Doherty amplifier structure
View Patent ↗An integrated Doherty amplifier structure comprising; a main amplifier stage; at least one peak amplifier stage; an output combination bar configured to receive and combine an output from both the main amplifier stage and the or each peak amplifier stage; a main connection configured to connect an output of the main amplifier stage to the combination bar, the main connection comprising, at least in part, a bond wire forming a first inductance; a peak connection configured to connect an output of the peak amplifier stage to the combination bar; wherein the main connection connects to the combination bar at a first point along the bar and the peak connection connects to the combination bar at a second point along the bar spaced from the first point and the main amplifier stage is located further from the output combination bar than the at least one peak amplifier stage.
1. An integrated Doherty amplifier structure comprising;
a main amplifier stage;
a first peak amplifier stage;
an output combination bar configured to receive and combine an output from the main amplifier stage and an output from the first peak amplifier stage, wherein the main amplifier stage and the first peak amplifier stage are formed on a semiconductor die and the output combination bar comprises an output lead of a package in which the semiconductor die is mounted;
a main connection configured to connect the output of the main amplifier stage to the output combination bar, the main connection comprising, at least in part, a bond wire forming a first inductance;
a peak connection configured to connect the output of the first peak amplifier stage to the output combination bar; wherein the main connection connects to the output combination bar at a first point along the output combination bar, the peak connection connects to the output combination bar at a second point along the output combination bar spaced from the first point, the main amplifier stage is located further from the output combination bar than the first peak amplifier stage, and a physical and electrical length of the main connection is greater than a physical and electrical length of the peak connection.
2. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first inductance of the main connection in combination with an output capacitance of the main amplifier stage and the first peak amplifier stage form, at least in part, an impedance inversion arrangement for the main amplifier stage.
3. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 2 , wherein the impedance inversion arrangement is configured to be tuned by way of a length of the main connection relative to a length of the peak connection.
4. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the output combination bar has a width equal to or greater than a total width of the amplifier stages that form the integrated Doherty amplifier structure.
5. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined claim 1 , further comprising:
a second peak amplifier stage, wherein the first peak amplifier stage is connected to an output lead by a first peak connection and the second peak amplifier stage is connected to the output lead by a second peak connection.
6. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the main connection is provided by a bond wire that extends between an output bond pad of the main amplifier stage and connects directly to the output combination bar.
7. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the output lead is connected to an output impedance matching network formed outside of said package for impedance matching to a load.
8. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the main and first peak amplifier stages are provided by field effect transistors, the peak connection connects a drain of the first peak amplifier stage directly to an output lead, and the main connection connects a drain of the main amplifier stage directly to the output lead.
9. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a phase compensation element connected between an input to the integrated Doherty amplifier structure and the first peak amplifier stage configured to compensate for a phase difference between the output of the main amplifier stage and the output of the first peak amplifier stage at the output combination bar.
10. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the output of the main amplifier stage comprises a main output bond pad, and the main connection, comprising a first bond wire, connects the main output bond pad directly to the output combination bar; the output of the first peak amplifier stage comprises a peak output bond pad, and the peak connection, comprising a second bond wire, connects the peak output bond pad directly to the output combination bar, the first bond wire have a greater length than the second bond wire.
11. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
an integrated input splitting element configured to receive an input signal to the integrated Doherty amplifier structure and split said signal to said main and first peak amplifier stages.
12. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure as defined in claim 1 , wherein the main amplifier stage is formed of at least one transistor of class AB bias and the first peak amplifier stage is formed of at least one transistor of class C bias.
13. A power amplifier including the integrated Doherty amplifier structure of claim 1 .
14. A cellular base station for a mobile telecommunications network including the power amplifier structure of claim 13 .
15. The integrated Doherty amplifier structure of claim 2 , wherein the impedance inversion arrangement introduces a 90° phase shift in the output of the main amplifier stage.