Segmented Power Amplifier Activation Rotation for Uniform Degradation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Segmented amplifiers experience unequal degradation of transistors due to selective activation, leading to phase shifts and reduced output power due to load mismatches, as some amplifier segments are used more frequently than others, causing hot-carrier induced parametric degradation and oxide breakdown.
Innovation Solution
A controller is used to vary the activation of amplifier segments in a segmented power amplifier, allowing for dynamic adjustment of the number of active segments based on power requirements, using techniques such as random selection, rotation of bit positions, and power detection to distribute degradation uniformly across all segments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If selective activation of amplifier segments is used to control output power, then power level control is improved, but transistor degradation becomes unequal and reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes which amplifier segments are activated based on operating conditions. Instead of statically assigning segments to specific power levels, the controller periodically varies the activation pattern, rotating which segments handle high-power operations versus low-power operations, thereby distributing degradation uniformly across all segments over time
Solution Approach 2:
The controller implements periodic variation in segment activation patterns. At different time intervals or operating cycles, different segments are selected for activation, creating a rotating schedule that ensures each segment experiences similar cumulative stress over the amplifier's lifetime, preventing any single segment from degrading faster than others
2Adaptability or versatility
If some amplifier segments are used more frequently than others, then power control flexibility is improved, but phase matching and load balance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically rotates which segments are activated at different power levels, preventing any fixed segment from always handling the same power level. This dynamic reassignment ensures that all segments maintain similar operational characteristics and degradation patterns, preserving phase matching and load balance across the amplifier output
Data Source
AI summary
Various apparatuses and methods for varying segment activation in a segmented power amplifier are disclosed herein. For example, some embodiments provide a power amplifier including an input, an output, a plurality of amplifier segments and a controller. The amplifier segments are connected in parallel between the input and the output and are adapted to be activated and inactivated. The power level at the output may be controlled by changing a number of the amplifier segments that are activated concurrently. The controller is connected to the amplifier segments and is adapted to vary which of the amplifier segments are activated to arrive at a selected number of activated amplifier segments.