RADIO FREQUENCY SWITCH FOR SIMPLIFIED LAYOUT OF PHASE SHIFTER USING SWITCHED DELAY LINES

A device may include an input port configured to receive the RF signal, the input port being positioned on a first side of the RF switching circuit; a control port configured to receive a control signal indicating a trace through which the RF signal is routed, the control port being positioned on a second side of the RF switching circuit opposite to the first side. The device may further include a plurality of switching pins configured to be coupled to a plurality of traces, a first half of the plurality of switching pins being positioned on one adjacent side of the RF input, and a second half of the plurality of switching pins being positioned on the other adjacent side of the RF input. The device may also include a controller configured to route the RF signal according to the control signal by reference to a truth table.

BACKGROUND

Field

Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic systems, and in particular, to RF switches for use in radio frequency (RF) electronics.

Description of the Related Technology

A radio frequency (RF) communication system can include a transceiver, a front end, and one or more antennas for wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals. The front end can include low noise amplifier(s) for amplifying signals received via the antenna(s), and power amplifier(s) for boosting signals for transmission via the antenna(s).

Examples of RF communication systems with one or more power amplifiers include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, base stations, network access points, customer-premises equipment (CPE), laptops, and wearable electronics. For example, in wireless devices that communicate using a cellular standard, a wireless local area network (WLAN) standard, and/or any other suitable communication standard, a power amplifier can be used for RF signal amplification. An RF signal can have a frequency in the range of about 30 kHz to 300 GHz, such as in the range of about 410 MHz to about 7.125 GHz for certain communications standards.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for all of the desirable attributes disclosed herein. Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency (RF) switching circuit configured to route a RF signal including: an input port configured to receive the RF signal, the input port being positioned on a first side of the RF switching circuit; a control port configured to receive a control signal indicating a trace through which the RF signal is routed, the control port being positioned on a second side of the RF switching circuit opposite to the first side; a plurality of switching pins configured to be coupled to a plurality of traces, a first half of the plurality of switching pins being positioned on one adjacent side of the RF input, and a second half of the plurality of switching pins being positioned on the other adjacent side of the RF input; and a controller configured to route the RF signal according to the control signal by reference to a truth table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency (RF) switch module configured to receive an RF signal and provide a tuned version of the RF signal including: an input circuit configured to receive the RF signal and route the RF signal to a path determined based on a control signal that is received via a first control port positioned on the input circuit; an output circuit configured to detect the RF signal transmitted through the path based on the control signal that is received via a second control port positioned on the output circuit and output the tuned version of the RF signal, the second control port being coupled to the first control port such that the control signal is applied to both the first control port and the second control port; and a plurality of traces configured to provide each path through which the RF signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a RF switch module wherein each of the first control port and the second control port includes a plurality of control pins, and each control pin of the first control port is coupled to a corresponding control pin of the second control port respectively without crossing of coupling lines on a printed board or other routing assembly on which the RF switch module is assembled.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a RF switch module wherein the control signal includes a plurality of binary values, each of which is applied to one of the control pins of the first control port and a corresponding control pin of the second control port.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a RF switch module wherein a number of control pins of the first control port and the second control port is determined based on a number of the plurality of traces.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a RF switch module wherein the path through which the RF signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit is determined by a combination of the plurality of binary values by reference to at least one truth table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a RF switch module wherein each of the first control port and the second control port further includes a selection pin that is configured to select a specific truth table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a RF switch module wherein each of the input circuit and the output circuit further includes at least one power supply pin in case the first control port and the second control port do not receive power supply directly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a RF switch module wherein each of the input circuit and output circuit includes a plurality of switching pins to which the plurality of traces is connected, a first half of the switching pins is positioned in series on an opposite side of the input circuit to a second half of the switching pins.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a RF switch module wherein the plurality of traces is configured to connect each of the switching pins of the input circuit with a corresponding switching pin without crossing of the plurality of traces on a printed board or other routing assembly on which the RF switch module is assembled

