A transimpedance amplifier with an input configured to receive a current input from an upstream device and output configured to present an output voltage. In one configuration, there are three amplifier stages in the transimpedance amplifier connected in series. A feedback path with feedback resistor connects between the input and output of the transimpedance amplifier. A bandwidth extender circuit connects between a stage output and a stage input of the transimpedance amplifier. In a three-stage embodiment, the bandwidth extender circuit extends between an input of the second stage and the output of the second stage. The bandwidth extender includes at least one active device configured to provide positive feedback to increase gain. The bandwidth extender circuit may be automatically or selectively deactivated to filter unwanted frequency components.

Envelope trackers providing compensation for power amplifier output load variation are provided herein. In certain configurations, a radio frequency (RF) system includes a power amplifier that amplifies an RF signal, an output detector coupled to an output of the power amplifier and that generates an output detection signal, an input detector coupled to an input of the power amplifier and that generates an input detection signal, and an envelope tracker that generates a power amplifier supply voltage for the power amplifier based on an envelope of the RF signal. The envelope tracker compensates the power amplifier for output load variation based on the output detection signal and the input detection signal.

The present invention provides an amplifier arrangement for amplifying a broadband signal, the amplifier arrangement comprising a signal splitter configured to receive the broadband signal and output a first split signal and a second split signal, and a balanced amplifier that is coupled to the signal splitter and is configured to amplify the first split signal and the second split signal and is configured to output a single amplified broadband signal based on the amplified first split signal and the amplified second split signal. The present invention further provides a respective method.

An apparatus includes a preamplifier stage to receive a power supply voltage and generate an output based upon an input. In particular, the preamplifier stage includes a biasing device coupled between the output and a ground node to bias a DC voltage level of the output independently of the power supply voltage. The preamplifier stage also includes a complementary circuit to receive the input and generate the output. The complementary circuit reuses a current through the preamplifier stage to provide an increased transconductance of the preamplifier stage for a given current level.

The present invention breaks up the frequency bands which can be filtered by a simple low-loss band-pass or low pass filter. The second harmonic frequency is reduced by use of a non-linear clipper element which controls the driving waveform symmetry and can reduce the harmonics by as much as 5-15db which makes the filter much simpler and allows the amplifier to remain wide-band. The output waveform from the amplifier is symmetrical or nearly symmetrical.

An amplifier includes a first stage and a second stage. The first stage includes a first output and a second output. The second stage includes an output, a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor includes a drain coupled to the first output of the first stage, and a source coupled to the output of the second stage. The second transistor includes a drain coupled to the second output of the first stage, and a gate coupled to the output of the second stage.

An RF amplifier utilizes first and second main amplifiers in a balanced amplifier configuration with first and second auxiliary amplifiers connected in parallel across the first and second main amplifiers, respectively. The main and the auxiliary amplifiers are biased such that the third-order nonlinearity components in the combined output current are reduced. A common or independent bias control circuit(s) control(s) the DC operating bias of the auxiliary amplifiers and establishes DC operating points on curves representing third-order nonlinear components within the drain current having a positive slope (opposite to the corresponding slope of the main amplifiers). This results in reduction of overall third-order nonlinear components in combined currents at the output. In another embodiment, a phase shift of an input to one auxiliary amplifier is used to provide a peak in minimization at a frequency associated with the phase shift.

Methods and apparatus for providing adaptive biasing to power amplifiers. Adaptive bias circuits are configured to provide sharp turn on and/or current clamping to improve the efficiency of a power amplifier over a wide input signal bandwidth. Sharp turn on may be achieved using a subtraction technique to subtract outputs from multiple detectors. Clamping may be achieved using MOSFET device characteristics to pull the device from the triode region into the saturation, subtraction techniques to subtract the outputs from multiple detectors, and/or by using circuit devices, such as diodes.

A linear amplifier is provided to have higher efficiency for an envelope tracking modulator. In one embodiment, a first stage amplifier circuit can be simply operated in a high gain mode or a high bandwidth mode for different applications, without using large chip area. In another embodiment, an output stage has a cascode structure whose dynamic range is controlled according to a voltage level of a supply voltage, to make a core device within the output stage have better protection and suitable dynamic range.

A circuit for generating a radio frequency signal is provided. The circuit includes an amplifier configured to generate a radio frequency signal based on a baseband signal. Further, the circuit includes a power supply configured to generate a variable supply voltage based on a control signal indicating a desired supply voltage, and to supply the variable supply voltage to the amplifier. The circuit further includes an envelope tracking circuit configured to generate the control signal based on a bandwidth of the baseband signal, and to supply the control signal to the power supply.