Abstract:
An inductor layout comprising a first inductor and a second inductor. The first and second inductors are electrically and magnetically independent inductors concentrically arranged on an integrated circuit. At least one of the first and second inductors is a multi-loop inductor with a first axis of symmetry.
Abstract:
A varainductor including a signal line disposed over a substrate. The varainductor further includes a first ground plane over the substrate, the first ground plane disposed on a first side of the signal line, and a second ground plane over the substrate, the second ground plane disposed on a second side of the signal line opposite the first side of the signal line. The varainductor further includes a first floating plane over the substrate, the first floating plane disposed between the first ground plane and the signal line, and a second floating plane over the substrate, the second floating plane disposed between the second ground plane and the signal line. The varainductor further includes an array of switches, the array of switches is configured to selectively connect the first ground plane to the first floating plane, and to selectively connect the second ground plane to the second floating plane.
Abstract:
An inductor circuit includes a pair of inductors connected in parallel with each other and a switch for turning on and off electric power to one of the pair of inductors. The inductance of the inductor circuit can be varied and the quality factor Q can be improved. Further, RF circuits employing the inductor circuit can generate an intended operating frequency.
Abstract:
Methods and systems for VCO impedance control to optimize performance, efficiency, and power consumption are disclosed and may include selectively coupling one of a plurality of taps on a multi-tap inductive load to a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) on a chip comprising a plurality of transmitters and receivers. The multi-tap inductive load may comprise a multi-tap transformer or transmission line, which may be integrated on the chip, or may be integrated on a package to which the chip is coupled. A voltage swing at an output of the VCO and/or a current in the VCO may be adjusted by configuring a load of the VCO utilizing the multi-tap inductive load. The multi-tap inductive load may be coupled to the VCO utilizing one or more CMOS switches.
Abstract:
An inductor-capacitor voltage controlled oscillator is implemented using an active inductor. The active inductor may use bipolar technology or CMOS technology. The VCO with an active inductor offers a more compact design and is useable with flip chip technology. The active inductor may be implemented in bipolar junction or complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology. The configuration of the voltage controlled oscillator with an active inductor of the present invention is fully differential and fully symmetric.
Abstract:
A high-performance integrable tunable inductor includes a "primary" coil and a "drive" coil placed in close proximity to each other and simultaneously driven with primary and drive currents, respectively. The drive current induces mutual components of inductance in the primary coil which vary with the phase and amplitude relationship between the two currents. These relationships are controlled to precisely establish the impedance of the primary coil, allowing the inductor to be "tuned" to provide a desired inductance or resistance by simply varying the phase and amplitude relationships appropriately. Inductance values tunable over ranges of about 2:1 and Q values of nearly 2000 have been demonstrated. The primary coil can also be made to operate as a relatively large integrated capacitance by setting the phase and amplitude relationships appropriately. The tunable inductor can be fabricated with standard CMOS processes, or any of a number of other processing technologies, and thus integrated into a host of analog circuits for which a highly-integrated implementation is desirable.
Abstract:
A YIG oscillator circuit including a closed loop control system which maximizes loop gain during start-up and minimizes loop gain after start-up to minimize gain compression. In one embodiment the closed loop control circuit includes a PIN diode coupled between the collector and base of a BJT, and comparison circuitry for comparing the YIG oscillator output voltage level with a reference voltage and providing a resulting feedback current to the PIN diode at the collector of the BJT. In operation, during start-up when the output voltage of the YIG oscillator is less than the reference voltage, the feedback current will be minimal and the PIN diode will reverse bias to maximize loop gain. When the output voltage approaches the reference voltage level, the feedback current will increase to forward bias the PIN diode to reduce loop gain and minimize gain compression. In a second embodiment, the PIN diode is not included, and the closed loop control circuit output signal is coupled to the emitter of the BJT. In operation with the second embodiment, during start-up current provided to the emitter of the BJT will be at a maximum and the BJT reflection coefficient will be unaffected to maximize loop gain. When operation approaches steady-state, feedback current will decrease current to the emitter of the BJT to reduce the reflection coefficient of the BJT and thus reduce overall loop gain.
Abstract:
A monolithically integrated switched capacitor bank using MEMS technology that is capable of handling GHz signal frequencies in both the RF and millimeter bands while maintaining precise digital selection of capacitor levels over a wide tuning range. Each MEMS switch includes a cantilever arm that is affixed to the substrate and extends over a ground line and a gapped signal line. An electrical contact is formed on the bottom of the cantilever arm positioned above and facing the gap in the signal line. A top electrode atop the cantilever arm forms a control capacitor structure above the ground line. A capacitor structure, preferably a MEMS capacitor suspended above the substrate at approximately the same height as the cantilever arm, is anchored to the substrate and connected in series with a MEMS switch. The MEMS switch is actuated by applying a voltage to the top electrode, which produces an electrostatic force that attracts the control capacitor structure toward the ground line, thereby causing the electrical contact to close the gap in the signal line and connect the MEMS capacitor structure between a pair of output terminals. The integrated MEMS switch-capacitor pairs have a large range between their on-state and off-state impedance, and thus exhibit superior isolation and insertion loss characteristics.
Abstract:
A voltage controlled push-push oscillator is provided having a variable frequency output over a range of frequencies. Usually, the range of frequencies is in the microwave range. The configuration is such that the collectors of a pair of transistors are tied together, and an inductive reactance is provided across the base and collector of each of the transistors, with the emitters of the pair of transistors being each connected to opposite phases (at the fundamental frequency) of a resonator which may comprise of one or more elements, bisected to provide an output tap at which an RF null at the fundamental frequency and an anti-null at the second harmonic exists, whereby the second harmonic output frequency of the push-push oscillator is derived. Particularly when the push-push oscillator operates at microwave frequencies, the resonator element is a microstrip line, having the output tap at the centre thereof. A source of DC voltage is connected to the commonly connected collectors, a source of variable DC tuning voltage is connected to each of the bases of the transistors, and a DC current source is connected to each emitter whereby a common current source can supply the sum of the emitter currents, whereby the RF voltage null (at the fundamental frequency) at the resonator centre is utilized to isolate the fundamental frequency signal from the current source, which is connected through a bias choke which in turn isolates the current source from the second harmonic. The output is twice the operating frequency of each transistor and is produced by each transistor to have the same phase relationship (push-push). The second harmonic is produced by the nonlinearities of the transistor pairs which oscillate at the fundamental oscillating frequency whereby the fundamental signal is opposite in phase with respect to each transistor (push-pull). Output power is derived from the transistors so as to maintain the same phasing at the second harmonic and opposite phasing at the fundamental oscillating frequency whereby the fundamental is cancelled and second harmonic added, such as when a centre tapped resonator with even symmetry about the output tap is used as the output.
Abstract:
An oscillator circuit is tunable by a tuning circuit which includes a spiral inductor disposed on a ferrite substrate. The oscillator circuit is tuned or modulated by varying a current through the spiral inductor.