KR20170058115A - Power amplifier - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a power amplifier comprises: a first amplifier for correcting a phase of a first signal, and amplifying power of the first signal; a second amplifier for amplifying power of a second signal; and a power synthesis unit for outputting a third signal by coupling the first and second signal. The power amplifier can increase power synthesis efficiency by correcting a phase delay property difference between the amplifiers.

Description

POWER AMPLIFIER

The present invention relates to a power amplifier.

Microwave integrated amplifiers (MMICs) are mainly used because of parasitic components, price, size, and so on. In particular, in the case of a final stage power amplifier, low-power MMIC amplifiers are connected in parallel when high-power synthesis is required. However, these MMIC power amplifiers have a very short wavelength in the high frequency band and have different phase delay characteristics due to the characteristics of the MMIC process. Therefore, when the power is synthesized by connecting the MMIC amplifiers in parallel, there is a problem that the power combining efficiency is lowered due to the difference in the phase delay characteristics of the respective amplifiers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a power amplifier capable of improving the power combining efficiency by correcting a difference in phase delay characteristics between amplifiers.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems which are not mentioned can be understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first amplifier for amplifying the power of the first signal, a second amplifier for amplifying the power of the second signal, And a power combiner for combining the second signal and outputting the third signal.

In one embodiment, the first amplifier may include a first phase corrector for correcting a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal, and a first amplifier for amplifying the power of the first signal.

In one embodiment, the first phase corrector may be configured as a transmission line of a thin film microstrip (TFMS) structure.

In one embodiment, the first phase corrector may determine a phase difference that can be corrected according to the length of the transmission line.

In one embodiment, the first phase correction unit may be disposed at the front end of the first amplification unit.

In one embodiment, the first phase correction unit may be disposed at a rear stage of the first amplification unit.

In one embodiment, the second amplifying unit may include a second phase correcting unit correcting a phase difference between the second signal and the first signal, and a second amplifying unit amplifying the power of the second signal.

In one embodiment, the second phase corrector may be configured as a transmission line of a thin film microstrip (TFMS) structure.

In one embodiment, the first amplifier and the second amplifier may be MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) amplifiers.

The power amplifier according to the embodiment of the present invention can improve the power combining efficiency by correcting the difference in the phase delay characteristics between the amplifiers.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a first amplifier of a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 illustrates a structure of a first amplifier of a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a phase corrector of a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 shows a first amplifier having another structure of a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 shows a power amplifier according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the difference that the embodiments of the present invention are not conclusive.

In describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. Also, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant art and are to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present application Do not.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a power amplifier 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a first amplifier 110, a second amplifier 120, and a power combiner 130.

The first amplifier 110 may amplify the first signal. The first amplifier 110 may correct the phase of the first signal and amplify and output the power of the corrected first signal. The first signal may be an RF signal having a first power value. For example, the first amplifier 110 may be a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifier.

The second amplifier 120 may amplify and output the second signal. For example, the second amplifier 120 may amplify and output the power of the second signal. The second signal may be an RF signal having a second power value. For example, the second amplifier 120 may be an MMIC amplifier.

The power combining unit 130 may combine the first signal and the second signal to output the third signal.

As described above, the first amplifier 110 of the power amplifier 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can correct the phase of the first signal, amplify the power of the first signal, and output it. That is, the power amplifier 100 compensates for the phase delay characteristic of the first amplifier 110 to eliminate or reduce the difference from the phase delay characteristic of the second amplifier 120, thereby reducing the power combining efficiency Can be improved.

Hereinafter, the configuration and structure of the first amplifier 110 will be described in more detail.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a first amplifier of a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first amplifier 110 may include a phase corrector 111 and an amplification unit 112.

The phase corrector 111 can correct the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal. That is, the phase correcting unit 111 may compensate the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal, and may transmit the first signal corrected in phase with the second signal to the amplifying unit 112. The phase correcting unit 111 may correct the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal and may transmit the first signal having a reduced phase difference to the second signal to the amplifying unit 112. For example, the phase corrector 111 may be designed to correct the phase of the first signal by a predetermined phase.

The amplifying unit 112 can amplify and output the power of the first signal.

3 illustrates a structure of a first amplifier of a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a phase corrector of a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, the phase corrector 111 of the first amplifier 110 may include at least one transmission line (a, b, c) for phase correction. For example, FIG. 4 shows a cross section taken along line I-I 'of any of the transmission lines a, b, and c of the phase correction unit 111 of FIG.

The at least one transmission line (a, b, c) may have a thin film microstrip (TFMS) structure. Each of the at least one transmission lines a, b, and c may include a lower plate metal plate L1, a dielectric material L2, and a top plate metal plate L3 disposed on the substrate. For example, the top plate metal sheet L3 may be formed on a part of the upper surface of the dielectric layer L2. Each of the at least one transmission line (a, b, c) can be miniaturized by appropriately designing the height of the dielectric (L2). Therefore, the phase corrector 111, which can be miniaturized using the transmission line having the TFMS structure, can be integrated in the first amplifier 110.