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module including: a packaging substrate configured to receive a plurality of components; a RF switch implemented on the packaging substrate, the RF switch including an input circuit configured to receive the RF signal and route the RF signal to a path determined based on a control signal that is received via a first control port positioned on the input circuit, an output circuit configured to detect the RF signal transmitted through the path based on the control signal that is received via a second control port positioned on the output circuit and output the tuned version of the RF signal, the second control port being coupled to the first control port such that the control signal is applied to both the first control port and the second control port, and a plurality of traces configured to provide each path through which the RF signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein each of the first control port and the second control port includes a plurality of control pins, and each control pin of the first control port is coupled to a corresponding control pin of the second control port respectively without crossing of coupling lines.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein the control signal includes a plurality of binary values, each of which is applied to one of the control pins of the first control port and a corresponding control pin of the second control port.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein a number of control pins of the first control port and the second control port is determined based on a number of the plurality of traces.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein the path through which the RF signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit is determined by a combination of the plurality of binary values by reference to at least one truth table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein each of the first control port and the second control port further includes a selection pin that is configured to select a specific truth table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein each of the input circuit and the output circuit further includes at least one power supply pin in case the first control port and the second control port do not receive power supply directly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein each of the input circuit and output circuit includes a plurality of switching pins to which the plurality of traces is connected, a first half of the switching pins is positioned in series on an opposite side of the input circuit to a second half of the switching pins.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein the plurality of traces is configured to connect each of the switching pins of the input circuit with a corresponding switching pin without crossing of the plurality of traces.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station including: a transceiver configured to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal; a power amplifier configured to amplify the RF signal; an antenna; and a RF switch configured to selectively electrically connect an output of the power amplifier to the antenna, the RF switch including an input circuit configured to receive the RF signal and route the RF signal to a path determined based on a control signal that is received via a first control port positioned on the input circuit, an output circuit configured to detect the RF signal transmitted through the path based on the control signal that is received via a second control port positioned on the output circuit and output the tuned version of the RF signal, the second control port being coupled to the first control port such that the control signal is applied to both the first control port and the second control port, and a plurality of traces configured to provide each path through which the RF signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein each of the first control port and the second control port includes a plurality of control pins, and each control pin of the first control port is coupled to a corresponding control pin of the second control port respectively without crossing of coupling lines.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein the control signal includes a plurality of binary values, each of which is applied to one of the control pins of the first control port and a corresponding control pin of the second control port.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein a number of control pins of the first control port and the second control port is determined based on a number of the plurality of traces.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein the path through which the RF signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit is determined by a combination of the plurality of binary values by reference to at least one truth table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein each of the first control port and the second control port further includes a selection pin that is configured to select a specific truth table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein each of the input circuit and the output circuit further includes at least one power supply pin in case the first control port and the second control port do not receive power supply directly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein each of the input circuit and output circuit includes a plurality of switching pins to which the plurality of traces is connected, a first half of the switching pins is positioned in series on an opposite side of the input circuit to a second half of the switching pins.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein the plurality of traces is configured to connect each of the switching pins of the input circuit with a corresponding switching pin without crossing of the plurality of traces.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency switch module configured to receive a radio frequency signal and provide a tuned version of the radio frequency signal, the radio frequency switch module including: an input circuit configured to receive the radio frequency signal and route the radio frequency signal to a path determined based at least in part on a control signal received via a first control port of the input circuit; an output circuit configured to detect the radio frequency signal transmitted through the path based at least in part on the control signal that is received via a second control port of the output circuit and output the tuned version of the radio frequency signal, the second control port being electrically coupled to the first control port such that the control signal is applied to both the first control port and the second control port; and a plurality of traces configured to provide a plurality of paths configured to transmit radio frequency signals between the input circuit and the output circuit, the plurality of paths including the path determined based at least in part on the control signal.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency switch module wherein each of the first control port and the second control port includes a plurality of control pins, and each control pin of the first control port is electrically coupled to a corresponding control pin of the second control port respectively without traces of the plurality of traces overlapping.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency switch module wherein the control signal includes a plurality of binary values, each of which is applied to one of the plurality of control pins of the first control port and a corresponding control pin of the plurality of control pins of the second control port.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency switch module wherein the path through which the radio frequency signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit is determined by a combination of the plurality of binary values defined in a truth table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency switch module wherein each of the first control port and the second control port further includes a selection pin that is configured to select the truth table from a plurality of truth tables.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency switch module wherein a number of control pins of the first control port and the second control port corresponds to a number of the plurality of traces.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency switch module wherein each of the input circuit and the output circuit further includes at least one power supply pin.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency switch module wherein each of the input circuit and the output circuit includes a plurality of switching pins to which the plurality of traces is connected, a first portion of the plurality of switching pins is positioned in series on a first side of the input circuit that is opposite to a second side of the input circuit that includes a second portion of the plurality of switching pins.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a radio frequency switch module wherein the plurality of traces is configured to connect each of the plurality of switching pins of the input circuit with a corresponding switching pin of the plurality of switching pins of the output circuit without traces of the plurality of traces overlapping.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module including: a packaging substrate configured to receive a plurality of components; and a radio frequency switch implemented on the packaging substrate, the radio frequency switch including an input circuit configured to receive a radio frequency signal and route the radio frequency signal to a path determined based at least in part on a control signal received via a first control port of the input circuit, an output circuit configured to detect the radio frequency signal transmitted through the path based at least in part on the control signal received via a second control port of the output circuit and output a tuned version of the radio frequency signal, the second control port being electrically coupled to the first control port such that the control signal is applied to both the first control port and the second control port, and a plurality of traces configured to provide a plurality of paths configured to transmit radio frequency signals between the input circuit and the output circuit, the plurality of paths including the path determined based at least in part on the control signal.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein each of the first control port and the second control port includes a plurality of control pins, and each control pin of the first control port is electrically coupled to a corresponding control pin of the second control port respectively without traces of the plurality of traces overlapping.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein the control signal includes a plurality of binary values, each of which is applied to one of the plurality of control pins of the first control port and a corresponding control pin of the plurality of control pins of the second control port.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein the path through which the radio frequency signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit is determined by a combination of the plurality of binary values specified in a truth table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein each of the first control port and the second control port further includes a selection pin that is configured to select the truth table from a plurality of truth tables.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein each of the input circuit and the output circuit includes a plurality of switching pins to which the plurality of traces is connected, a first portion of the plurality of switching pins is positioned in series on a first side of the input circuit that is opposite to a second side of the input circuit that includes a second portion of the plurality of switching pins.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a front-end module wherein the plurality of traces is configured to connect each of the plurality of switching pins of the input circuit with a corresponding switching pin of the plurality of switching pins of the output circuit without traces of the plurality of traces overlapping.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station including: a transceiver configured to generate a radio frequency signal; a power amplifier configured to amplify the radio frequency signal to obtain an amplified radio frequency signal; an antenna; and a radio frequency switch configured to selectively electrically connect an output of the power amplifier to the antenna, the radio frequency switch including an input circuit configured to receive the amplified radio frequency signal and route the amplified radio frequency signal to a path determined based at least in part on a control signal received via a first control port of the input circuit, an output circuit configured to detect the amplified radio frequency signal transmitted through the path based at least in part on the control signal that is received via a second control port of the output circuit and output a tuned version of the amplified radio frequency signal, the second control port being electrically coupled to the first control port such that the control signal is applied to both the first control port and the second control port, and a plurality of traces configured to provide a plurality of paths configured to transmit radio frequency signals between the input circuit and the output circuit, the plurality of paths including the path determined based at least in part on the control signal.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein each of the first control port and the second control port includes a plurality of control pins, and each control pin of the first control port is electrically coupled to a corresponding control pin of the second control port respectively without traces of the plurality of traces overlapping.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein the control signal includes a plurality of binary values, each of which is applied to one of the plurality of control pins of the first control port and a corresponding control pin of the plurality of control pins of the second control port.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a base station wherein the path through which the radio frequency signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit is determined by a combination of the plurality of binary values specified in a truth table selected from a plurality of truth tables based at least in part on a control signal received at a selection pin of the first control port and a selection pin of the second control port.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG.1is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication network100. The communication network100includes a macro cell base station101, a small cell base station103, and various examples of user equipment (UE), including a first mobile device102a, a wireless-connected car102b, a laptop102c, a stationary wireless device102d, a wireless-connected train102e, a second mobile device102f, and a third mobile device102g.

