Systems and methods for improving power amplifier operation are provided. A system may include a baseband signal generator communicatively coupled to a baseband signal digital-to-analog converter. The baseband signal digital-to-analog converter may be communicatively coupled to two or more power amplifiers. The system may also include an envelope signal generator communicatively coupled to an envelope signal digital-to-analog converter. The system may further include a supply modulator communicatively coupled to the envelope signal digital-to-analog converter and the two or more power amplifiers for shared envelope tracking across the two or more power amplifiers.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a digital predistortion (DPD) device for use within a wireless transmitter that permits the use of a downstream digital-to-analog converter that operates at a clock rate close to the bandwidth of a digital baseband input signal. In some examples, a sampling rate of a digital baseband input signal is increased using an upsampler to obtain an increased rate digital input signal. Predistortion is applied to the increased rate digital input signal using a DPD device to obtain a predistorted digital signal. The sampling rate of the predistorted digital signal is then decreased using a downsampler to obtain a lower-rate predistorted digital signal with a sampling rate below the increased rate of the upsampler (e.g. close to the bandwidth of a digital baseband input signal). A low pass filter may be provided to filter out-of-band signal components from the predistorted digital signal.

Provided are an envelope tracking method and a mobile terminal. The envelope tracking method includes: acquiring coordinates of at least two points of an instantaneous radio frequency envelope each mapped to the same power supply voltage value; mapping the coordinates of the at least two points of the instantaneous radio frequency envelope each mapped to the same power supply voltage value to the same power supply voltage value to generate a mapping relationship; and transmitting data based on the mapping relationship.

Disclosed herein are circuits, devices and methods that address challenges associated with power amplifier systems. A power amplifier system includes two or more fast error amplifiers coupled to corresponding power amplifiers. The fast error amplifiers are configured to generate envelope tracking signals based on a signal envelope, the envelope tracking signals modifying a DC-DC regulated voltage from a DC-DC converter to more efficiently operate the power amplifiers. By splitting the envelope tracking between two or more fast error amplifiers and amplification between corresponding two or more power amplifiers, the power, frequency or bandwidth, linearity, signal-to-noise ratio, efficiency, or the like of the power amplifier system can be improved. Wireless communications configurations with such power amplifier systems can provide uplink carrier aggregation and/or cellular signals based on standards and protocols that require increased bandwidth and/or power.

An apparatus is provided which comprises: a low-side switch; at least two high-side switches coupled to the low-side switch; a supply boost circuitry coupled to one of the at least two high-side switches; and a high-side switch selection circuit which is operable to enable one of the at least two high-side switches according to a relative difference between a signal and a threshold.

A multistage power amplifier includes a first amplification circuit disposed in a front stage of the multistage power amplifier, a first bias circuit configured to output a first bias current, a bias path circuit, an envelope detection circuit, and an alternating current (AC) path circuit. The envelope detection circuit is configured to output a direct current (DC) detection voltage based on an envelope signal of a radio frequency (RF) signal input to the first amplification circuit. The AC path circuit is configured to branch an AC signal from an input terminal of the first amplification circuit and transfer the AC signal to the first bias circuit, upon the first amplification circuit operating in a high power driving region based on the DC detection voltage. The first bias circuit is configured to compensate for the first bias current based on the AC signal transferred through the AC path circuit.

A multistage power amplifier comprises a first amplification circuit which receives a first bias current; a second amplification circuit which receives a second bias current; an envelope detection circuit which outputs a direct current (DC) detection voltage based on an envelope of an input radio frequency (RF) signal; and a bias compensation circuit which compensates for the first bias current based on the second bias current in response to the DC detection voltage.

A power amplifier circuit includes lower-stage and upper-stage differential amplifying pairs, a combiner, first and second inductors, and first and second capacitors. First and second signals are input into the lower-stage differential amplifying pair. The upper-stage differential amplifying pair outputs first and second amplified signals. The combiner combines the first and second amplified signals. The lower-stage differential amplifying pair includes first and second transistors. A supply voltage is supplied to the collectors of the first and second transistors. The first and second signals are supplied to the bases of the first and second transistors. The upper-stage differential amplifying pair includes third and fourth transistors. A supply voltage is supplied to the collectors of the third and fourth transistors. The emitters of the third and fourth transistors are grounded via the first and second inductors and are connected to the first and second transistors via the first and second capacitors.

A switching system is connected to the power amplifier of an RF system. The switching system can switch the DC supply voltage to the power amplifier while handling the high DC current and the nanosecond switching speed requirements that are mandatory for most RF systems. The embodiments can rapidly control DC voltages but not interfere with the optimized operation of the RF transistor. The embodiments provide a desired sharp turn-on leading edge for an RF pulse while eliminating the extremely long and undesirable ramp down that typically occurs beyond the desired RF pulse period.

Various methods and circuital arrangements for biasing one or more gates of stacked transistors of an amplifier are presented, where the amplifier can have a varying supply voltage. According to one aspect, the gate of the input transistor of the amplifier is biased with a fixed voltage whereas the gates of the other transistors of the amplifier are biased with variable voltages that are linear functions of the varying supply voltage. According to another aspect, the linear functions are such that the variable voltages coincide with the fixed voltage at a value of the varying supply voltage for which the input transistor is at the edge of triode. According to another aspect, biasing of the stacked transistors is such that, while the supply voltage varies, the drain-to-source voltage of the input transistor is maintained to a fixed value whereas the drain-to-source voltages of all other transistors are equal to one another.