Each of the transmission lines a, b, and c may have different phase delay characteristics. For example, the transmission line a may have a phase delay characteristic of 10 degrees, the transmission line b may have a phase delay characteristic of 20 degrees, and the transmission line c may have a phase delay characteristic of 30 degrees. However, May be designed differently depending on the length and shape of the body. For example, each transmission line a, b, c may have different lengths and shapes.

The phase corrector 111 may be implemented by selectively connecting any one of the transmission lines (e.g., a) suitable for phase delay characteristic correction among at least one transmission line a, b, and c. 3, the phase corrector 111 includes three transmission lines a, b, and c. However, the phase corrector 111 may be configured to include only one transmission line required for phase delay characteristic correction .

5 shows a first amplifier having another structure of a power amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5, the first amplifier 210 may include an amplification unit 211 and a phase correction unit 212. The first amplifier 210 may include an amplification unit 211 and a phase There is a difference in the arrangement order of the correcting units 212.

The amplifying unit 211 can amplify and output the power of the first signal.

The phase corrector 212 can correct the phase difference between the amplified first signal and the second signal. That is, the phase corrector 212 compensates the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal, and can correct the phase of the second signal equally. In addition, the phase correcting unit 111 may correct the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal, thereby reducing the phase difference with the second signal.

6 shows a power amplifier according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6, the power amplifier 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a first amplifier 310, a second amplifier 320, and a power combiner 330. [

The first amplifier 310 may amplify the power of the first signal. The first amplifier 310 can correct the phase of the first signal and amplify and output the power of the corrected first signal. The first signal may be an RF signal having a first power value. For example, the first amplifier 310 may be a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifier.

The first amplifier 310 may include a first phase corrector 311 and a first amplifier 312. The first phase correction unit 311 can correct the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal. That is, the first phase correction unit 311 compensates the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal, and can transmit the first signal, which is corrected in phase with the second signal, to the first amplification unit 312. For example, the first phase corrector 111 may be designed to correct the phase of the first signal by a predetermined phase.

The first phase correcting unit 311 may correct the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal and may transmit the first signal having a reduced phase difference to the second signal to the first amplifying unit 312.

Also, the first phase correction unit 311 can delay the phase of the first signal by the target delay value and transmit it to the first amplification unit 312. For example, when the phase of the first signal is 10 times faster than the second signal, the first phase corrector 311 delays the phase of the first signal through the transmission line a3 by 30 degrees, It can be corrected to be delayed by 20 degrees.

The structure of the first phase correction unit 311 may be the same as that described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Fig.

The amplifying unit 312 can amplify and output the power of the first signal.

And the second amplifier 320 may amplify and output the second signal. For example, the second amplifier 320 may amplify and output the power of the second signal. The second signal may be an RF signal having a second power value. For example, the second amplifier 320 may be an MMIC amplifier.

The second amplifier 320 may include a second phase correction unit 321 and a second amplification unit 322. The second phase correcting unit 321 can correct the phase difference between the second signal and the first signal. That is, the second phase corrector 321 compensates the phase difference between the second signal and the first signal, and can transmit the second signal, which is corrected in phase with the first signal, to the second amplification unit 322. For example, the second phase corrector 321 may be designed to correct the phase of the second signal by a predetermined phase.

The second phase correcting unit 321 may correct the phase difference between the second signal and the first signal and may transmit the second signal having the reduced phase difference to the first signal to the second amplifying unit 322.

The second phase correcting unit 321 may delay the phase of the second signal by the target delay value and transmit the delayed signal to the second amplifying unit 322. For example, when the phase of the first signal is corrected to be delayed by 20 degrees with respect to the phase of the second signal through the first phase correction unit 311, the second phase correction unit 321 corrects the phase of the second signal through the transmission line a2 The second signal can be delay-corrected and output.

The structure of the second phase corrector 321 may be the same as that described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

The power combining unit 130 may combine the first signal and the second signal to output the third signal.

As described above, the first amplifier 310 and the second amplifier 320 of the power amplifier 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention corrects the phase of the first signal and the second signal, It is possible to improve the efficiency of power synthesis by synthesizing the power.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

100, 300: power amplifier
110, 210, 310: a first amplifier
111, 211, 311: a first phase corrector
112, 212 and 312:
320: second amplifier
321: second phase corrector
322:

Claims (9)

A first amplifier for correcting the phase of the first signal and amplifying the power of the first signal;
A second amplifier for amplifying the power of the second signal; And
And a power combiner for combining the first signal and the second signal to output a third signal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first amplifier includes: a first phase correcting unit for correcting a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal; And
And a first amplifier for amplifying the power of the first signal. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first phase corrector is configured as a transmission line of a thin film microstrip (TFMS) structure. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the first phase correcting unit determines a phase difference that can be corrected according to the length of the transmission line. 3. The method of claim 2,
And the first phase correction unit is disposed at a front end of the first amplification unit. 3. The method of claim 2,
And the first phase correcting unit is disposed at a rear end of the first amplifying unit. 3. The method of claim 2,
A second phase correcting unit for correcting a phase difference between the second signal and the first signal; And
And a second amplifier for amplifying the power of the second signal. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the second phase corrector is configured as a transmission line of a thin film microstrip (TFMS) structure. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first amplifier and the second amplifier are MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) amplifiers.

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