Although specific examples of base stations and user equipment are illustrated inFIG.1, a communication network can include base stations and user equipment of a wide variety of types and/or numbers.

For instance, in the example shown, the communication network100includes the macro cell base station101and the small cell base station103. The small cell base station103can operate with relatively lower power, shorter range, and/or with fewer concurrent users relative to the macro cell base station101. The small cell base station3can also be referred to as a femtocell, a picocell, or a microcell. Although the communication network100is illustrated as including two base stations, the communication network100can be implemented to include more or fewer base stations and/or base stations of other types.

Although various examples of user equipment are shown, the teachings herein are applicable to a wide variety of user equipment, including, but not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices, wearable electronics, customer premises equipment (CPE), wireless-connected vehicles, wireless relays, and/or a wide variety of other communication devices. Furthermore, user equipment includes not only currently available communication devices that operate in a cellular network, but also subsequently developed communication devices that will be readily implementable with the inventive systems, processes, methods, and devices as described and claimed herein.

The illustrated communication network100ofFIG.1supports communications using a variety of cellular technologies, including, for example, 4G LTE, 5G, and 5G NR. In certain implementations, the communication network10is further adapted to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as WiFi. Although various examples of communication technologies have been provided, the communication network100can be adapted to support a wide variety of communication technologies.

Various communication links of the communication network100have been depicted inFIG.1. The communication links can be duplexed in a wide variety of ways, including, for example, using frequency-division duplexing (FDD) and/or time-division duplexing (TDD). FDD is a type of radio frequency communications that uses different frequencies for transmitting and receiving signals. FDD can provide a number of advantages, such as high data rates and low latency. In contrast, TDD is a type of radio frequency communications that uses about the same frequency for transmitting and receiving signals, and in which transmit and receive communications are switched in time. TDD can provide a number of advantages, such as efficient use of spectrum and variable allocation of throughput between transmit and receive directions.

In certain implementations, user equipment can communicate with a base station using one or more of 4G LTE, 5G, 5G NR, and WiFi technologies. In certain implementations, enhanced license assisted access (eLAA) is used to aggregate one or more licensed frequency carriers (for instance, licensed 4G LTE and/or 5G NR frequencies), with one or more unlicensed carriers (for instance, unlicensed WiFi frequencies).

As shown inFIG.1, the communication links include not only communication links between UE and base stations, but also UE to UE communications and base station to base station communications. For example, the communication network100can be implemented to support self-fronthaul and/or self-backhaul (for instance, as between mobile device102gand mobile device102f).

The communication links can operate over a wide variety of frequencies. In certain implementations, communications are supported using 5G NR technology over one or more frequency bands that are less than 6 Gigahertz (GHz) and/or over one or more frequency bands that are greater than 6 GHz. For example, the communication links can serve Frequency Range 1 (FR1), Frequency Range 2 (FR2), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more of the mobile devices support a HPUE power class specification.

In certain implementations, a base station and/or user equipment communicates using beamforming. For example, beamforming can be used to focus signal strength to overcome path losses, such as high loss associated with communicating over high signal frequencies. In certain embodiments, user equipment, such as one or more mobile phones, communicate using beamforming on millimeter wave frequency bands in the range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and/or upper centimeter wave frequencies in the range of 6 GHz to 30 GHz, or more particularly, 24 GHz to 30 GHz.

Different users of the communication network100can share available network resources, such as available frequency spectrum, in a wide variety of ways.

In one example, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) is used to divide a frequency band into multiple frequency carriers. Additionally, one or more carriers are allocated to a particular user. Examples of FDMA include, but are not limited to, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) and orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA). OFDMA is a multicarrier technology that subdivides the available bandwidth into multiple mutually orthogonal narrowband subcarriers, which can be separately assigned to different users.

Other examples of shared access include, but are not limited to, time division multiple access (TDMA) in which a user is allocated particular time slots for using a frequency resource, code division multiple access (CDMA) in which a frequency resource is shared amongst different users by assigning each user a unique code, space-divisional multiple access (SDMA) in which beamforming is used to provide shared access by spatial division, and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in which the power domain is used for multiple access. For example, NOMA can be used to serve multiple users at the same frequency, time, and/or code, but with different power levels.

Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) refers to technology for growing system capacity of LTE networks. For example, eMBB can refer to communications with a peak data rate of at least 10 Gbps and a minimum of 100 Mbps for each user. Ultra-reliable low latency communications (uRLLC) refers to technology for communication with very low latency, for instance, less than 3 milliseconds. uRLLC can be used for mission-critical communications such as for autonomous driving and/or remote surgery applications. Massive machine-type communications (mMTC) refers to low cost and low data rate communications associated with wireless connections to everyday objects, such as those associated with Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

The communication network100ofFIG.1can be used to support a wide variety of advanced communication features, including, but not limited to, eMBB, uRLLC, and/or mMTC.

FIG.2Ais a schematic diagram of one example of a downlink channel using multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) communications.FIG.2Bis schematic diagram of one example of an uplink channel using MIMO communications.

MIMO communications use multiple antennas for simultaneously communicating multiple data streams over common frequency spectrum. In certain implementations, the data streams operate with different reference signals to enhance data reception at the receiver. MIMO communications benefit from higher SNR, improved coding, and/or reduced signal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences of the radio environment.

MIMO order refers to a number of separate data streams sent or received. For instance, MIMO order for downlink communications can be described by a number of transmit antennas of a base station and a number of receive antennas for UE, such as a mobile device. For example, two-by-two (2×2) DL MIMO refers to MIMO downlink communications using two base station antennas and two UE antennas. Additionally, four-by-four (4×4) DL MIMO refers to MIMO downlink communications using four base station antennas and four UE antennas.

In the example shown inFIG.2A, downlink MIMO communications are provided by transmitting using M antennas43a,43b,43c, . . .43mof the base station41and receiving using N antennas44a,44b,44c, . . .44nof the mobile device42. Accordingly,FIG.2Aillustrates an example of m×n DL MIMO.

