Multi-mode broadband low noise amplifiers (LNAs) are disclosed herein. In certain embodiments, an LNA includes a first amplification stage and a second amplification stage having a lower gain than the first amplification stage. The LNA is operable in a plurality of operating modes including a first mode in which the first amplification stage and the second amplification stage operate in a cascade to amplify a radio frequency (RF) receive signal, and a second mode in which the first amplification stage amplifies the RF receive signal and the second amplification stage is bypassed.

An IC for power conversion includes bias circuitry that generates one or more bias voltages. An adaptive biasing circuit adaptively shifts an input signal having a negative value to a positive value. An operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) receives a supply bias current and the first and second bias voltages. The OTA has first and second input terminals coupled to the input signal and ground, respectively. The OTA has first and second transistors coupled to the first and second input terminals through first and second resistors at first and second internal nodes, respectively. Additional circuitry of the OTA is coupled to the second internal node. The additional circuitry insures that the voltage at the second internal node follows the voltage at the first internal node. The OTA generates an output current signal responsive to a differential input voltage applied across the first and second input terminals.

A power amplification module includes a first input terminal that receives a first transmit signal in a first frequency band, a second input terminal that receives a second transmit signal in a second frequency band having a narrower transmit/receive frequency interval than the first frequency band, a first amplification circuit that receives and amplifies the first transmit signal to produce a first amplified signal and outputs the first amplified signal, a second amplification circuit that receives and amplifies the second transmit signal to produce a second amplified signal and outputs the second amplified signal, a third amplification circuit that receives and amplifies the first or second amplified signal to produce an output signal and outputs the output signal, and an attenuation circuit located between the second input terminal and the second amplification circuit and configured to attenuate a receive frequency band component of the second frequency band.

Biasing circuitry for RF and microwave integrated circuits keeps the quiescent current of a power amplifier integrated circuit constant when operated with a time-varying DC supply voltage. A dynamic gate bias circuit includes an on-chip sense transistor and control circuitry to keep current of the sense transistor substantially constant by varying sense transistor bias voltage to compensate for variation in the time-varying supply voltage signal. The varying bias voltage is then applied to the amplifying transistors of the power amplifier, resulting in their quiescent current being substantially independent of the time-varying supply voltage.

In a preferred embodiment, the gain expansion in low power mode of a single chain PA is minimized by dynamically adjusting the output impedance of the bias circuit of each gain stage for each mode of operation. Instead of switching in a series attenuator or switching in additional feedback in the first gain stage of a single-chain PA to limit the gain at the increased quiescent current level, this embodiment achieves linear performance by adjusting the quiescent current in each stage to the minimum level that meets the target gain and then increasing the output resistance of the bias circuit of each gain stage in low power mode (LPM) to provide the appropriate level of negative feedback at the base of each amplifying HBT to linearize the gain versus power response.

Distributed amplifier systems and methods are disclosed. An example distributed amplifier system includes first stage traveling wave amplifier (TWA) circuitry that is controllable to provide one of a first set of discrete gain settings. The first stage TWA circuitry includes a first input transmission line, a first output transmission line, and a first plurality of amplifiers coupled antiparallel between the first input transmission line and the first output transmission line. The first set of discrete gain settings has approximately constant logarithmic spacing.

A signal amplifier device is provided to ensure the continuity of the gain of an amplifier. The signal amplifier device includes a main path and a sub path connected in parallel to the main path. A main path first amplifier circuit amplifies an input signal on the main path. A main path second amplifier circuit includes a common-gate transistor connected in series with an output of the main path first amplifier circuit without sharing a DC current. On the main sub path, the sub path amplifier circuit amplifies the input signal by using a gain lower than the maximum gain in the main path.

A power amplifier circuit includes a first transistor amplifying a first signal; a second transistor amplifying a second signal; a bias circuit supplying a bias current or voltage to a base or gate of the second transistor; and an attenuator attenuating the first or second signal in accordance with a control voltage supplied from the bias circuit. The attenuator includes a first diode to which the control voltage is supplied, a third transistor including a collector connected to a supply path of the first or second signal, an emitter connected to a ground, and a base to which the control voltage is supplied from the first diode, and a capacitor connected in parallel with the first diode. The control voltage decreases as a second signal power level increases. The third transistor allows part of the first or second signal to pass to the emitter in accordance with the control voltage.

An audio apparatus is configured to switch, when there exists a first audio interface between the audio apparatus and a computer apparatus, to using a second audio interface between the audio apparatus and the computer apparatus, the second audio interface being different from the first audio interface. The switching comprises: receiving, via the first audio interface, combined audio data and non-audio data, the non-audio data comprising a request to switch to using the second audio interface; obtaining the request from the data; and, in response to obtaining the request, transmitting to the computer apparatus a confirmation of switching to using the second audio interface. The audio apparatus and the computer apparatus are described and claimed.

An IC for power conversion includes bias circuitry that generates one or more bias voltages. An adaptive biasing circuit adaptively shifts an input signal having a negative value to a positive value. An operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) receives a supply bias current and the first and second bias voltages. The OTA has first and second input terminals coupled to the input signal and ground, respectively. The OTA has first and second transistors coupled to the first and second input terminals through first and second resistors at first and second internal nodes, respectively. Additional circuitry of the OTA is coupled to the second internal node. The additional circuitry insures that the voltage at the second internal node follows the voltage at the first internal node. The OTA generates an output current signal responsive to a differential input voltage applied across the first and second input terminals.