal 16. That is, the third primary 452 can replace the choke inductor 214 in Figure 4, achieving structural reuse of the third primary 452, simplifying the hardware structure of the power amplifier 100, and saving the hardware cost of the power amplifier 100.

[0088] Of course, in some other possible embodiments, an additional choke inductor may be provided, that is, the circuit structure of the embodiment shown in FIG4 may be employed. Specifically, the power supply terminal 16 is connected to the first terminal 2103 of the second transistor 210 via the second isolation unit 314 and the choke inductor 214. In this case, researchers can more flexibly adjust the inductance value of the choke inductor 214, making the hardware parameters of the power amplifier 100 more flexible during debugging.

[0089] In the embodiment shown in FIG10 , the power amplifier 100 may further include a second capacitor 470 , one end of which is connected to the second end 4523 of the third primary 452 and the other end of which is grounded. Since the first supply voltage VCC1 output by the first power supply terminal 16 flows through the third primary 452 to the first end 2103 of the second transistor 210 to supply power to the second transistor 210 , to prevent the first supply voltage VCC1 from short-circuiting to ground at the second end 4523 of the third primary 452 , this embodiment provides a second capacitor 470 between the second end 4523 of the third primary 452 and the ground terminal, thereby providing a DC isolation function to ensure smooth operation of the second transistor 210 . Specifically, the second capacitor 470 may be a surface-mount capacitor, a plug-in capacitor, or the like.

[0090] In some possible embodiments, referring to FIG. 11 , the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 may be a single-ended power amplifier circuit, the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 may be a differential power amplifier circuit, and the power amplifier 100 may further include a third balun 34 and a fourth balun 36. The third balun 34 is connected between the output terminal 103 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the input terminal 201 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, wherein the input terminal 201 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 includes a third input terminal 2012 and a fourth input terminal 2014. The output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is connected to the signal output terminal 14 via the fourth balun 36, wherein the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 includes a third output terminal 2032 and a fourth output terminal 2034. Therefore, in this embodiment, the output terminal 103 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 is connected to the signal output terminal 14 via the third balun 34, the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and the fourth balun 36, in sequence.

[0091] Specifically, the third balun 34 may include a coupled fourth primary 341 and a fourth secondary 343, wherein one end of the fourth primary 341 is connected to the output terminal 103 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, and the other end is grounded. The fourth secondary 343 is connected between the third input terminal 2012 and the fourth input terminal 2014. Therefore, the third balun 34 in this embodiment adopts a single-ended to differential architecture, which can convert a radio frequency signal output from the output terminal 103 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 into a pair of differential signals. Specifically, the third balun 34 can be implemented using a dedicated balun chip, and the fourth primary 341 and the fourth secondary 343 included in the third balun 34 can also be respectively formed by equivalent metal traces wound on the substrate. This embodiment does not limit the specific implementation method of the third balun 34.

[0092] In the embodiment shown in FIG11 , the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 may include a fifth transistor 230 and a sixth transistor 250. The control terminal of the fifth transistor 230 is connected to the third input terminal 2012 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, the first terminal of the fifth transistor 230 is connected to the third output terminal 2032 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and the second terminal of the fifth transistor 230 is grounded. The control terminal of the sixth transistor 250 is connected to the fourth input terminal 2014 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, the first terminal of the sixth transistor 250 is connected to the fourth output terminal 2034 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and the second terminal of the sixth transistor 250 is grounded.

[0093] As an embodiment, the fifth transistor 230 and the sixth transistor 250 can be respectively implemented by heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT tubes). As other embodiments, the fifth transistor 230 and the sixth transistor 250 can be respectively implemented by bipolar junction transistors (BJT tubes). Alternatively, the fifth transistor 230 and the sixth transistor 250 can be respectively implemented by metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOS tubes), which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0094] In some examples, the fifth transistor 230 and the sixth transistor 250 can be two transistors of exactly the same model. For example, both can be NPN-type HBT transistors, which are more suitable for high-power circuits. The fifth transistor 230 and the sixth transistor 250 can also be two transistors of opposite models. For example, one can be an NPN-type HBT transistor and the other can be a PNP-type HBT transistor.

