Peak voltage limiting circuits and methods for power amplifiers

1. A voltage limiting circuit for a power amplifier (PA), comprising:

a diode circuit coupled to an output of an amplification stage, the diode circuit configured to provide a conductive path from the output when an output voltage exceeds a selected value and the amplification stage being an output stage of an amplification path having a plurality of stages; and

a sink circuit coupled to the diode circuit and a bias circuit of the amplification stage, the sink circuit configured to reduce a bias voltage provided to the amplification stage by the bias circuit when the output voltage exceeds the selected value to thereby limit the output voltage, by diverting at least some of a current from a reference voltage node or an emitter node of the bias circuit.

2. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 1 wherein the amplification stage includes an amplifying transistor having a base, a collector, and an emitter, such that the output of the amplification stage is at the collector of the amplifying transistor.

3. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 2 wherein the bias circuit is configured to provide the bias voltage to the base of the amplifying transistor.

4. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 2 wherein the bias circuit is configured to provide the bias voltage to a base of another amplifying transistor associated with a different amplification stage.

5. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 4 wherein the different amplification stage is a driver stage.

6. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 4 wherein the different amplification stage is an amplification stage immediately preceding the output stage.

7. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 2 wherein the diode circuit includes N diodes connected in series, the quantity N being a positive integer.

8. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 7 wherein the quantity N is selected to obtain the selected value of the output voltage.

9. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 7 wherein the diode circuit further includes a resistance in series with the N diodes.

10. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 7 wherein the sink circuit includes a sink transistor having a base coupled to an end of the N diodes such that when the N diodes become conductive, the sink transistor is turned ON.

11. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 10 wherein an emitter of the sink transistor is coupled to ground, and a collector of the sink transistor is coupled to a node associated with a reference voltage provided by the bias circuit, such that when the sink transistor is ON, at least some of the reference voltage is diverted to the ground through the sink transistor.

12. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 11 wherein the bias circuit includes an emitter follower transistor having a base, a collector, and an emitter, such that the reference voltage is provided to the base of the emitter follower transistor, and a supply voltage is provided to the collector.

13. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 12 wherein the collector of the sink transistor is coupled to the base of the emitter follower transistor to thereby divide the reference voltage before it enters the emitter follower transistor.

14. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 12 wherein the collector of the sink transistor is coupled to the emitter of the emitter follower transistor to thereby divide a base current at the amplifying transistor, provided by the emitter follower transistor.

15. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 2 wherein the amplifying transistor includes a bipolar junction transistor (BJT).

16. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 15 wherein the bipolar junction transistor is configured as an NPN transistor.

17. The voltage limiting circuit of claim 15 wherein the bipolar junction transistor is a SiGe transistor or a GaAs transistor.

18. A method for operating a power amplifier (PA), the method comprising:

detecting a condition where an output voltage of an amplification stage exceeds a selected value, the amplification stage being an output stage of an amplification path having a plurality of stages;

providing a conductive path from an output of the amplification stage upon detection of the condition; and

activating a sink circuit coupled to the conductive path to reduce a bias voltage provided by a bias circuit of the amplification stage, to the amplification stage, by diverting at least some of a current from a reference voltage node or an emitter node of the bias circuit.

19. A power amplifier (PA) comprising:

an input port configured to receive an input radio-frequency (RF) signal and an output port configured to yield an amplified radio-frequency signal;

a plurality of amplification stages implemented between the input port and the output port, each of the plurality of amplification stages configured to amplify the input radio-frequency signal to yield the amplified radio-frequency signal;

a bias circuit for each of the plurality of amplification stages; and

a ruggedness protection circuit including a diode circuit coupled to an output of an output stage of the plurality of amplification stages, the diode circuit configured to provide a conductive path from the output when an output voltage exceeds a selected value, the ruggedness protection circuit further including a sink circuit coupled to the diode circuit and a selected bias circuit of the output stage, the sink circuit configured to reduce a bias voltage provided by the selected bias circuit when the output voltage exceeds the selected value to thereby limit the output voltage, by diverting at least some of a current from a reference voltage node or an emitter node of the bias circuit.