RF Mixer Bias Circuit for Low-Standby Power Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for faster communication speeds in electronic devices, particularly in 5G technology, leads to higher power consumption, especially in RF circuits, necessitating a reduction in standby power consumption while maintaining high reliability and productivity.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device incorporating a mixer circuit and a bias circuit with specific transistor configurations, including oxide semiconductors and nitride semiconductors, to manage power efficiently and enhance reliability, featuring a voltage-to-current conversion portion, current switch portion, and a bias supply system that allows for reduced power consumption and quick switching between operational and standby states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If communication speed is improved to meet 5G requirements, then transmission speed increases, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs wide-bandgap semiconductor materials (GaN, SiC) with fundamentally different electrical parameters compared to conventional silicon, enabling high-speed operation with lower power consumption through inherent material properties such as higher electron saturation velocity and higher breakdown electric field
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses compound semiconductor materials combining different elements (Ga-N, Si-C) to achieve superior electrical characteristics that simultaneously enable high transmission speed and reduced power consumption, leveraging the synergistic effects of wide bandgap and high electron mobility
2Speed
If RF circuit operates at high speed, then communication performance improves, but standby power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wide-bandgap semiconductor material parameters enable the RF circuit to achieve high-speed operation during active communication while maintaining extremely low leakage current during standby, fundamentally reducing standby power consumption through the material's higher breakdown electric field and lower off-state current characteristics
3Reliability
If oxide semiconductor with CAAC structure is used, then transistor performance improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the CAAC structure specifically to the oxide semiconductor layer in critical transistor regions, achieving superior electrical performance and reliability where needed while maintaining simpler structures in other parts of the device, thus balancing performance improvement with manufacturing feasibility
Data Source
AI summary
A novel semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a mixer circuit and a bias circuit. The mixer circuit includes a voltage-to-current conversion portion, a current switch portion, and a current-to-voltage conversion portion. The bias circuit includes a bias supply portion and a first transistor. The voltage-to-current conversion portion includes a second transistor and a third transistor. The bias supply portion has a function of outputting a bias voltage to be supplied to a gate of the second transistor and a gate of the third transistor. One of a source and a drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to the gate of the second transistor and the gate of the third transistor. The first transistor is turned off when the bias voltage is supplied, and the first transistor is turned on when the supply of the bias voltage is stopped.