Likewise, MIMO order for uplink communications can be described by a number of transmit antennas of UE, such as a mobile device, and a number of receive antennas of a base station. For example, 2×2 UL MIMO refers to MIMO uplink communications using two UE antennas and two base station antennas. Additionally, 4×4 UL MIMO refers to MIMO uplink communications using four UE antennas and four base station antennas.

In the example shown inFIG.2B, uplink MIMO communications are provided by transmitting using N antennas44a,44b,44c, . . .44nof the mobile device42and receiving using M antennas43a,43b,43c, . . .43mof the base station41. Accordingly,FIG.2Billustrates an example of n×m UL MIMO.

By increasing the level or order of MIMO, bandwidth of an uplink channel and/or a downlink channel can be increased.

MIMO communications are applicable to communication links of a variety of types, such as FDD communication links and TDD communication links.

FIG.3is a schematic diagram of one example of a mobile device1000. The mobile device1000includes a baseband system1001, a transceiver1002, a front end system1003, antennas1004, a power management system1005, a memory1006, a user interface1007, and a battery1008.

The transceiver1002generates RF signals for transmission and processes incoming RF signals received from the antennas1004. It will be understood that various functionalities associated with the transmission and receiving of RF signals can be achieved by one or more components that are collectively represented inFIG.1as the transceiver1002. In one example, separate components (for instance, separate circuits or dies) can be provided for handling certain types of RF signals.

The front end system1003aids in conditioning signals transmitted to and/or received from the antennas1004. In the illustrated embodiment, the front end system1003includes power amplifiers (PAs)1011, low noise amplifiers (LNAs)1012, filters1013, switches1014, and duplexers1015. However, other implementations are possible.

For example, the front end system1003can provide a number of functionalities, including, but not limited to, amplifying signals for transmission, amplifying received signals, filtering signals, switching between different bands, switching between different power modes, switching between transmission and receiving modes, duplexing of signals, multiplexing of signals (for instance, diplexing or triplexing), or some combination thereof.

The antennas1004can include antennas used for a wide variety of types of communications. For example, the antennas1004can include antennas associated with transmitting and/or receiving signals associated with a wide variety of frequencies and communications standards.

The mobile device1000can operate with beamforming in certain implementations. For example, the front end system1003can include phase shifters having variable phase controlled by the transceiver1002. Additionally, the phase shifters are controlled to provide beam formation and directivity for transmission and/or reception of signals using the antennas1004. For example, in the context of signal transmission, the phases of the transmit signals provided to the antennas1004are controlled such that radiated signals from the antennas1004combine using constructive and destructive interference to generate an aggregate transmit signal exhibiting beam-like qualities with more signal strength propagating in a given direction. In the context of signal reception, the phases are controlled such that more signal energy is received when the signal is arriving to the antennas1004from a particular direction. In certain implementations, the antennas1004include one or more arrays of antenna elements to enhance beamforming.

The baseband system1001is coupled to the user interface1007to facilitate processing of various user input and output (110), such as voice and data. The baseband system1001provides the transceiver1002with digital representations of transmit signals, which the transceiver1002processes to generate RF signals for transmission. The baseband system1001also processes digital representations of received signals provided by the transceiver1002. As shown inFIG.3, the baseband system1001is coupled to the memory1006of facilitate operation of the mobile device1000.

The memory1006can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as storing data and/or instructions to facilitate the operation of the mobile device1000and/or to provide storage of user information.

The power management system1005provides a number of power management functions of the mobile device1000. The power management system1005ofFIG.3includes an envelope tracker1060. As shown inFIG.3, the power management system1005receives a battery voltage form the battery1008. The battery1008can be any suitable battery for use in the mobile device1000, including, for example, a lithium-ion battery.

The mobile device1000ofFIG.3illustrates one example of an RF communication system that can include power amplifier(s) implemented in accordance with one or more features of the present disclosure. However, the teachings herein are applicable to RF communication systems implemented in a wide variety of ways.

FIG.4is a schematic diagram of a transmit system30for transmitting RF signals from a mobile device, such as the mobile device1000depicted inFIG.3, in accordance with certain embodiments. The transmit system30includes a battery1, an envelope tracker2, a power amplifier3, a directional coupler4, a duplexing and switching circuit5, an antenna6, a baseband processor7, a signal delay circuit8, a digital pre-distortion (DPD) circuit9, an I/Q modulator10, an observation receiver11, an intermodulation detection circuit12, an envelope delay circuit21, a coordinate rotation digital computation (CORDIC) circuit22, a shaping circuit23, a digital-to-analog converter24, and a reconstruction filter25.

The transmit system30ofFIG.4illustrates one example of an RF communication system that can include power amplifier(s) implemented in accordance with one or more features of the present disclosure. However, the teachings herein are applicable to RF communication systems implemented in a wide variety of ways.

The baseband processor7operates to generate an I signal and a Q signal, which correspond to signal components of a sinusoidal wave or signal of a desired amplitude, frequency, and phase. For example, the I signal can be used to represent an in-phase component of the sinusoidal wave and the Q signal can be used to represent a quadrature-phase component of the sinusoidal wave, which can be an equivalent representation of the sinusoidal wave. In certain implementations, the I and Q signals are provided to the I/Q modulator10in a digital format. The baseband processor7can be any suitable processor configured to process a baseband signal. For instance, the baseband processor7can include a digital signal processor, a microprocessor, a programmable core, or any combination thereof.

The signal delay circuit8provides adjustable delay to the I and Q signals to aid in controlling relative alignment between the envelope signal and the RF signal RFIN. The amount of delay provided by the signal delay circuit8is controlled based on amount of intermodulation detected by the intermodulation detection circuit12.

The DPD circuit9operates to provide digital shaping to the delayed I and Q signals from the signal delay circuit8to generate digitally pre-distorted I and Q signals. In the illustrated embodiment, the DPD provided by the DPD circuit9is controlled based on amount of intermodulation detected by the intermodulation detection circuit12. The DPD circuit9serves to reduce a distortion of the power amplifier3and/or to increase the efficiency of the power amplifier3.

The I/Q modulator10receives the digitally pre-distorted I and Q signals, which are processed to generate an RF signal RFIN. For example, the I/Q modulator10can include DACs configured to convert the digitally pre-distorted I and Q signals into an analog format, mixers for upconverting the analog I and Q signals to radio frequency, and a signal combiner for combining the upconverted I and Q signals into an RF signal suitable for amplification by the power amplifier3. In certain implementations, the I/Q modulator10can include one or more filters configured to filter frequency content of signals processed therein.

