Apparatuses and methods for adjusting a power capability of a system is described. In an example, a system can include an antenna array and a beamformer connected to the antenna array. The beamformer can include a communication channel. The system can further include a first power converter that can be configured to convert a supply voltage to a first regulated voltage. The first power converter can apply the first regulated voltage to the beamformer. The system can further include a second power converter that can be configured to convert the supply voltage to a second regulated voltage different from the first regulated voltage. The second power converter can apply the second regulated voltage to a power amplifier in the communication channel to adjust a maximum power capability of the power amplifier.

A wideband amplifier includes a first stage and a second stage. The first stage includes a transconductance transistor driven by an input signal through an input transformer. The transconductance transistor couples to a cascode transistor forming an output node for the first stage. The second stage couples the output node from the first stage through an output transformer to drive an output transistor.

A multi-gain LNA with inductive source degeneration is presented. The inductive source degeneration is provided via a tunable degeneration network that includes an inductor in parallel with one or more switchable shunting networks. Each shunting network includes a shunting capacitor that can selectively be coupled in parallel to the inductor. A capacitance of the shunting capacitor is calculated so that a combined impedance of the inductor and the shunting capacitor at a narrowband frequency of operation is effectively an inductance. The inductance is calculated according to a desired gain of the LNA. According to one aspect, the switchable shunting network includes a resistor in series connection with the shunting capacitor to provide broadband frequency response stability of the tunable degeneration network. According to another aspect, the LNA includes a plurality of selectable branches to further control gain of the LNA.

Bias circuits and methods for silicon-based amplifier architectures that are tolerant of supply and bias voltage variations, bias current variations, and transistor stack height, and compensate for poor output resistance characteristics. Embodiments include power amplifiers and low-noise amplifiers that utilize a cascode reference circuit to bias the final stages of a cascode amplifier under the control of a closed loop bias control circuit. The closed loop bias control circuit ensures that the current in the cascode reference circuit is approximately equal to a selected multiple of a known current value by adjusting the gate bias voltage to the final stage of the cascode amplifier. The final current through the cascode amplifier is a multiple of the current in the cascode reference circuit, based on a device scaling factor representing the relative sizes of the transistor devices in the cascode amplifier and in the cascode reference circuit.

Various methods and circuital arrangements for biasing gates of stacked transistor amplifier that includes two series connected transistor stacks of different polarities are presented, where the amplifier is configured to operate according to different modes of operation. Such circuital arrangements operate in a closed loop with a feedback error voltage that is based on a sensed voltage at a common node of the two series connected transistor stacks. According to one aspect, gate biasing voltages to input transistors of each of the two series connected stacks are adjusted by respective current mirrors that are controlled based on the feedback error voltage. According to another aspect, other gate biasing voltages are generated by maintaining a fixed gate biasing voltage between any two consecutive gate basing voltages.

An amplifier includes a semiconductor die and a substrate that is distinct from the semiconductor die. The semiconductor die includes a III-V semiconductor substrate, a first RF signal input terminal, a first RF signal output terminal, and a transistor (e.g., a GaN FET). The transistor has a control terminal electrically coupled to the first RF signal input terminal, and a current-carrying terminal electrically coupled to the first RF signal output terminal. The substrate includes a second RF signal input terminal, a second RF signal output terminal, circuitry coupled between the second RF signal input terminal and the second RF signal output terminal, and an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The amplifier also includes a connection electrically coupled between the ESD protection circuit and the control terminal of the transistor. The substrate may be another semiconductor die (e.g., with a driver transistor and/or impedance matching circuitry) or an integrated passive device.

An amplifier includes a semiconductor die and a substrate that is distinct from the semiconductor die. The semiconductor die includes a first RF signal input terminal, a first RF signal output terminal, and a transistor. The transistor has a control terminal electrically coupled to the first RF signal input terminal, and a current-carrying terminal electrically coupled to the first RF signal output terminal. The substrate includes a second RF signal input terminal, a second RF signal output terminal, circuitry coupled between the second RF signal input terminal and the second RF signal output terminal, and an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The amplifier also includes a connection electrically coupled between the ESD protection circuit and the control terminal of the transistor. The substrate may be another semiconductor die (e.g., with a driver transistor and/or impedance matching circuitry) or an integrated passive device.

An LNA having a plurality of paths, each of which can be controlled independently to achieve a gain mode. Each path includes at least an input FET and an output FET coupled in series. A gate of the output FET is controlled to set the gain of the LNA. Signals to be amplified are applied to the gate of the input FET. Additional stacked FETs are provided in series between the input FET and the output FET.

An amplifier device includes a regulator circuit, a first voltage converting circuit, a first control circuit, and an amplifier circuit. The regulator circuit is configured to output a first driving voltage. The first voltage converting circuit is coupled to the regulator circuit, and is configured to output one of the first driving voltage and at least one first voltages related to the first driving voltage, as a first operating voltage. The first control circuit is coupled to the first voltage converting circuit through a first node, and is configured to receive the first operating voltage and generate a first operating signal according to the first operating voltage and a first control signal. The amplifier circuit is coupled to the first control circuit and the regulator circuit, and is configured to receive the first driving voltage, and is controlled by the first operating signal to generate an output voltage.

An amplifier with stacked transconducting cells in “current mode combining” is disclosed herein. In one or more embodiments, a method for operation of a high-voltage signal amplifier comprises inputting, into each transconducting cell of a plurality of transconducting cells, a direct current (DC) supply current (Idc), an alternating current (AC) radio frequency (RF) input current (I.sub.RF_IN), and an RF input signal (RF.sub.IN). The method further comprises outputting, by each of the transconducting cells of the plurality of transconducting cells, the DC supply current (Idc) and an AC RF output current (I.sub.RF_OUT). In one or more embodiments, the transconducting cells are connected together in cascode for the DC supply current, and are connected together in cascade for the AC RF input and output currents.