A protection circuit for an acoustic filter and/or a power amplifier is disclosed. In one aspect, the protection circuit includes a bidirectional coupler that helps secure a measurement of power at an antenna. The power measurement is compared to a threshold by a detector, and if the power measurement is above the threshold, a signal is sent that causes debiasing of a power amplifier stage, which reduces power levels of signals being amplified by the power amplifier stage and correspondingly lowers the power level going through a filter associated with the power amplifier stage. By lowering the power level going through the power amplifier stage and the filter, both elements are protected against over power conditions allowing functionality to be maintained.

An integrated circuit architecture and circuitry is defined by a die structure with a plurality of exposed conductive pads arranged in a grid of rows and columns. The die structure has a first operating frequency region with a first transmit and receive chain, and a second operating frequency region with a second transmit chain and a second receive chain. There is a shared region of the die structure defined by an overlapping segment of the first operating frequency region and the second operating frequency region with a shared power supply input conductive pad connected to the first transmit chain, the second transmit chain, the first receive chain, and the second receive chain, and a shared power detection output conductive pad connected to the first transmit chain and the second transmit chain.

An integrated circuit architecture and circuitry is defined by a die structure with a plurality of exposed conductive pads arranged in a grid of rows and columns. The die structure has a first operating frequency region with a first transmit and receive chain, and a second operating frequency region with a second transmit chain and a second receive chain. There is a shared region of the die structure defined by an overlapping segment of the first operating frequency region and the second operating frequency region with a shared power supply input conductive pad connected to the first transmit chain, the second transmit chain, the first receive chain, and the second receive chain, and a shared power detection output conductive pad connected to the first transmit chain and the second transmit chain.

A power amplifier includes a power splitter that splits a first signal into a second signal and a third signal, a first amplifier that amplifies the second signal within an area where the first signal has a power level greater than or equal to a first level and that outputs a fourth signal, a second amplifier that amplifies the third signal within an area where the first signal has a power level greater than or equal to a second level higher than the first level and that outputs a fifth signal, an output unit that outputs an amplified signal of the first signal, a first and a second LC parallel resonant circuit, and a choke inductor having an end to which a power supply voltage is supplied and another end connected to a node of the first and second LC parallel resonant circuits.

A power amplifier includes a power splitter that splits a first signal into a second signal and a third signal, a first amplifier that amplifies the second signal within an area where the first signal has a power level greater than or equal to a first level and that outputs a fourth signal, a second amplifier that amplifies the third signal within an area where the first signal has a power level greater than or equal to a second level higher than the first level and that outputs a fifth signal, an output unit that outputs an amplified signal of the first signal, a first and a second LC parallel resonant circuit, and a choke inductor having an end to which a power supply voltage is supplied and another end connected to a node of the first and second LC parallel resonant circuits.

A system includes a reference field effect transistor (FET), wherein the reference FET is a depletion mode transistor, and a bias control circuit. The bias control circuit includes a voltage sensor connected to a drain terminal of the reference FET. The voltage sensor is configured to measure a voltage at the drain terminal of the reference FET as a measured voltage, determine a voltage difference between a reference voltage and the measured voltage, and output the voltage difference at a voltage sensor output terminal. The system includes a translation circuit connected the voltage sensor output terminal. The translation circuit is configured to convert the voltage difference into a negative gate bias voltage, and apply the negative gate bias voltage to a gate terminal of the reference FET.

Apparatus and methods for power amplifiers with broadband matching networks are disclosed. In certain embodiments, a mobile device includes a transceiver that generates a radio frequency input signal, and a front-end system including a compound semiconductor die and a silicon switch die. The compound semiconductor die includes a power amplifier including one or more power amplifier stages that amplify the radio frequency input signal to generate a radio frequency output signal. The silicon switch die includes a band selection switch that receives the radio frequency output signal. The compound semiconductor die and the silicon switch die each include at least one controllable impedance for providing a bandwidth adjustment to the power amplifier.

A bipolar transistor includes a collector layer, a base layer, and an emitter layer that are formed in this order on a compound semiconductor substrate. The emitter layer is disposed inside an edge of the base layer in plan view. A base electrode is disposed on partial regions of the emitter layer and the base layer so as to extend from an inside of the emitter layer to an outside of the base layer in plan view. An insulating film is disposed between the base electrode and a portion of the base layer, with the portion not overlapping the emitter layer. An alloy layer extends from the base electrode through the emitter layer in a thickness direction and reaches the base layer. The alloy layer contains at least one element constituting the base electrode and elements constituting the emitter layer and the base layer.

A bipolar transistor includes a collector layer, a base layer, and an emitter layer that are formed in this order on a compound semiconductor substrate. The emitter layer is disposed inside an edge of the base layer in plan view. A base electrode is disposed on partial regions of the emitter layer and the base layer so as to extend from an inside of the emitter layer to an outside of the base layer in plan view. An insulating film is disposed between the base electrode and a portion of the base layer, with the portion not overlapping the emitter layer. An alloy layer extends from the base electrode through the emitter layer in a thickness direction and reaches the base layer. The alloy layer contains at least one element constituting the base electrode and elements constituting the emitter layer and the base layer.

Apparatus and methods for a no-load-modulation power amplifier are described. No-load-modulation power amplifiers can comprise multiple amplifiers connected in parallel to amplify a signal that has been divided into parallel circuit branches. One of the amplifiers can operate as a main amplifier in a first amplification class and the remaining amplifiers can operate as peaking amplifiers in a second amplification class. The main amplifier can see essentially no modulation of its load between the power amplifier's fully-on and fully backed-off states. The power amplifiers can operate in symmetric and asymmetric modes. Improvements in bandwidth and drain efficiency over conventional Doherty amplifiers are obtained. Further improvements can be obtained by combining signals from the amplifiers with hybrid couplers.