[0095] In this embodiment, the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is implemented using a differential power amplifier circuit. Compared to a single-ended power amplifier circuit, a differential power amplifier circuit can provide higher power output. Furthermore, it can improve the operating efficiency and anti-interference capability of the power amplifier 100, thereby enhancing the stability of the RF signal output by the power amplifier 100.

[0096] In the embodiment shown in FIG11 , the fourth balun 36 may include a coupled fifth primary 361 and a fifth secondary 363, wherein the fifth primary 361 is connected between the third output terminal 2032 and the fourth output terminal 2034, and one end of the fifth secondary 363 is connected to the signal output terminal 14, and the other end is grounded. Therefore, the fourth balun 36 in this embodiment adopts a differential-to-single-ended architecture, capable of converting a pair of differential signals output by the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 into a single RF signal. Specifically, the fourth balun 36 may be implemented using a dedicated balun chip, and the fifth primary 361 and the fifth secondary 363 included in the fourth balun 36 may also be formed by equivalent metal traces wound on a substrate. This embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of the fourth balun 36.

[0097] Specifically, the fifth primary 361 may include a third coil 3612 and a fourth coil 3614. The third coil 3612 and the fourth coil 3614 are connected in series and then connected between the third output terminal 2032 and the fourth output terminal 2034. Therefore, the third coil 3612 and the fourth coil 3614 in this embodiment can be understood as two parts of the fifth primary 361, and the third coil 3612 and the fourth coil 3614 are connected in series to form the fifth primary 361.

[0098] The common end of the third coil 3612 and the fourth coil 3614 is connected to the first power supply terminal 16. Therefore, the first power supply voltage VCC1 output by the first power supply terminal 16 flows through the third coil 3612 to the first end of the fifth transistor 230, thereby powering the fifth transistor 230. Therefore, in this embodiment, the third coil 3612 can, on the one hand, prevent the RF signal output by the third transistor 720 from leaking toward the first power supply terminal 16, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the power amplifier 100. On the other hand, it can prevent the AC component (i.e., interference signal) in the first power supply voltage VCC1 output by the first power supply terminal 16 from entering the fifth transistor 230, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the fifth transistor 230.

[0099] Similarly, the first supply voltage VCC1 output by the first power supply terminal 16 flows through the fourth coil 3614 to the first terminal of the sixth transistor 250, thereby supplying power to the sixth transistor 250. Therefore, the fourth coil 3614 in this embodiment can, on the one hand, prevent the RF signal output by the sixth transistor 250 from leaking toward the first power supply terminal 16, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the power amplifier 100. On the other hand, it can prevent the AC component (i.e., the interference signal) in the first supply voltage VCC1 output by the first power supply terminal 16 from entering the sixth transistor 250, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the sixth transistor 250.

[0100] To sum up, the third coil 3612 can be used as a choke inductor between the fifth transistor 230 and the first power supply terminal 16, and the fourth coil 3614 can be used as a choke inductor between the sixth transistor 250 and the first power supply terminal 16, thereby realizing the structural reuse of the fifth primary side 361, simplifying the hardware structure of the power amplifier 100, and saving the hardware cost of the power amplifier 100.

[0101] In some possible embodiments, the power amplifier 100 may further include a fifth blocking capacitor 680 and a sixth blocking capacitor 690, wherein one end of the fifth secondary side 363 is connected to the control terminal of the fifth transistor 230 via the fifth blocking capacitor 680. The fifth blocking capacitor 680 can prevent the DC bias signal applied to the control terminal of the fifth transistor 230 from flowing to the fifth secondary side 363, thereby ensuring that the fifth transistor 230 can operate smoothly. The other end of the fifth secondary side 363 is connected to the control terminal of the sixth transistor 250 via the sixth blocking capacitor 690. The sixth blocking capacitor 690 can prevent the DC bias signal applied to the control terminal of the sixth transistor 250 from flowing to the fifth secondary side 363, thereby ensuring that the sixth transistor 250 can operate smoothly. In addition, the fifth blocking capacitor 680 and the sixth blocking capacitor 690 can also participate in impedance matching together with the third balun 34 to improve the transmission efficiency of the RF signal. Specifically, the fifth blocking capacitor 680 and the sixth blocking capacitor 690 can be chip capacitors, plug-in capacitors, etc.

