Buffer for driving capacitive load

A buffer circuit buffers incoming signals, from a local oscillator generator to a mixing circuit and has a push-pull circuit having two inputs, a first being coupled to a first incoming signal, and a second of the inputs being coupled to one of the buffered versions of the incoming signals, having a phase related to that of the first incoming signal. By coupling a second input to a buffered version rather than to the incoming signal, the load presented to the preceding circuit can be halved, while maintaining reduced power consumption. By using as a second input, a signal which is phase related to the first incoming signal, the normal operation of the push-pull circuit can be maintained. The incoming signals from the LO generator can be differential IQ signals and the buffered version of the further incoming signal be in phase with the first incoming signal.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to analog drivers or buffer circuits, to mixers and transceivers having such analog drivers or buffer circuits, and to corresponding methods of operating or manufacturing such circuits and devices.

DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART

A mixer performs a multiplication of two input signals (A at frequency fAand B at fB) resulting in an output signal C at fA+/−fB. Depending on the frequency nature of the input and output signals, up-conversion and down-conversion mixers can be distinguished. In a down-conversion structure two high frequency signals (Local Oscillator LO and Radio Frequency RF) are the input signals resulting in a low frequency (Intermediate Frequency IF or Low Frequency LF) output. This is used in receiver structures. In an up-conversion mixer, as used in transmitters, the output is the high frequency RF signal and the low frequency LF is an input.

It is known to have a buffer to drive the LO input of the mixer, which appears as a capacitive load at RF frequencies. The buffer amplifies the 4 phases of a local oscillator (LO) signal, meaning I & Q, both differential signals. These signals are the signals driving the mixers in transmitter or receiver chains to get single sideband mixing. The buffer buffers the mixer circuits (and the capacitive load they're representing) from the preceding LO generator circuit that generates the 4-phase signals. This generator can be typically a divide-by-2 or a polyphase filter.

The buffer can be a class A or class B amplifier arrangement. A class A typically has high power consumption, while a class B uses less power but shows a higher capacitive load to the preceding circuit, and so causes higher power consumption in the LO generator circuit.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,147,543 shows an example of a mixer circuit for RF applications and having a differential LO input buffer circuit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide improved analog driver or buffer circuits, mixers and transceivers having such analog drivers or buffer circuits, and corresponding methods of operating or manufacturing such circuits and devices. According to a first aspect, the invention provides:

An analog buffer circuit arranged to receive a first incoming signal and one or more further incoming signals, to output buffered versions of the signals, the buffer circuit having: a first circuit arranged to receive the first incoming signal and output a first buffered version, and one or more further circuits for receiving the further incoming signal or signals and outputting corresponding further buffered versions, the first circuit having a push-pull circuit having two or more inputs, a first of the inputs being coupled to the first incoming signal, and a second of the inputs of the first circuit being coupled to one of the further buffered signals having a phase related to that of the first incoming signal.

By coupling a second input to a buffered signal rather than both of the inputs being coupled to the incoming signal, the load presented to the preceding circuit can be halved, while maintaining the advantages of push-pull circuits, such as reduced power consumption. By using as a second input, a signal phase related to the first incoming signal, the normal operation of the push-pull circuit can be maintained.

Other aspects of the invention provide a mixer or an RF transceiver having a local oscillator, a mixer and one or more buffer circuits as set out above.

Other aspects of the invention include corresponding methods of buffering using the buffer circuit, or methods of manufacturing the buffer circuit. The buffer circuit is particularly useful when implemented in CMOS technology.

For example, in another aspect of the present invention a method of operating an analog buffer circuit is provided, the method comprising:

receiving a first incoming signal (Ip) at a circuit, the circuit having a push-pull circuit (T2,T3) having two or more inputs;

receiving one or more further incoming signals (Qp,In,Qn),

inputting the first incoming signal (Ip in) at a first of the inputs and inputting one of the further buffered versions (Qp out) having a phase related to that of the first incoming signal to a second of the inputs, and outputting buffered versions (Ip out, Qp out,In out, Qn out) of the incoming signals.

Some additional optional features are described below, many others can be envisaged within the scope of the claims. Any of the additional features can be combined together and combined with any of the aspects. Other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art, especially over other prior art. Numerous variations and modifications can be made without departing from the claims of the present invention. Therefore, it should be clearly understood that the form of the present invention is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described with reference to certain drawings and to certain embodiments but this description is by way of example only.

Embodiments of the invention are concerned with implementing the buffer function, e.g. as a buffer circuit or analog driver, in a more power-efficient way, for example for use in LO IQ buffers, or other applications, especially when power consumption of neighboring circuits in the chain is taken into account such as in mixers and transceivers having such buffer circuits. For example any of IQ-generating circuit, buffers and mixers could be neighboring circuits. By way of introduction to the description of embodiments of the invention, principles of known solutions and their disadvantages will be discussed for reference.

Two possible buffers are shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. Both are simplified schematics to show the principle of operation. They are without biasing structures and both would or could be implemented in practice in a somewhat changed form.

FIG. 1represents a generic class A amplifier, which suffers from low power efficiency, meaning that a current is wasted. Optionally, a coil can be added in parallel with the capacitive load to realize resonance at the desired frequency, but a coil also costs a lot of chip area, especially in the considered case where four LO signals have to be buffered.

FIG. 2is another simplified schematic representing a generic class B amplifier, having a higher power efficiency, since now the DC-current can be significantly less than the current delivered to the capacitive load. However, this circuit also presents a higher capacitive load to the preceding IQ-generation circuits, namely the gate capacitance of both N- and PMOS input transistors, with the PMOS adding a lot of capacitance, since it has to be bigger in area for the same drive capability. This higher capacitive load for the preceding circuit, causes a rise in the current consumption of these circuits.

Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the invention will now be explained. A first embodiment has a circuit arranged to operate as a push-pull circuit in class B mode and has a lower current consumption. The push-pull function can be implemented as any type of push-pull circuit having two or more inputs, and so encompasses any type of class B mode including variants such as Class AB for example. A buffer circuit also presents a low capacitive load to the preceding circuits. For example when implemented in CMOS technology, the capacitive load to the preceding circuits is only the gate capacitance of the NMOS transistor, as in the class A circuits. It can thus improve on other solutions, such as the reference circuits ofFIGS. 1 and 2, particularly when considering power consumption of the complete LO chain.

An example of a circuit according to a first embodiment is presented inFIG. 3, which shows one of the four LO buffers as shown for example inFIG. 5. The buffer includes two transistors T2and T3that can be a pair of PMOS/NMOS transistors constructed in CMOS technology. Owing to the fact that the output of this buffer has a phase shift of around 90° with respect to the input as the load is purely capacitive, the output of one of the three other buffers (i.e. a Qp_out) will be in phase with the input (Ip_in). This means that the PMOS transistor T3of the buffer ofFIG. 3can be driven by the output of the relevant one of the other buffers and does not present a capacitive load at the input (seeFIG. 5for the connections between the buffers). The timing of input and output signals is drawn inFIG. 4.

Referring toFIG. 4, the Qn-out or Qp_out signal of the relevant first one of the buffer circuits of the type shown5and3is in phase with the In_in signal or Ip_in signal of the other one of the buffer cirucits, respectively thus allowing to use the Qn-out or Qp_out signal as the driving signal for the PMOS transistor T3of the other one of the buffer circuits. In implementing such a circuit, the stability should be considered, i.e. the stability generated by this feedback of signals. The feedback from output of one buffer to input of another buffer creates a loop over the 4 buffers, which might become unstable if not dealt with, i.e. controlled or limited. One way to deal with this is to change the circuit so that the stages are not DC-coupled to each other as in the schematic ofFIG. 3, but use an AC-coupling such as a coupling capacitor which can enable more flexibility to ensure better stability

However, the use of a coupling capacitor is optional and does not make any difference to the basic operating principle of the present invention.

FIG. 5shows an overall schematic of an embodiment having part of a chain with four buffers90,91,92,93between a first circuit such as an LO generator80and a second circuit such as a mixing circuit98. The present invention is not limited to this arrangement and is not limited to the use of mixing circuits. The present invention may also be used for other buffering applications, e.g. buffering of low frequency I & Q signals, where the preceding and following stages are different. The buffers90,91,92,93and the mixing circuit98can be regarded as a mixer. The LO generator80generates two pairs of differential signals, I and Q which are in quadrature. The I pair has positive and negative signals Ip and In, and the Q pair has positive and negative signals Qp and Qn. A first buffer90can be implemented as shown inFIG. 3, as can each of the three further buffers. Each of the buffers can therefore include a PMOS and an NMOS transistor (e.g. made in CMOS technology) having a common output signal. The first buffer has two inputs, one coupled to Ip, and the other to the buffered version of Qp, output by buffer91. Similarly second buffer91has two inputs, one coupled to Qp and the other to the buffered version of In, output by the third buffer92. Similarly, the third buffer92has two inputs, the first coupled to In, and the second input to the buffered version of Qn, output by the fourth buffer93. Similarly, the fourth buffer has two inputs, a first coupled to Qn and a second input coupled to the buffered version of Ip, output by the first buffer. As shown, the mixer, LO and buffers can be part of an RF transceiver99having RF and IF signals input to and/or output by the mixing circuit. Of course they can be part of a receiver or a transmitter.

As has been described, a buffer circuit buffers incoming signals (Ip, Qp, In, Qn) from a first circuit, e.g. from a local oscillator generator (80) to a further circuit such as a mixing circuit (98) and each buffer circuit has a push-pull circuit (T2,T3) having two inputs, a first being coupled to a first incoming signal (Ip in), and a second of the inputs being coupled to one of the buffered versions of the outgoing signals (Qp out), having a phase related to that of the first incoming signal. By coupling a second input to a buffered version of an output rather than to the incoming signal, the load presented to the preceding circuit can be halved, while maintaining reduced power consumption. By using a second input, a signal which is phase related to the first incoming signal, the normal operation of the push-pull circuit can be maintained. The incoming signals from the LO generator can be differential IQ signals.

Some of the embodiments have optional additional features such as the further incoming signal being in quadrature with the first incoming signal, and the buffered version of the further incoming signal being in phase with the first incoming signal. Another such feature is the push-pull circuit comprising a pair of complementary transistors, one coupled to drive an output to a first supply voltage, and another coupled to drive an output to a second supply voltage. Another such feature is the buffer circuit having three of the further circuits, and being arranged to receive two pairs of differential incoming signals, the two pairs being in quadrature. Another such feature is a given one of the further circuits having a further push-pull circuit, the buffered version of the first incoming signal being coupled to a second input of the further push-pull circuit. Another such feature is the buffered version of the further input being AC-coupled to the second input. Another such feature is the buffer circuit being formed as part of an integrated circuit. Another such feature is the integrated circuit being suitable for RF signals.

In principle the buffered version fed back to the second input could be out of phase with the corresponding incoming signal, if the second input is an inverting input for example. The buffer circuit can be implemented in discrete components or in integrated circuit form using CMOS, BiCMOS or any other semiconductor technology as appropriate for the application. In principle, circuits for any frequency range can use the buffers, including sub RF, RF and microwave frequencies for example.