A low noise amplifier includes a first input port configured to receive a first input signal, a second input port configured to receive a second input signal, and a first amplifier stage including a first gain stage connected to the first input port and the second input port, and a first drive stage between the first gain stage and a first load circuit. The first gain stage includes a first-first gain block connected to the first input port, a first-second gain block connected to the second input port, and a first degeneration inductor between a ground terminal and a first common node of the first-first gain block and the first-second gain block. The amplifier includes a second amplifier stage including a second gain stage connected to the first input port and the second input port, and a second drive stage between the second gain stage and a second load.

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 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 circuit comprising: an input terminal; a first amplifier coupled to the input terminal of the circuit to receive an input signal; a first inductor having a first terminal coupled to the input terminal and a second terminal configured to be coupled to the ground terminal, wherein the first inductor is arranged with a second inductor and configured to magnetically couple therewith, wherein said second inductor is coupled to the first amplifier and is configured to sense a current through the amplifier.

A power amplifier comprising a bipolar transistor connected in cascode with a field effect transistor (FET) such as a pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (PHEMT) device. The bipolar transistor has a common emitter and the FET a common gate. Advantageously, the bipolar transistor is a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT); and the HBT and the FET may be integrated on a single die. Illustrative materials for the HBT and FET are Gallium Nitride, Indium Phosphide, or Gallium Arsenide/Indium Gallium Phosphide.

An amplifier may comprise first and second matching networks; first and second transistors; and a transformer including first to third inductors. Also, a gate and a source of the first transistor are connected to the first matching network, one end of the first inductor is connected to a drain of the first transistor, the other end of the first inductor is connected to a source of the second transistor, one end of the second inductor is connected to a gate of the second transistor, the other end of the second inductor is grounded, one end of the third inductor is connected to a drain of the second transistor, and the other end of the third inductor is connected to the second matching network.

Composite cascode power amplifiers for envelope tracking applications are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an envelope tracking system includes a composite cascode power amplifier that amplifies a radio frequency (RF) signal and that receives power from a power amplifier supply voltage, and an envelope tracker that generates the power amplifier supply voltage based on an envelope of the RF signal. The composite cascode power amplifier includes an enhancement mode (E-MODE) field-effect transistor (FET) for amplifying the RF signal and a depletion mode (D-MODE) FET in cascode with the E-MODE FET.

An amplifier circuit configuration capable of processing non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregate (CA) signals using amplifiers is disclosed herein. In some cases, each of a plurality of amplifiers is an amplifier configured as a cascode (i.e., a two-stage amplifier having two transistors, the first configured as a “common source” input transistor, e.g., input field effect transistor (FET), and the second configured in a “common gate” configuration as a cascode output transistor, (e.g. cascode output FET). In other embodiments, the amplifier may have additional transistors (i.e., more than two stages and/or stacked transistors). The amplifier circuit configuration can be operated in either single mode or split mode. A switchable coupling is placed between the drain of the input FETs of each amplifier within the amplifier circuit configuration. During split mode, the coupling is added to the circuit to allow some of the signal present at the drain of each input FET to be coupled to the drain of the other input FET.

The present application discloses an amplifier and a method for controlling a common mode voltage thereof. The method includes: generating a control signal according to a positive-terminal input signal, a negative-terminal input signal and a target common mode voltage; and coupling the controlling signal to a first terminal of a positive-terminal capacitor and a first terminal of a negative-terminal capacitor, to adjust degree of conduction of a positive-terminal p-type transistor and degree of conduction of a negative-terminal p-type transistor, or to adjust degree of conduction of a positive-terminal n-type transistor and degree of conduction of a negative-terminal n-type transistor, thereby changing a common mode voltage.

An RF amplifier for implementation in SiGe HBT technology is described. The RF amplifier has a cascode stage comprising a common base (CB) transistor and a common emitter (CE) transistor arranged in series between a first voltage rail and a second voltage rail. An RF input is coupled to the base of the CE transistor and an RF output is coupled to the collector of the CB transistor. The RF amplifier includes a CB power-down circuit arranged between the base of the CB transistor and the second voltage rail and a CE power-down circuit arranged between the base of the CE transistor and the second voltage rail. In a power-down mode the CE power-down circuit couples the base of the common-emitter-transistor to the second voltage rail. The CB power-down mode circuit couples the base of the CB transistor to the second voltage rail via a high-ohmic path.