[0102] Please refer to Figure 12. The power amplifier 100 may further include a filtering unit 49. The output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is connected to the signal output terminal 14 through the filtering unit 49. The filtering unit 49 can be used to filter out harmonic signals (for example, second-order harmonic signals, third-order harmonic signals, etc.) in the radio frequency signal. Specifically, the filtering unit 49 may include at least one LC harmonic suppression circuit composed of an inductor and a capacitor. The LC harmonic suppression circuit can operate at a specified operating frequency to filter out the corresponding harmonic signal. For example, the LC harmonic suppression circuit can resonate at a frequency corresponding to the second-order harmonic signal to filter out the second-order harmonic signal in the radio frequency signal. Of course, the number of LC harmonic suppression circuits can be multiple, and the operating frequencies of the multiple LC harmonic suppression circuits can be the same or different. This embodiment does not specifically limit the specific implementation method of the filtering unit 49.

[0103] It is easy to understand that, as shown in FIG5 , when the power amplifier 100 includes a first balun 60, a third-stage power amplification circuit 70, and a second balun 80, the filtering unit 49 can be connected between the output of the second balun 80 and the signal output 14. As shown in FIG9 , when the power amplifier 100 includes a transformer 45, the filtering unit 49 can be connected between the output of the transformer 45 and the signal output 14. As shown in FIG11 , when the power amplifier 100 includes a third balun 34 and a fourth balun 36, the filtering unit 49 can be connected between the output of the fourth balun 36 and the signal output 14.

[0104] The present application also provides a power amplifier 900, which is a device for increasing the output power of a radio frequency signal. The power amplifier 900 in this embodiment includes a signal input terminal 902, a signal output terminal 904, and a power supply terminal 906. The relevant features of the signal input terminal 902, signal output terminal 904, and power supply terminal 906 in this embodiment can refer to and be used in conjunction with the features of the signal input terminal 12, signal output terminal 14, and first power supply terminal 16 in the above embodiment, respectively. To save space, they are not further described here.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 13 , a power amplifier 900 may include a power amplifier circuit 910, a choke unit 920, and a stabilization unit 930. An input terminal 9101 of the power amplifier circuit 910 is connected to a signal input terminal 902, and an output terminal 9103 of the power amplifier circuit 910 is connected to a signal output terminal 904. A first terminal 9201 of the choke unit 920 is connected to a power supply terminal 9015 of the power amplifier circuit 910, and a second terminal 9203 of the choke unit 920 is connected to a power supply terminal 906. A stabilization unit 930 is connected in parallel with the choke unit 920 and includes at least one resistor 9320.

[0106] Because the stabilizing units 930 are connected in parallel on both sides of the choke unit 920 in this embodiment, the stabilizing units 930 can be resistive, thereby reducing the quality factor (i.e., Q value) of the choke unit 920. Therefore, when the parasitic capacitance of the transistors in the power amplifier circuit 910 is coupled with the choke unit 920, the reduced Q value of the choke unit 920 can reduce the amplification gain of the power amplifier 900, thereby reducing the risk of oscillation of the power amplifier 900 and improving the stability of the power amplifier 900 during operation.

[0107] In this embodiment, the power amplifier circuit 910 is the first-stage amplifier circuit of the power amplifier 900. As an embodiment, the power amplifier circuit 910 can be a single-ended power amplifier circuit. As another embodiment, the power amplifier circuit 910 can be a differential power amplifier circuit. Please refer to Figure 14, which shows the circuit structure of the power amplifier circuit 910 as a single-ended power amplifier circuit. The output terminal 9103 and the power supply terminal 9105 of the power amplifier circuit 910 share the same signal port. Therefore, the output terminal 9103 of the power amplifier circuit 910 is not only used to output the radio frequency signal amplified by the power amplifier circuit 910, but also used to input the power supply voltage provided by the power supply terminal 906, thereby realizing signal port multiplexing.

