An electronic assembly has a host wafer having a first circuit including passive devices for the purpose of one of tuning or matching networks. Chiplets are placed in the cavities. At least one chiplet has a second circuit including at least one transistor or switch device and passive tuning circuits including at least one of a stabilization network, a gain boosting network, a power delivery network, or a low-noise network. Electrical interconnects between the chiplets and wafer electrically connect the first circuitry to the second circuitry.

An RF module comprises a circuit board, a waveguide antenna, first and second semiconductor circuit devices, and first, second, and third RF ports. The first semiconductor circuit device including a local oscillator to generate a local oscillator signal. The circuit board includes a first opening between the first RF port and a first waveguide port for transferring the local oscillator signal from the first RF port into the first hollow waveguide. The circuit board includes a second opening between the second RF port and a second waveguide port to receive the local oscillator signal from the first hollow waveguide. The second semiconductor circuit device is configured to process a first RF signal based on the received local oscillator signal. The circuit board includes a third opening for transferring the first RF signal between the third RF port and a third waveguide port.

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.

A power amplifier module includes a power amplifier including a GaAs bipolar transistor having a collector, a base abutting the collector, and an emitter, the collector having a doping concentration of at least about 310.sup.16 cm.sup.3 at a junction with the base, the collector also having at least a first grading in which doping concentration increases away from the base; and an RF transmission line driven by the power amplifier, the RF transmission line including a conductive layer and finish plating on the conductive layer, the finish plating including a gold layer, a palladium layer proximate the gold layer, and a diffusion barrier layer proximate the palladium layer, the diffusion barrier layer including nickel and having a thickness that is less than about the skin depth of nickel at 0.9 GHZ. Other embodiments of the module are provided along with related methods and components thereof.

One aspect of this disclosure is a power amplifier module that includes a power amplifier configured to provide a radio frequency signal at an output, an output matching network coupled to the output of the power amplifier and configured to provide impedance matching at a fundamental frequency of the radio frequency signal, and a harmonic termination circuit coupled to the output of the power amplifier. The power amplifier is included on a power amplifier die. The output matching network can include a first circuit element electrically connected to an output of the power amplifier by way of a pad on a top surface of a conductive trace, in which the top surface has an unplated portion between the pad the power amplifier die. The harmonic termination circuit can include a second circuit element. The first and second circuit elements can have separate electrical connections to the power amplifier die. Other embodiments of the module are provided along with related methods and components thereof.

This disclosure relates to methods of forming bipolar transistors, such as heterojunction bipolar transistors. The methods may include forming a sub-collector over a substrate, forming a first portion of a collector over the sub-collector and doping a second portion of the collector to form a doping spike. The method may further include forming a third portion of the collector over the doping spike and forming a base of the bipolar transistor over the third portion of the collector.

Systems and methods are disclosed for integrating functional components of front-end modules for wireless radios. Front-end modules disclosed may be dual-band front-end modules for use in 802.11ac-compliant devices. In certain embodiments, integration of front-end module components on a single die is achieved by implementing a high-resistivity layer or substrate directly underneath, adjacent to, and/or supporting SiGe BiCMOS technology elements.

Apparatus and methods for radio frequency (RF) amplifiers are disclosed herein. In certain implementations, a packaged RF amplifier includes a first bipolar transistor including a base electrically connected to an RF input pin and a collector electrically connected to an RF output pin, and a second bipolar transistor including a base electrically connected to an emitter of the first bipolar transistor and a collector electrically connected to the RF output pin. The packaged RF amplifier further includes a first bias circuit electrically connected between the base of the first bipolar transistor and the RF output pin, a second bias circuit electrically connected between the base of the first bipolar transistor and a power low pin, an inductor implemented at least partly by a bond wire, and a third bias circuit electrically connected in series with the inductor between the base of the second bipolar transistor and the power low pin.

Bias circuit for radio-frequency amplifier. In some embodiments, an amplifier circuit for radio-frequency applications can includes an amplifying transistor having an input. The amplifier circuit can further include a bias circuit having a first bias path implemented between a supply node and the input to provide a bias signal to the input of the amplifying transistor, and a second bias path implemented between the supply node and the input to provide an additional bias signal to the input of the amplifying transistor under a selected condition. The first bias path can include a first transistor configured to facilitate the bias signal provided to the input of the amplifying transistor, and the second bias path can include a second transistor configured to facilitate the additional bias signal provided to the input of the amplifying transistor.

One aspect of this disclosure is a power amplifier module that includes a power amplifier die, a first bonding pad on a conductive trace, and a second bonding pad on a conductive trace. The die includes an on-die passive device and a power amplifier. The first bonding pad is electrically connected to the on-die passive device by a first wire bond. The second bonding pad is in a conductive path between the first bonding pad and a radio frequency output of the power amplifier module. The second bonding pad includes a nickel layer having a thickness that is less than 0.5 um, a palladium layer over the nickel layer, and a gold layer over the palladium layer and bonded to a second wire bond that is electrically connected to an output of the power amplifier. Other embodiments of the module are provided along with related methods and components thereof.