Doherty power amplifier having high supply voltage
Doherty power amplifier having high supply voltage. In some embodiments, a power amplification system can include a supply system configured to provide a high-voltage supply signal, and a Doherty power amplifier having an input splitter configured to receive and split a signal into a carrier amplifier and a peaking amplifier. The Doherty power amplifier can further include a combiner configured to combine amplified signals from the carrier and peaking amplifiers to provide an output signal. The Doherty power amplifier can be configured to receive the high-voltage supply signal for operation of the carrier and peaking amplifiers. The power amplification system can further include an output path configured to couple the combiner to a filter. The Doherty power amplifier can have an impedance substantially the same as an impedance of the filter when operated with the high-voltage supply signal.
1. An amplification system comprising:
a supply system configured to provide a supply signal; and
a Doherty amplifier including a carrier amplifier and a peaking amplifier, the Doherty amplifier configured to receive the supply signal for operation of the carrier and peaking amplifiers, the Doherty amplifier further configured to operate with an impedance that is substantially the same as an impedance of a filter when the filter is coupled to the Doherty amplifier, such that the amplification system has a lower loss than another amplification system having a similar band handling capability but in which a Doherty amplifier is operated with an impedance that is different than an impedance of a respective filter.
2. The amplification system of claim 1 wherein the Doherty amplifier is a power amplifier.
3. The amplification system of claim 1 wherein the supply system is configured such that the supply signal is a high-voltage supply signal.
4. The amplification system of claim 3 wherein the supply system includes a boost DC/DC converter configured to generate the high-voltage supply signal.
5. The amplification system of claim 1 wherein the impedance of the Doherty amplifier has a value of approximately 50 Ohms.
6. The amplification system of claim 1 wherein the Doherty amplifier includes an input and an output, and configured such that the filter is coupled to the output of the Doherty amplifier.
7. The amplification system of claim 6 wherein the Doherty amplifier further includes a splitter configured to receive a signal through the input and split the signal into the carrier amplifier and the peaking amplifier.
8. The amplification system of claim 7 wherein the Doherty amplifier further includes a combiner configured to combine amplified signals from the carrier and peaking amplifiers to provide an output signal at the output.
9. The amplification system of claim 1 wherein each of the carrier amplifier and the peaking amplifier includes a heterojunction bipolar transistor.
10. The amplification system of claim 9 wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is implemented as a gallium arsenide device.
11. The amplification system of claim 1 wherein each of the carrier amplifier and the peaking amplifier has a cascode configuration with a radio-frequency transistor and a cascode transistor.
12. The amplification system of claim 11 wherein the supply system is coupled to each cascode transistor such that the supply signal is provided to the cascode transistor.
13. The amplification system of claim 1 further comprising one or more additional Doherty power amplifiers, each configured to operate with the supply signal and with an impedance that is substantially the same as an impedance of a respective filter when the respective filter is coupled to the additional Doherty amplifier.
14. The amplification system of claim 13 wherein the amplification system is substantially free of a band selection switch between the Doherty power amplifiers and the respective filters.
15. A radio-frequency module comprising:
a packaging substrate configured to receive a plurality of components; and
an amplification system implemented on the packaging substrate, and including a supply system configured to provide a supply signal, and a Doherty amplifier including a carrier amplifier and a peaking amplifier, the Doherty amplifier configured to receive the supply signal for operation of the carrier and peaking amplifiers, the Doherty amplifier further configured to operate with an impedance that is substantially the same as an impedance of a filter when the filter is coupled to the Doherty amplifier, such that the amplification system has a lower loss than another amplification system having a similar band handling capability but in which a Doherty amplifier is operated with an impedance that is different than an impedance of a respective filter.
16. The radio-frequency module of claim 15 wherein the radio-frequency module is a front-end module.
17. The radio-frequency module of claim 15 wherein the amplification system is substantially free of a band selection switch between the Doherty amplifier and the filter.
18. The radio-frequency module of claim 17 wherein the radio-frequency module has an area that is significantly less than another radio-frequency module having an amplification system with an impedance transformation circuit and a band selection switch.
19. A wireless device comprising:
a filter;
an amplification system in communication with the filter, and including a supply system configured to provide a supply signal, the amplification system further including a Doherty amplifier having a carrier amplifier and a peaking amplifier, the Doherty amplifier configured to receive the supply signal for operation of the carrier and peaking amplifiers, the Doherty amplifier further configured to operate with an impedance that is substantially the same as an impedance of the filter, such that the amplification system has a lower loss than another amplification system having a similar band handling capability but in which a Doherty amplifier is operated with an impedance that is different than an impedance of a respective filter; and
an antenna in communication with the amplification system, and configured to support either or both of transmit and receive operations.