[0108] Specifically, the power amplifier circuit 910 may include a transistor 9120. A control terminal 9121 of the transistor 9120 is connected to the input terminal 9101 of the power amplifier circuit 910. A first terminal 9123 of the transistor 9120 is connected to the output terminal 9103 of the power amplifier circuit 910. A second terminal 9125 of the transistor 9120 is grounded. The relevant features of the transistor 9120 may refer to and be applied to the features of the first transistor 120 in the above embodiment. To save space, they are not described here one by one.

[0109] In the embodiment shown in FIG14 , the power amplifier circuit 910 may further include a DC blocking capacitor 9140 connected between the signal input terminal 902 and the control terminal 9121 of the transistor 9120. The DC blocking capacitor 9140 is used to prevent the DC bias signal applied to the control terminal 9121 of the transistor 9120 from flowing to the signal input terminal 902, thereby ensuring smooth operation of the transistor 9120. Specifically, the DC blocking capacitor 9140 may be a surface-mount capacitor, a plug-in capacitor, or the like.

[0110] In this embodiment, the choke unit 920 may include a first inductor 9210. The relevant features of the choke unit 920 and the first inductor 9210 can refer to and follow the features of the choke unit 30 and the first inductor 310 in the above embodiment respectively. To save space, they will not be described here one by one.

[0111] In this embodiment, the stabilization unit 930 may include one resistor 9320 or multiple resistors 9320. The relevant features of the stabilization unit 930 and the resistor 9320 can refer to and follow the features of the stabilization unit 40 and the resistor 410 in the above embodiment respectively. To save space, they will not be described here one by one.

[0112] In this embodiment, the power amplifier circuit 910 may further include a filtering unit (not shown in the figure), which is connected between the output terminal 9103 and the signal output terminal 904 of the power amplifier circuit 910. The relevant features of the filtering unit can refer to and follow the features of the filtering unit 49 in the above embodiment respectively. To save space, they will not be described here one by one.

[0113] Please refer to Figure 15. The embodiment of the present application also provides a radio frequency front-end module 950. The radio frequency front-end module 950 is a component that integrates two or more discrete devices such as radio frequency switches, low-noise amplifiers, filters, duplexers, and power amplifiers into an independent module, thereby improving integration and hardware performance and miniaturizing the volume. Specifically, the radio frequency front-end module 950 can be applied to 4G and 5G communication devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smart watches. In this embodiment, the radio frequency front-end module 200 may include a substrate 9520 and the power amplifier 100 in the above embodiment, or the power amplifier 900 in the above embodiment.

[0114] In this embodiment, the substrate 9520 is generally rectangular and serves to securely support components (e.g., the power amplifier 100) within the RF front-end module 950. Specifically, the substrate 9520 may be a copper-clad laminate. Circuits may be printed on the surface of the substrate 9520 by performing processes such as hole processing, chemical copper plating, electrolytic copper plating, and etching on the copper-clad laminate.

[0115] In some possible embodiments, the power amplifier 100 is provided on the substrate 9520. As an implementation method, the power amplifier 100 can be integrated into a same chip, and the chip can be fixed on the substrate 9520 by using a wire bonding process or a flip-chip process to improve the integration of the RF front-end module 950. As another implementation method, some components (for example, transistors) in the power amplifier 100 can be integrated into a same chip, and the chip can be fixed on the substrate 9520. Another part of the components (for example, capacitors, inductors, etc.) can be attached to the substrate 9520. For example, the inductor in the power amplifier 100 can be wound on the substrate 9520 in the form of metal traces, and the capacitor in the power amplifier 100 can be attached to the substrate 9520 in the form of chip capacitors, so that the hardware layout of the RF front-end module 950 is more compact and reasonable.

[0116] In some other possible embodiments, the power amplifier 900 is disposed on a substrate 9520. The manner of disposing the power amplifier 900 on the substrate 9520 may refer to the manner of disposing the power amplifier 100 on the substrate 9520 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0117] The present application provides a power amplifier 100 and a radio frequency front-end module 950 configured with the power amplifier 100. The power amplifier 100 may include a first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, a second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, a choke unit 30, and a stabilization unit 40. The input terminal 101 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 is connected to the signal input terminal 12, the output terminal 103 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 is connected to the input terminal 201 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, and the output terminal 203 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 is connected to the signal output terminal 14.