The envelope delay circuit21delays the I and Q signals from the baseband processor7. Additionally, the CORDIC circuit22processes the delayed I and Q signals to generate a digital envelope signal representing an envelope of the RF signal RFIN. AlthoughFIG.4illustrates an implementation using the CORDIC circuit22, an envelope signal can be obtained in other ways.

The shaping circuit23operates to shape the digital envelope signal to enhance the performance of the transmit system30. In certain implementations, the shaping circuit23includes a shaping table that maps each level of the digital envelope signal to a corresponding shaped envelope signal level. Envelope shaping can aid in controlling linearity, distortion, and/or efficiency of the power amplifier3.

In the illustrated embodiment, the shaped envelope signal is a digital signal that is converted by the DAC24to an analog envelope signal. Additionally, the analog envelope signal is filtered by the reconstruction filter25to generate an envelope signal suitable for use by the envelope tracker2. In certain implementations, the reconstruction filter25includes a low pass filter.

With continuing reference toFIG.4, the envelope tracker2receives the envelope signal from the reconstruction filter25and a battery voltage VBATTfrom the battery1, and uses the envelope signal to generate a power amplifier supply voltage VPAfor the power amplifier3that changes in relation to the envelope of the RF signal RFIN. The power amplifier3receives the RF signal RFINfrom the I/Q modulator10, and provides an amplified RF signal RFOUTto the antenna6through the duplexing and switching circuit5, in this example.

The directional coupler4is positioned between the output of the power amplifier3and the input of the duplexing and switching circuit5, thereby allowing a measurement of output power of the power amplifier3that does not include insertion loss of the duplexing and switching circuit5. The sensed output signal from the directional coupler4is provided to the observation receiver11, which can include mixers for down converting I and Q signal components of the sensed output signal, and DACs for generating I and Q observation signals from the downconverted signals.

The intermodulation detection circuit12determines an intermodulation product between the I and Q observation signals and the I and Q signals from the baseband processor7. Additionally, the intermodulation detection circuit12controls the DPD provided by the DPD circuit9and/or a delay of the signal delay circuit8to control relative alignment between the envelope signal and the RF signal RFIN.

By including a feedback path from the output of the power amplifier3and baseband, the I and Q signals can be dynamically adjusted to optimize the operation of the transmit system30. For example, configuring the transmit system30in this manner can aid in providing power control, compensating for transmitter impairments, and/or in performing DPD.

Although illustrated as a single stage, the power amplifier3can include one or more stages. Furthermore, RF communication systems such as mobile devices can include multiple power amplifiers. In such implementations, separate envelope trackers can be provided for different power amplifiers and/or one or more shared envelope trackers can be used.

FIG.5is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication system110that operates with beamforming. The communication system110includes a transceiver115, signal conditioning circuits114a1,114a2, . . .114an,114b1,114b2, . . .114bn,114m1,114m, . . .114mn, and an antenna array112that includes antenna elements113a1,113a2, . . .113an,113b1,131b2, . . .113bn,113m1,113m2. . .103mn. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the antenna elements113a1,113a2, . . .113an,113b1,113b2, . . .113bn,113m1,113m2, . . .113mnare loaded by one or more tuning conductors to provide antenna configurability in accordance with the teachings herein.

Communications systems that communicate using millimeter wave carriers (for instance, 30 GHz to 300 GHz), centimeter wave carriers (for instance, 3 GHz to 30 GHz), and/or other frequency carriers can employ an antenna array to provide beam formation and directivity for transmission and/or reception of signals.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the communication system110includes an array112of m×n antenna elements, which are each controlled by a separate signal conditioning circuit, in this embodiment. As indicated by the ellipses, the communication system110can be implemented with any suitable number of antenna elements and signal conditioning circuits.

With respect to signal transmission, the signal conditioning circuits can provide transmit signals to the antenna array112such that signals radiated from the antenna elements combine using constructive and destructive interference to generate an aggregate transmit signal exhibiting beam-like qualities with more signal strength propagating in a given direction away from the antenna array112.

In the context of signal reception, the signal conditioning circuits process the received signals (for instance, by separately controlling received signal phases) such that more signal energy is received when the signal is arriving at the antenna array112from a particular direction. Accordingly, the communication system110also provides directivity for reception of signals.

The relative concentration of signal energy into a transmit beam or a receive beam can be enhanced by increasing the size of the array. For example, with more signal energy focused into a transmit beam, the signal is able to propagate for a longer range while providing sufficient signal level for RF communications. For instance, a signal with a large proportion of signal energy focused into the transmit beam can exhibit high effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP).

In the illustrated embodiment, the transceiver115provides transmit signals to the signal conditioning circuits and processes signals received from the signal conditioning circuits. As shown inFIG.5, the transceiver115generates control signals for the signal conditioning circuits. The control signals can be used for a variety of functions, such as controlling the phase of transmitted or received signals to control beam forming.

FIG.6is a schematic diagram of an example of an RF or mmW beamforming circuit600using delay lines and switches. The beamforming circuit600according to certain embodiments can be a part of a front-end module, and can include an RF switching circuit610.

FIG.6illustrates four layers or four instances of RF switching circuits610-1,610-2,610-3,610-4. It should be understood that the beamforming circuit600may include more or fewer instances of the RF switching circuits. To simplify discussion, only one instance of the RF switching circuit610-1is described below. However, embodiments described with respect to the RF switching circuit610-1may also apply to one or more of the RF switching circuits610-2,610-3,610-4. The RF switching circuit610-1can be built as a phase shifter for beam forming signals of an antenna array for mmW and 5G networks using 2 back-to-back SPnT switches.

The RF switching circuit610-1shown inFIG.6includes an input circuit612, and an output circuit614. The input circuit612is configured to receive an amplified RF signal from a power amplifier. The output circuit614is configured to provide a tuned version of the RF signal to antenna616. The RF signal can be tuned while passing a delay line618connected between the input circuit612and the output circuit614. The delay line618can be replaced by any network providing the requiring signal conditioning, such as a passive filter network made of inductor and capacitors, or an active filter network.

