An active balun circuit includes first and second transistors having emitters electrically coupled to each other and configured to output differential signals and a circuit element coupled between the connection point of the emitter of the first transistor and the emitter of the second transistor and a reference potential. The impedance of the circuit element at a particular frequency of the input signal appears significantly larger than impedances at other frequencies. An input signal from an input terminal is inputted to the base of the first transistor. The reference potential is applied to the base of the second transistor. A supply voltage is applied to the collector of the first transistor and the collector of the second transistor. A signal from the collector of the first transistor and a signal from the collector of the second transistor are outputted as the differential signals.

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.

Measurement of signal power for variable or time varying signals. A log-linear VGA coupled in a feedback configuration to a difference detector and an integrator, includes a set of amplifier cells selectable by a sliding current generator, producing a sum of outputs. Outputs of the sliding current generator include a first control current provided using a sum of amplified currents, a sequence of intermediate control currents, and a final control current provided using a sum of amplified currents. Control currents to be summed can be differentially amplified or attenuated; attenuators include capacitors to compensate for capacitive loading. Selectable amplifier cells are differentially amplified or attenuated. Isolating switches and canceling stages reduce the effects of leakage between adjacent amplifier cells. The sliding current generator can have boosted current to first and last amplifier cells, providing a more linear-in-dB gain near a relative maximum or minimum.

A logarithmic amplifier circuit includes an adaptive gain amplifier circuit and a transistor. The adaptive gain amplifier circuit includes a gain stage and a diode. The gain stage includes an input terminal, and an output terminal. The diode includes a cathode terminal coupled to the output terminal, and an anode terminal coupled to a common terminal. The transistor includes a first terminal coupled to the input terminal, a second terminal coupled to the common terminal, and a third terminal coupled to the output terminal.

A matching network is a matching network of a power amplifier circuit that outputs a signal obtained by a differential amplifier amplifying power of a high-frequency signal. The matching network includes an input-side winding connected between differential outputs of the differential amplifier; an output-side winding that is coupled to the input-side winding via an electromagnetic field and whose one end is connected to a reference potential; a first LC series resonant circuit including a capacitive element and an inductive element connected in series with each other, and being connected in parallel with the input-side winding; and a second LC series resonant circuit including a capacitive element and an inductive element connected in series with each other, and being connected in parallel with the output-side winding.

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 first primary line has a first node at one end and a third node at another end and transmits a radio-frequency signal between the first node and the third node. A second primary line has a second node at one end and a fourth node at another end and transmits a radio-frequency signal between the second node and the fourth node. A first secondary line has a portion connected to the second node and is electromagnetically coupled to the first primary line. The second secondary line has a portion connected to the first node and has another end connected to a portion of the first secondary line. The second secondary line is electromagnetically coupled to the second primary line. A first capacitor is connected in parallel to a portion of the second primary line or a portion of the second secondary line.

An automatic gain control circuit includes a linear-to-log conversion circuit, a current amplifier circuit, and an amplitude sense circuit. The current amplifier circuit includes a current input terminal coupled to an output terminal of the linear-to-log conversion circuit. The amplitude sense circuit includes an input terminal coupled to an output terminal of the current amplifier circuit, and an output terminal coupled to a gain control input terminal of the current amplifier circuit.

A TX/RX switch includes a power amplifier (PA), a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), and an antenna connection. The PA is connected to a PA matching network that has a PA network impedance and a common PA-LNA impedance connected in one or more series-parallel combinations in different embodiments in a transmitting mode. The LNA is connected to a LNA matching network that has a LNA network impedance and the same common PA-LNA impedance connected in one or more series-parallel combinations in a receive mode. A mode switch can connect the common PA-LNA impedance in different configurations to enable the transmitting and receiving mode respectively. In some embodiments, the mode switch can short or open circuit the connection of the PA matching circuit or the LNA matching circuit to the antenna. In some embodiments, the mode switch can also turn power on or off to the PA or the LNA when the switch is in a mode where the respective amplifier is not selected. Accordingly, with specific design limitations on the common PA-LNA impedance combined with different mode switch configurations of the TX/RX switch components in either the TX or RX mode, the TX/RX switch operates within a design bandwidth without transmission lines embedded in the TX/RX switch circuitry and provides optimum power transfer from/to the antenna at the antenna connection with reduced noise.

A power amplifier circuit includes a first amplifier that amplifies an input signal and outputs an output signal; a second amplifier that, in accordance with a control signal, amplifies a signal corresponding to the input signal, generates a signal having an opposite phase to that of the output signal, and adds the signal to the output signal; and a control circuit that supplies the control signal to the second amplifier. The control circuit outputs the control signal so that during operation of the power amplifier circuit in a first power mode, a gain of the second amplifier is not less than zero and less than a predetermined level and during operation in a second power mode lower than the first power mode in output power level, a gain of the second amplifier is not less than the predetermined level and less than a gain of the first amplifier.