[0118] The first end 301 of the choke unit 30 is connected to the power supply terminal 105 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10, and the second end 303 of the choke unit 30 and the power supply terminal 205 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 are respectively connected to the first power supply terminal 16. Therefore, in this embodiment, the power supply terminal 105 of the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the power supply terminal 205 of the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 are both connected to the same power supply terminal, that is, the first power supply terminal 16, so that signal coupling exists between the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20.

[0119] The stabilization unit 40 and the choke unit 30 are connected in parallel, and the stabilization unit 40 includes at least one resistor 410. For example, the stabilization unit 40 can be implemented using a purely resistive circuit, making the stabilization unit 40 resistive. When a portion of the out-of-band low-frequency signal in the RF signal coupled to the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 via the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20 and the subsequent stage passes through the stabilization unit 40, the stabilization unit 40 can suppress the out-of-band low-frequency signal, thereby reducing the signal gain caused by the out-of-band low-frequency signal, alleviating the signal coupling between the first-stage power amplifier circuit 10 and the second-stage power amplifier circuit 20, thereby improving the stability of the power amplifier 100 during operation.

[0120] In the specification of this application, certain words are used to refer to specific components in the specification and claims. Those skilled in the art should understand that hardware manufacturers may use different terms to refer to the same component. The specification and claims do not use the difference in name as a way to distinguish components, but use the difference in function of the components as the criterion for distinction. For example, "including" mentioned throughout the specification and claims is an open term and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to"; "substantially" means that those skilled in the art can solve the technical problem within a certain error range and basically achieve the technical effect.

[0121] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "inside", etc. indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only used to simplify the description for the convenience of describing this application, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they should not be understood as limitations on this application.

[0122] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, terms such as "mounted," "connected," "connect," and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, these terms may refer to fixed, removable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediary; internal communication between two components; or mere surface contact. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0123] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and features of different embodiments or examples without contradiction.

[0124] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. Throughout the description of this application, "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0125] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A power amplifier, wherein, There is a signal input terminal, a signal output terminal and a first power supply terminal. The power amplifier includes a first-stage power amplification circuit, a second-stage power amplification circuit, a choke unit and a stabilization unit; The input terminal of the first-stage power amplification circuit is connected to the signal input terminal, and the output terminal of the first-stage power amplification circuit is connected to the input terminal of the second-stage power amplification circuit; the output terminal of the second-stage power amplification circuit is connected to the signal output terminal; The first end of the choke unit is connected to the power supply terminal of the first-stage power amplification circuit, and the second end of the choke unit and the power supply terminal of the second-stage power amplification circuit are respectively connected to the first power supply terminal; The stabilization unit is connected in parallel with the choke unit, and the stabilization unit includes at least one resistor; Wherein, the second-stage power amplification circuit is a differential power amplification circuit; and / or, the power amplifier further includes a third-stage power amplification circuit, and the third-stage power amplification circuit is a differential power amplification circuit.

2. The power amplifier according to claim 1, wherein, The stabilization unit includes M resistors and M switches corresponding to the M resistors one by one, where M is an integer greater than 1; The M resistors are connected in series with each other, and the switches are connected in parallel with the corresponding resistors; or the M resistors are connected in parallel with each other, and the switches are connected in series in the branches where the corresponding resistors are located.

3. The power amplifier according to claim 2, wherein, The choke unit includes a first inductor; The power amplifier further includes a control unit, the control unit is connected to the M switches, and the control unit is used to adjust the equivalent resistance value of the stabilization unit based on the inductance value of the first inductor and the signal frequency of the radio frequency signal to be suppressed.

4. The power amplifier according to claim 1, wherein, The output terminal of the first-stage power amplification circuit and the power supply terminal of the first-stage power amplification circuit share the same signal port; The output terminal of the second-stage power amplification circuit and the power supply terminal of the second-stage power amplification circuit share the same signal port.

