Oscillator and imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11770102-B2
Application number	US-202217894244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2022
Priority date	Aug 26, 2019
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

An oscillator is comprising a plurality of resonators and a voltage bias circuit that applies voltages to the plurality of resonators. Each of the plurality of resonators has a negative resistance element. In the oscillator, the plurality of resonators are connected in parallel to the voltage bias circuit respectively via separate inductors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oscillator comprising:
(i) a chip having a plurality of oscillation circuits, the chip being disposed on a board, the plurality of oscillation circuits configured to generate electromagnetic waves of a frequency included in a range of 30 GHz to THz,
(ii) a voltage bias circuit configured to apply voltages to the plurality of oscillation circuits, the voltage bias circuit being disposed on the board, and
(iii) an inductor disposed between paths connecting the voltage bias circuit and the chip, the inductor being disposed on the board.

2. The oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of the oscillation circuits includes a negative resistance element, and
wherein, at a predetermined frequency or higher, impedance of the inductor is higher than impedance of a negative resistance element of an oscillation circuit, among the plurality of oscillation circuits, that corresponds to the inductor.

3. The oscillator according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined frequency is a frequency of at least 10 KHz.

4. The oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein the inductor is a surface-mounted element.

5. The oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein the inductor has a loop-shaped wiring.

6. The oscillator according to claim 1 further comprising a shunt element disposed on the board.

7. The oscillator according to claim 6 wherein the shunt element is constituted by a capacitive element.

8. The oscillator according to claim 6 , wherein, in the shunt element, a resistive element and a capacitive element are connected in series.

9. The oscillator according to claim 6 , wherein the inductor is a first inductor and the shunt element is a first shunt element, and
wherein the chip includes:
a second inductor,
a second shunt element, and
an electrode to which a voltage from the voltage bias circuit is input.

10. The oscillator according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of oscillation circuits have a first oscillation circuit, and
wherein the first oscillation circuit, the second shunt element, the second inductor, and the electrode are connected in this order.

11. The oscillator according to claim 10 , wherein an impedance of the second inductor is less than an impedance of the first inductor.

12. The oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage bias circuit applies AC voltages to the plurality of oscillation circuits.

13. The oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of the oscillation circuits includes a negative resistance element, and
wherein the negative resistance element is a resonant tunneling diode.

14. The oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein a size of the chip is between several square millimeters and several tens of square millimeters.

15. A device comprising:
an oscillator device including the oscillator according to claim 1 ; and
a detecting device for detecting an object that has been irradiated with electromagnetic waves generated by the oscillator.

16. The oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of oscillation circuits includes a capacitor, an inductor, and an element having a negative resistance component, as an equivalent circuit, and
wherein the capacitor, the inductor, and the element having the negative resistance component are connected in parallel to each other.

17. An oscillator comprising:
an oscillation circuit configured to generate electromagnetic waves of a frequency included in a range of 30 GHz to 30 THz;
an antenna connected to the oscillation circuit;
a first wiring connected to the antenna;
an inductor connected to the first wiring;
a second wiring connected to the inductor; and
an electrode connected to the second wiring and for supplying a voltage to the oscillation circuit.

18. The oscillator according to claim 17 , wherein the oscillation circuit is a first oscillation circuit, the inductor is a first inductor, the electrode is a first electrode, and the voltage is a first voltage, and
wherein the oscillator further comprises:
a second oscillation circuit,
a third wiring connected to the second oscillation circuit,
a second inductor connected to the third wiring,
a fourth wiring connected to the second inductor, and
a second electrode connected to the fourth wiring and for supplying a second voltage to the second oscillation circuit.

19. The oscillator according to claim 18 , further comprising:
a third oscillation circuit,
a fifth wiring connected to the third oscillation circuit,
a third inductor connected to the fifth wiring,
a sixth wiring connected to the third inductor, and
a third electrode connected to the sixth wiring and for supplying a third voltage to the third oscillation circuit.

20. The oscillator according to claim 17 , wherein the electrode is a first electrode and the voltage is a first voltage, and
wherein the oscillator further comprises a second electrode for supplying a second, voltage, which is different from the first voltage, to the oscillation circuit.

21. The oscillator according to claim 20 , wherein the oscillation circuit is disposed on a board, and the second voltage is supplied to the board via the second electrode.

22. The oscillator according to claim 17 , further comprising a board,
wherein the oscillation circuit, the antenna, the first wiring, the inductor, the second wiring, and the electrode are disposed on the board.

23. The oscillator according to claim 22 , wherein a size of the board is between several square millimeters and several tens of square millimeters.

24. The oscillator according to claim 17 , further comprising a shunt element which is disposed in parallel with the oscillation circuit and includes at least a capacitive element.

25. The oscillator according to claim 24 , wherein, in the shunt element, a resistive element and the capacitive element are connected in series.

26. The oscillator according to claim 17 , further comprising a voltage bias circuit that applies AC voltages to the oscillation circuit.

27. The oscillator according to claim 17 , further comprising a negative resistance element that is a resonant tunneling diode.

28. A device comprising:
an oscillator device including the oscillator according to claim 17 ; and
a detecting device for detecting an object that has been irradiated with electromagnetic waves generated by the oscillator.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kandori Atsushi
• Kaifu Noriyuki

Classifications

• H03B5/129 Primary

  the parameter being a bias voltage or a power supply · CPC title

• H03B7/08 Primary

  being a tunnel diode · CPC title