A dc coupled amplifier includes a pre-driver, and amplifier and a bias control circuit. The pre-driver is configured to receive one or more input signals and amplify the one or more input signals to create one or more pre-amplified signals. The amplifier has cascode configured transistors configured to receive and amplify the one or more pre-amplified signals to create one or more amplified signals, the amplifier further having an output driver termination element. The bias control circuit is connected between the pre-driver and the amplifier, the bias control circuit receiving at least one bias current from the output driver termination element of the amplifier, wherein the pre-driver, the amplifier and the bias control circuit are all formed on a same die.

A variable-gain amplifier and a phased array system are provided. A variable-gain amplifier includes a cascode circuit comprising a first amplification transistor and a second amplification transistor array that are cascaded, the second amplification transistor array comprising a plurality of second amplification transistors connected in parallel and configured to output an adjustable current to an output matching network, the first amplification transistor is a common-source transistor, the plurality of second amplification transistors are common-gate transistors, or the cascode circuit is a common-emitter common-base circuit, the first amplification transistor is a common-emitter amplification circuit, and the second amplification transistor array is a common-base amplification circuit. The variable-gain amplifier further including a variable capacitor circuit coupled to the second amplification transistor array and coupled to the output matching network at first nodes.

An integrated circuit and method for providing a variable gain amplifier are disclosed. One embodiment of the a variable gain amplifier comprises at least one load, a cascode circuit coupled to the load, a folded-gilbert stage, coupled to the cascode circuit, the folded-gilbert stage comprising a main differential pair of transistors and an internal pair of transistors, and a digital to analog converter, coupled to the folded-gilbert stage, for steering currents between the main differential pair of transistors and the internal pair of transistors to change a gain of the variable gain amplifier.

An amplifier of an embodiment includes: a plurality of input transistors of a plurality of differential pairs; a plurality of first resistance circuits mutually connecting respective sources of the input transistors corresponding to the differential pairs and mutually connecting the respective sources and reference potential points; a plurality of second resistance circuits being connected between the respective sources of the plurality of input transistors and the reference potential points, respectively; and a control circuit configured to generate a control signal controlling whether or not to electrically connect the plurality of first resistance circuits and the plurality of second resistance circuits to the respective sources of the input transistors.

An instrumentation amplifier configured for providing high common mode rejection is described and includes an input differential stage configured to receive a differential input voltage and a folded cascode amplifying stage configured to receive output current mode signals provided from the input differential pair. A plurality of feedback networks is provided to improve the input stage. The amplifier may operate to provide an enhanced common mode rejection ratio of a single gain block in the instrumentation amplifier. In some examples, the circuitry may have a differential folded cascode amplifying stage which permits high precision and low distortion of amplified signals without degrading the common mode rejection ratio.

Systems, methods and apparatus for efficient power control of an RF amplifier for amplification of a constant envelope RF signal are described. A reduction in a size of a pass device of an LDO regulator is obtained by removing the pass device of the LDO regulator from a main current conduction path of the RF amplifier. Power control is provided by varying one or more gate voltages to cascoded transistors of a transistor stack of the RF amplifier according to a power control voltage. Various configurations for controlling the gate voltages are presented by way of a smaller size LDO regulator or by completely removing the LDO regulator. In a case where a supply voltage to the transistor stack varies, such as in a case of a battery, a compensation circuit is used to adjust the power control voltage in view of a variation of the supply voltage, and therefore null a corresponding drift in output power of the RF amplifier.

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.

A variable gain amplifier circuit includes first and second input terminals, first and second output terminals, first and second transistors respectively having bases electrically connected to the first and second input terminals and having collectors electrically connected to the first and second output terminals, and a degeneration circuit connected between emitters of the first and second transistors. The degeneration circuit has first and second MOS transistors each having two current terminals connected in series between the emitters of the first and second transistors, series resistor circuits, first and second current sources, two resistive elements connected between the first and second current sources and gates of the first and second MOS transistors, and two resistive elements connected between the first and second current sources and two nodes of the series resistor circuits.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for operating an amplifier, the amplifier including a variable resistor coupled between a source of a first input transistor and a source of a second input transistors, and a variable capacitor coupled between the source of the first input transistor and the source of the second input transistor. The method includes adjusting a resistance of the variable resistor to adjust a low-frequency gain of the amplifier, and adjusting a capacitance of the variable capacitor in an opposite direction as the adjustment to the resistance of the variable resistor.

A variable gain amplifier capable of stabilizing an average output potential of a differential output signal, improving power efficiency over a wide range of an amplitude of the differential input signal, and suppressing deterioration of a distortion rate is provided. The variable gain amplifier includes an amplifying circuit configured to amplify a differential input signal with a gain according to a gain control signal, and a current control circuit. The amplifying circuit has a first current source supplying a source current. The current control circuit adjusts a magnitude of the source current of the first current source according to a magnitude of the gain control signal.