5. The power amplifier according to claim 4, wherein, The first-stage power amplification circuit includes a first transistor, and the second-stage power amplification circuit includes a second transistor; The control terminal of the first transistor is connected to the input terminal of the first-stage power amplification circuit, the first end of the first transistor is connected to the output terminal of the first-stage power amplification circuit, and the second end of the first transistor is grounded; The control terminal of the second transistor is connected to the input terminal of the second-stage power amplification circuit, the first end of the second transistor is connected to the output terminal of the second-stage power amplification circuit, and the second end of the second transistor is grounded.

6. The power amplifier according to claim 1, wherein, The power amplifier further includes a first isolation unit and a second isolation unit; The first end of the first isolation unit is connected to the second end of the choke unit, and the second end of the first isolation unit is connected to the first power supply terminal; The first end of the second isolation unit is connected to the power supply terminal of the second-stage power amplification circuit, and the second end of the second isolation unit is connected to the first power supply terminal.

7. The power amplifier according to claim 6, wherein, The power amplifier further includes a first decoupling unit and a second decoupling unit; One end of the first decoupling unit is connected to the first end of the first isolation unit, and the other end is grounded; One end of the second decoupling unit is connected to the first end of the second isolation unit, and the other end is grounded.

8. The power amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The power amplifier further includes a third-stage power amplification circuit and a second balun; the second balun includes a coupled second primary side and a second secondary side; the second primary side is connected between a first output end and a second output end of the third-stage power amplification circuit; one end of the second secondary side is connected to the signal output end, and the other end is grounded.

9. The power amplifier according to claim 8, wherein, The second-stage power amplification circuit is a single-ended power amplification circuit, and the power amplifier further includes a first balun, the first balun includes a coupled first primary side and a first secondary side; a first end of the first primary side is connected to the output end of the second-stage power amplification circuit, a second end of the first primary side is grounded; the first secondary side is connected between a first input end and a second input end of the third-stage power amplification circuit.

10. The power amplifier according to claim 9, wherein, The output end of the second-stage power amplification circuit and the power supply end of the second-stage power amplification circuit share the same signal port; the second end of the first primary side is further connected to the first power supply end; The power amplifier further includes a first capacitor, one end of the first capacitor is connected to the second end of the first primary side, and the other end is grounded.

11. The power amplifier according to claim 8, wherein, The third-stage power amplification circuit includes a third transistor and a fourth transistor, a control end of the third transistor is connected to the first input end of the third-stage power amplification circuit, a first end of the third transistor is connected to the first output end of the third-stage power amplification circuit, and a second end of the third transistor is grounded; A control end of the fourth transistor is connected to the second input end of the third-stage power amplification circuit, a first end of the fourth transistor is connected to the second output end of the third-stage power amplification circuit, and a second end of the fourth transistor is grounded.

12. The power amplifier according to claim 11, wherein, The power amplifier is further provided with a second power supply end; the second primary side includes a first coil and a second coil; The first coil and the second coil are connected in series between the first end of the third transistor and the first end of the fourth transistor; a common end of the first coil and the second coil is connected to the second power supply end.

13. The power amplifier according to claim 8, wherein, The first-stage power amplification circuit and the second-stage power amplification circuit are both single-ended power amplification circuits; the power amplifier further includes a transformer, the transformer includes a coupled third primary side and a third secondary side; A first end of the third primary side is connected to the output end of the second-stage power amplification circuit, a second end of the third primary side is grounded; one end of the third secondary side is connected to the signal output end, and the other end is grounded.

14. The power amplifier according to claim 13, wherein, The output end of the second-stage power amplification circuit and the power supply end of the second-stage power amplification circuit share the same signal port; the second end of the third primary side is further connected to the first power supply end; The power amplifier further includes a second capacitor, one end of the second capacitor is connected to the second end of the third primary side, and the other end is grounded.