Depending on the desired amount of delay, the most appropriate delay line to achieve the desired delay may be selected. Once the delay line is selected, the input circuit612and the output circuit614may control pins620,622to activate the path on the delay line.

According to an example shown inFIG.6, each of the input circuit612and the output circuit614needs a separate control signal to control the control pins620,622respectively. Further, as illustrated inFIG.6, each of the input circuit612and the output circuit614may include a single pole multiple throw (SPnT) switch. In some cases, reuse of the same part of the SPnT switch to implement the control pins620,622may lead to either crossing of the RF traces and control traces, which may cause poor RF isolation and require one or more extra PCB layers for routing, or may need separate control buses for the input and output of the SPnT of the input circuit612and the SPnT of the output circuit614to correctly match the ports of the two switches on the same delay trace or delay line618.

Therefore, it is desirable to develop a single part or a single circuit to be used for both input and output with no crossing of the RF and control lines, enabling RF traces on top layer and a single control and supply bus to be used by both input circuit and output circuit. Using a single part for both the input circuit612and the output circuit614can simplify manufacturing as well as layout, among other advantages.

FIG.7is a schematic diagram of certain embodiments of a portion of a beamforming circuit that includes a RF switch module700that includes switched delay lines and the use of two identical switch modules that may be used for an input circuit702and an output circuit704of the beamformer.FIG.7further illustrates a pinout for the portion of the beamforming circuit that includes the switch module700.

According to an embodiment, the RF switch module700includes an input circuit702, an output circuit704and a plurality of traces706. According to an embodiment, the input circuit702or the output circuit704can be implemented as a stand-alone circuit, which is also referred to as a RF switching circuit.

The input circuit702and the output circuit704may be an identical circuit. The terms ‘input’ and ‘output’ are used to distinguish from each other for the purpose of clarity. The input circuit702can be used as an output circuit and similarly, the output circuit704can be used as an input circuit. For example, during transmission the input circuit702may function as an input circuit and the output circuit704may function as an output circuit, but when receiving a signal, the input circuit702may function as an output circuit and the output circuit704may function as an input circuit. The input circuit702and the output circuit704may be programmable circuits which are configured to operate according to pre-defined logic. Each of the input circuit702and the output circuit704may include a controller to execute procedures described below.

The input circuit702is configured to receive RF signals. The input circuit702includes an input port726. The input port726of the input circuit702is positioned on a first edge of the input circuit702. The input circuit702receives an RF signal via the input port726. The input circuit is configured to route the RF signal to a path which is determined based on a control signal. For example, the input circuit702routes the RF signal to one of switch pins RF1-RF8, to which the plurality of traces is connected, according to the received control signal. InFIG.7, it is illustrated that the input circuit702includes 8 switch pins, but the number of the switch pins is not limited thereto. Each of the switch pins RF1-RF8is connected to a corresponding trace to transmit the RF signal to the output circuit704. The path through which the RF signal is routed is one of the traces connecting the input circuit702and the output circuit704.

The input circuit702receives the control signal via a first control port708positioned on the input circuit702. The first control port708may be positioned on a second edge of the input circuit702that is opposite to the first edge. However, the location of the first control port708is not limited thereto. For example, the first control port708can be located through at least two edges. The control port708includes a plurality of control pins. For example, the first control port708includes 3 control pins708-1,708-2,708-3to receive the control signal. InFIG.7, it is illustrated that the first control port708includes 3 control pins to receive the control signal, but the number of the control pins is not limited thereto and may include more or fewer control pins. The control signal may be received from a controller714which generates the control signal.

The control signal may include a plurality of binary values, 0 or 1. Each of the binary values is applied to one of the control pins708-1,708-2,708-3of the first control port708. In certain embodiments, the number of binary value included in the control signal may correspond to the number of control pins708-1,708-2,708-3of the first control port708. For example, for a control signal implemented as a 3-digit binary value, at least 3 control pins may be required. More generally, the number of control pins may be equal to or greater than the digits of the binary values. Therefore, it is to be understood that the number of RF paths is not always necessarily a 1:1 match to possible logic combination. According to certain embodiments, the input circuit702is configured to route the RF signal based on combination of binary value applied to each of the control pins708-1,708-2,708-3. Therefore, the number of the control pins708-1,708-2,708-3of the first control port708may be determined by the number of switch pins RF1-RF8of the input circuit702. For example, the 8 switch pins RF1-RF8can be respectively represented by 3-digit binary value. Therefore, the control signal according to certain embodiments can be a 3-digit binary value for controlling 8 switching pins. The switching pin placement is made to provide RF symmetry with a shared control plane in order to use a mirrored layout. The placement of switching pins will be described in detail below.

The input circuit702can operate based on at least one truth table. For example, the combination of control signal values may indicate one of the switch pins, and the input circuit702routes the RF signal to the indicated switch pins. An example of the truth table is shown inFIG.9. The first control port708may further include a selection pin708-4configured to select a specific truth table. The signal input to the selection pin708-4may be a one-digit binary value. The selection pin708-4enables selection of a truth table configuration. In other words, the selection pin708-4may rearrange the truth table mapping of the control pins to the enabled switching pins. The mapping can be done either by multiplexing the control pin, or by changing the decoder/truth table or by any combination of remapping control pins and switching pins.

The input circuit702may further include at least one power supply pins710,712to receive power supply, for example Vcc or Vdd, respectively, in cases where the power or bias does not come directly from the control pins. Each of the power supply pins710,712is provided with the power from power supply nodes716,718via a grounded capacitor. The selection pin708-4of the input circuit702can be connected to the power supply pin712. Vdd and Vdd* (Vcc and Vcc*) are connected inside the package to facilitate PCB routing. It is understood that each supply (Vdd and Vcc in this non-limiting case) is provided on two pins (internally connected in the package) to provide simpler routing on the customer PCB (crossing realized inside the package) for further simplification of the customer PCB compared to systems that use heterogenous switching systems.

The output circuit704is configured to provide a tuned version of the RF signal. According to certain embodiments, the tuned version of RF signal may be a phase shifted RF signal.