15. The power amplifier according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The first-stage power amplification circuit is a single-ended power amplification circuit, the second-stage power amplification circuit is a differential power amplification circuit, the input end of the second-stage power amplification circuit includes a third input end and a fourth input end; the output end of the second-stage power amplification circuit includes a third output end and a fourth output end; the power amplifier further includes a third balun; The third balun includes a coupled fourth primary side and a fourth secondary side; one end of the fourth primary side is connected to the output end of the first-stage power amplifier circuit, and the other end is grounded; the fourth secondary side is connected between the third input end and the fourth input end.

16. The power amplifier according to claim 15, wherein, The power amplifier further includes a fourth balun, and the fourth balun includes a coupled fifth primary side and a fifth secondary side; The fifth primary side is connected between the third output end and the fourth output end; one end of the fifth secondary side is connected to the signal output end, and the other end is grounded; The fifth primary side includes a third coil and a fourth coil; the third coil and the fourth coil are connected in series between the third output end and the fourth output end; the common end of the third coil and the fourth coil is connected to the first power supply end.

17. The power amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The power amplifier further includes a filtering unit, and the output end of the second-stage power amplifier circuit is connected to the signal output end through the filtering unit.

18. The power amplifier according to claim 8, wherein, The first-stage power amplifier circuit, the second-stage power amplifier circuit, the choke unit, the stabilization unit, the first balun, the third-stage power amplifier circuit, and the second balun form a power amplification module, and the number of the power amplification modules is two; Among them, the input ends of the first-stage power amplifier circuits in the two power amplification modules are respectively connected to the signal input end; The secondary sides of the second baluns in the two power amplification modules are connected in series to form an output combination, one end of the output combination is connected to the signal output end, and the other end is grounded.

19. A power amplifier, wherein, There are provided a signal input end, a signal output end, and a first power supply end, and the power amplifier includes a first-stage power amplifier circuit, a second-stage power amplifier circuit, a choke unit, and a stabilization unit; The input end of the first-stage power amplifier circuit is connected to the signal input end, and the output end of the first-stage power amplifier circuit is connected to the input end of the second-stage power amplifier circuit; the output end of the second-stage power amplifier circuit is connected to the signal output end; The first end of the choke unit is connected to the power supply end of the first-stage power amplifier circuit, and the second end of the choke unit and the power supply end of the second-stage power amplifier circuit are respectively connected to the first power supply end; The stabilization unit is connected in parallel with the choke unit, and the stabilization unit includes at least one resistor.

20. The power amplifier according to claim 19, wherein Both the first-stage power amplifier circuit and the second-stage power amplifier circuit are single-ended power amplifier circuits; the power amplifier further includes a transformer, and the transformer includes a coupled third primary side and a third secondary side; The first end of the third primary side is connected to the output end of the second-stage power amplifier circuit, and the second end of the third primary side is grounded; one end of the third secondary side is connected to the signal output end, and the other end is grounded.

21. The power amplifier according to claim 20, wherein, The output end of the second-stage power amplifier circuit and the power supply end of the second-stage power amplifier circuit share the same signal port; the second end of the third primary side is further connected to the first power supply end; The power amplifier further includes a second capacitor, one end of the second capacitor is connected to the second end of the third primary side, and the other end is grounded.

22. A power amplifier, wherein, There is a signal input terminal, a signal output terminal and a first power supply terminal. The power amplifier is applied to satellite communication and includes two power amplification modules. Each power amplification module includes a first-stage power amplification circuit, a second-stage power amplification circuit, a choke unit, a stabilization unit, a first balun, a third-stage power amplification circuit and a second balun; Among them, the input ends of the first-stage power amplification circuits in the two power amplification modules are respectively connected to the signal input terminal, and the output end of the first-stage power amplification circuit is connected to the input end of the second-stage power amplification circuit; the output end of the second-stage power amplification circuit is connected to the input end of the third-stage power amplification circuit, and the output end of the third power amplification circuit is connected to the primary side of the second balun; The secondary sides of the second baluns in the two power amplification modules are connected in series to form an output combiner. One end of the output combiner is connected to the signal output terminal, and the other end is grounded.

23. A radio frequency front-end module, wherein, Comprising: A substrate; And The power amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the power amplifier is disposed on the substrate.

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