As shown inFIG.7, the output circuit704is arranged in a form of being rotated 180 degrees from the input circuit702. In other words, in some implementations, the output circuit704may be an identical circuit to the input circuit702and may be arranged in a rotated manner from the input circuit702to align the control pins708and the control pins720with each other and the controller714. The circles marked in each of the input circuit702and the output circuit704indicate a same spot in each of the input circuit702and the output circuit704. The switch pins RF1-8on the input circuit702are also rotated 180 degrees in the output circuit704.

The output circuit704is configured to detect the RF signal transmitted through the path determined based on the control signal. The output circuit704receives the control signal via a second control port720positioned on the output circuit704. The second control port720includes a plurality of control pins. For example, the second control port720includes 3 control pins720-1,720-2,720-3to receive the control signal. InFIG.7, it is illustrated that the second control port720includes 3 control pins to receive the control signal, but the number of the control pins is not limited thereto. The control signal is received from a controller714which generates the control signal.

The second control port720is coupled to the first control port708. For example, each of the control pins720-1,720-2,720-3of the second control port720is respectively coupled to one of the control pins708-1,708-2,708-3of the first control port708. More specifically, the control pin720-1of the second control port720is coupled to the control pin708-3of the first control port708. The control pin720-2of the second control port720is coupled to the control pin708-2of the first control port708. The control pin720-3of the second control port720is coupled to the control pin708-1of the first control port708. Therefore, the control signal input to the first control port708of the input circuit702is also applied to the output circuit704through the second control port720. In other words, the control signal is common to both the input circuit702and the output circuit704. According to an example, the second control port and the first control port are coupled without crossing of coupling lines. That is, the coupling line between each of control pins does not cross each other, simplifying routing and therefore reducing cost, increasing RF performance by reducing parasitic coupling.

The output circuit704is configured to detect the RF signal from the path indicated by the control signal. According to certain embodiments, the output circuit704operates based on at least one truth table. For example, the combination of control signal indicates one of the switch pins, and the output circuit704contacts one of the switch pins RF1-8to connect with a path through which the RF signal is transmitted. An example of the truth table is shown inFIG.9. The second control port720may further include a selection pin720-4configured to select a specific truth table. As shown inFIG.7, the selection pin720-4according to certain embodiments can be connected to a ground.

The output circuit704outputs the tuned version of the RF signal. The output circuit704is configured to output the tuned RF signal via an output node728. According to certain embodiments, the tuned RF signal is a phase shifted RF signal.

The output circuit720further includes at least one power supply pins722,724to receive power supply, for example, Vcc or Vdd. Each of the power supply pins722,724is provided with the power from power supply nodes716,718via a grounded capacitor.

The plurality of traces706is configured provide each path through which the RF signal is transmitted from the input circuit702to the output circuit704. The trace can be also referred to as a delay line. Each of the plurality of traces is connected between one of switching pins RF1-8of the input circuit702and a corresponding switching pin RF1-8of the output circuit704. According to certain embodiments, the plurality of traces are configured such that none of the traces overlap or cross each other and therefore the RF isolation can be improved compared, for example, to embodiments that may include overlapping traces at one or multiple layers.

A first half of the switching pins may be positioned on an opposite side of the input circuit702(or output circuit704) to a second half of the switching pins. That is, the switching pins RF1-8of the input circuit702(or output circuit704) are divided into two groups, and one group is positioned on one side of the input circuit702and the other group is positioned on the opposite side of the input circuit. As shown inFIG.7, switching pins RF1-4are positioned on an upper or first side of the input circuit702, and switching pins RF5-8are positioned on a lower or second side of the input circuit702that is opposite to the first side. However, the location of switching pins is not limited thereto. For example, it is also possible that the switching pins are located on upper and same side as the input port726. In addition, the plurality of traces is configured to connect each of the switching pins of the input circuit with a corresponding switching pin in order of proximity or close distance to each other so as to avoid crossing of the plurality of traces. For example, the trace706-1is connected between RF1of the input circuit702and RF8of the output circuit704. The trace706-2is connected between RF2of the input circuit702and RF7of the output circuit704. The trace706-3is connected between RF3of the input circuit702and RF6of the output circuit704. The trace706-4is connected between RF4of the input circuit702and RF5of the output circuit704. The trace706-5is connected between RF5of the input circuit702and RF4of the output circuit704. The trace706-6is connected between RF6of the input circuit702and RF3of the output circuit704. The trace706-7is connected between RF7of the input circuit702and RF2of the output circuit704. The trace706-8is connected between RF8of the input circuit702and RF1of the output circuit704. At least some of the traces706may have a different length of delay line, such to achieve different phases.

Each of the plurality of traces may be configured to shift a phase of the RF signal depending on each length of the plurality of traces706or a different delay circuit or discrete phase shifter such as the ones using active or passive components providing control over the electrical impedance. The tuned version of RF signal is phase shifted while passing or being transmitted along the traces706.

By coupling the first control port708and the second control port720, both the input circuit702and the output circuit704can be controlled by one control signal, what may be a 3-digit binary value. Therefore, the layout of the RF switch can be simplified, and the data used for controlling the RF switching module700can be significantly reduced.

FIG.8is a schematic diagram of a portion of a beamforming circuit that includes switched delay lines and a switch module700′ in accordance with certain embodiments. The switch module700′ may be a modified version of the RF switch module700. The switch module700′ shown inFIG.8has switching pins RF1-14and 14 RF traces. More specifically, the switching pins RF1,2,13and14are located on a same side as the input port, switching pins7,8are located on a same side as the control port708, and the switching pins RF36and9-12are located on upper and lower sides of the input circuit702. More generally, the switching pins can be located on multiple sides, and the location of the switching pins is not limited to a specific structure. Further, the use of the terms upper, lower, top, bottom, etc. are for convenience and are not intended to be limiting. Thus, the upper side may instead be the lower side, etc.

Apart from the number and location of the switching pins of the input and output circuits702,704, other components of the switch module700′ may be similar or identical to the switch module700illustrated inFIG.7.

As described above,FIG.9may depict a non-limiting example of a truth table used for the RF switch module700according to certain embodiments. The truth table may specify a set of binary values for each path between the input circuit702and the output circuit704. InFIG.9, the reference sign ‘SEL’ indicates a selection pins708-4,720-4. The reference signs V1, V2, V3ofFIG.9indicate control pins708-1,708-2,708-3of the first control port708in the input circuit702, respectively. The reference signs V1, V2, V3ofFIG.9also indicate control pins720-1,720-2,720-3of the second control port720in the output circuit704, respectively. Each of RF traces may have different length such that each RF trace generates different delay phase.

As shown inFIG.9, the truth table can be defined in terms of the values of the control signal. The control signal includes a plurality of binary values. For example, the control signal is a 3-digit binary values. According to certain embodiments, the path through which the RF signal is transmitted from the input circuit to the output circuit is determined by a combination of the plurality of binary values referring to at least one truth table.

The example depicted inFIG.9shows the truth table in case the value ‘1’ is input to the selection pin708-4of the first control port708and the value ‘0’ is input to the selection pin720-4of the second control port720. In this case, the truth table appears to be a symmetrical mirrored mode.

For example, when the control signal includes values of 0, 0, 0 for V3, V2, V1, respectively, the input circuit702and the output circuit704determine a path to be a trace connecting between switching pin RF1of the input circuit702and switching pin RF8of the output circuit704. When the control signal includes values of 0, 0, 1 for V3, V2, V1, respectively, the input circuit702and the output circuit704determine a path to be a trace connecting between switching pin RF2of the input circuit702and switching pin RF7of the output circuit704. When the control signal includes values of 0, 1, 0 for V3, V2, V1, respectively, the input circuit702and the output circuit704determine a path to be a trace connecting between switching pin RF3of the input circuit702and switching pin RF6of the output circuit704. When the control signal includes values of 0, 1, 1 for V3, V2, V1, respectively, the input circuit702and the output circuit704determine a path to be a trace connecting between switching pin RF4of the input circuit702and switching pin RF5of the output circuit704. When the control signal includes values of 1, 0, 0 for V3, V2, V1, respectively, the input circuit702and the output circuit704determine a path to be a trace connecting between switching pin RF5of the input circuit702and switching pin RF4of the output circuit704. When the control signal includes values of 1, 0, 1 for V3, V2, V1, respectively, the input circuit702and the output circuit704determine a path to be a trace connecting between switching pin RF6of the input circuit702and switching pin RF3of the output circuit704. When the control signal includes values of 1, 1, 0 for V3, V2, V1, respectively, the input circuit702and the output circuit704determine a path to be a trace connecting between switching pin RF7of the input circuit702and switching pin RF7of the output circuit704. When the control signal includes values of 1, 1, 1 for V3, V2, V1, respectively, the input circuit702and the output circuit704determine a path to be a trace connecting between switching pin RF8of the input circuit702and switching pin RF1of the output circuit704.

The values input to the selection pins708-4,720-4can be controlled by a user of the device, and/or be predefined by the configuration. According to an embodiment, in case the value ‘0’ is input to the selection pin708-4of the first control port708, the input circuit702may operate as standard mode which is different from the symmetric mode.

FIG.10Ais a schematic diagram of a packaged module800in accordance with certain embodiments.FIG.10Bis a schematic diagram of a cross-section of the packaged module800ofFIG.10Ataken along the lines10B-10B.

The packaged module800includes an IC or die801, surface mount components803, wirebonds808, a package substrate820, and encapsulation structure840. The package substrate820includes pads806formed from conductors disposed therein. Additionally, the die801includes pads804, and the wirebonds808have been used to electrically connect the pads804of the die801to the pads806of the package substrate801.

The die801includes a power amplifier846, which can be implemented in accordance with any of the embodiments herein. The output of the power amplifier846may serve as an input to the RF switch module700. For example, the power amplifier846may amplify a signal for transmission, which may be supplied to the input port726of the input circuit702of a beamforming circuit.

The packaging substrate820can be configured to receive a plurality of components such as the die801and the surface mount components803, which can include, for example, surface mount capacitors and/or inductors.

As shown inFIG.10B, the packaged module800is shown to include a plurality of contact pads832disposed on the side of the packaged module800opposite the side used to mount the die801. Configuring the packaged module800in this manner can aid in connecting the packaged module800to a circuit board such as a phone board of a wireless device. The example contact pads832can be configured to provide RF signals, bias signals, power low voltage(s) and/or power high voltage(s) to the die801and/or the surface mount components803. As shown inFIG.10B, the electrical connections between the contact pads832and the die801can be facilitated by connections833through the package substrate820. The connections833can represent electrical paths formed through the package substrate820, such as connections associated with vias and conductors of a multilayer laminated package substrate.

In some embodiments, the packaged module800can also include one or more packaging structures to, for example, provide protection and/or facilitate handling of the packaged module800. Such a packaging structure can include overmold or encapsulation structure840formed over the packaging substrate820and the components and die(s) disposed thereon.

It will be understood that although the packaged module800is described in the context of electrical connections based on wirebonds, one or more features of the present disclosure can also be implemented in other packaging configurations, including, for example, flip-chip configurations.

FIG.11is a schematic diagram of a phone board900in accordance with certain embodiments. The phone board900includes the module800shown inFIGS.10A-10Battached thereto. Although not illustrated inFIG.11for clarity, the phone board900can include additional components and structures.

Applications

Some of the embodiments described above have provided examples in connection with wireless devices or mobile phones. However, the principles and advantages of the embodiments can be used for any other systems or apparatus that have needs for power amplifiers.

Such envelope trackers can be implemented in various electronic devices. Examples of the electronic devices can include, but are not limited to, consumer electronic products, parts of the consumer electronic products, electronic test equipment, etc. Examples of the electronic devices can also include, but are not limited to, memory chips, memory modules, circuits of optical networks or other communication networks, and disk driver circuits. The consumer electronic products can include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone, a telephone, a television, a computer monitor, a computer, a hand-held computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a microwave, a refrigerator, an automobile, a stereo system, a cassette recorder or player, a DVD player, a CD player, a VCR, an MP3 player, a radio, a camcorder, a camera, a digital camera, a portable memory chip, a washer, a dryer, a washer/dryer, a copier, a facsimile machine, a scanner, a multi-functional peripheral device, a wrist watch, a clock, etc. Further, the electronic devices can include unfinished products.

CONCLUSION