Method for designing coupling-function based millimeter wave electrical elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9431992-B2
Application number	US-201414286566-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2014
Priority date	Sep 15, 2010
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A method for designing a coupling-function based millimeter wave electrical element. The method comprises computing a length of a first metal line and a second metal line; computing a first number of turns for the first metal line and a second number of turns for the second metal line; determining a width value of each of the first metal line and the second metal line; determining a spacing value between the first metal line and the second metal line; winding the first metal line on a first metal layer according to the first number of turns and winding the second metal line on the first metal layer and, in part, on a second metal layer according to the second number of turns, thereby resulting in a spiraled structure; and setting ports for the spiraled structure to form a complete design of the millimeter wave electrical element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for fabricating an apparatus, comprising:
winding a first strip of conductive material on a first layer of a multi-layer substrate of the apparatus according to a first number of turns to form a first inductor;
winding a second strip of conductive material on the first layer of the multi-layer substrate and, in part, on a second layer of the multi-layer substrate according to a second number of turns to form a second inductor, wherein the first strip of conductive material and the second strip of conductive material are wound to form a spiraled structure such that the second strip of conductive material is magnetically coupled with the first strip of conductive material;
forming a third strip of conductive material around the first inductor and the second inductor on a third layer of the multi-layer substrate as viewed from a perspective perpendicular to the third layer, wherein a first part of the third strip of conductive material is shorted to a second part of the third strip of conductive material via a fourth strip of conductive material, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor overlap the fourth strip of conductive material as viewed from a perspective perpendicular to the third layer, and wherein the third strip of conductive material is used to provide a reference potential for a circuit comprising the first inductor and the second inductor; and
setting ports for the spiraled structure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured as a hybrid element or a phase shifter.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the hybrid element is a 90-degree hybrid element or a 180-degree hybrid element; and
the phase-shifter is a 90-degree phase-shifter or a 180-degree phase-shifter.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is a most upper layer of the multilayer substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second layer is on a layer that is adjacent to the first layer.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second strip of conductive material crosses the first strip of conductive material on the second layer of the multi-layer substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spiraled structure is characterized by mutual inductance and mutual capacitance of the first and second strips of conductive material.

8. A portable device, comprising:
an integrated circuit (IC) comprising a multi-layer substrate, wherein the IC further comprises:
a first strip of conductive material wound on a first layer of the multi-layer substrate according to a first number of turns to form a first inductor;
a second strip of conductive material wound on the first layer of the multi-layer substrate and, in part, on a second layer of the multi-layer substrate according to a second number of turns to form a second inductor, wherein the first strip of conductive material and the second strip of conductive material are wound to form a spiraled structure such that the second strip of conductive material is magnetically coupled with the first strip of conductive material;
a third strip of conductive material formed around the first inductor and the second inductor on a third layer of the multi-layer substrate as viewed from a perspective perpendicular to the third layer, wherein a first part of the third strip of conductive material is shorted to a second part of the third strip of conductive material via a fourth strip of conductive material, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor are formed over the fourth strip of conductive material as viewed from the perspective perpendicular to the third layer, and wherein the third strip of conductive material is used to provide a reference potential for a circuit comprising the first inductor and the second inductor; and
a plurality of ports for the spiraled structure.

9. The portable device of claim 8 , wherein the portable device is configured as a hybrid element or a phase-shifter.

10. The portable device of claim 9 , wherein:
the hybrid element is a 90-degree hybrid or a 180-degree hybrid element; and
the phase-shifter is a 90-degree phase-shifter or a 180-degree phase-shifter.

11. An apparatus, comprising:
a multi-layer substrate;
a first strip of conductive material wound on a first layer of the multi-layer substrate according to a first number of turns to form a first inductor;
a second strip of conductive material wound on the first layer of the multi-layer substrate and, in part, on a second layer of the multi-layer substrate according to a second number of turns to form a second inductor, wherein the first strip of conductive material and the second strip of conductive material are wound to form a spiraled structure such that the second strip of conductive material is magnetically coupled with the first strip of conductive material;
a third strip of conductive material formed around the first inductor and the second inductor on a third layer of the multi-layer substrate as viewed from a perspective perpendicular to the third layer, wherein a first part of the third strip of conductive material is shorted to a second part of the third strip of conductive material via a fourth strip of conductive material, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor overlap the fourth strip of conductive material as viewed from the perspective perpendicular to the third layer, and wherein the third strip of conductive material is used to provide a reference potential for a circuit comprising the first inductor and the second inductor; and
a plurality of ports for the spiraled structure.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first layer is a most upper layer of the multilayer substrate.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the apparatus is configured as a hybrid element or a phase-shifter.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:
the hybrid element is a 90-degree hybrid element or a 180-degree hybrid element; and
the phase-shifter is a 90-degree phase-shifter or a 180-degree phase-shifter.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the spiraled structure is characterized by mutual inductance and mutual capacitance of the first and second strips of conductive material.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second layer is on a layer that is adjacent to the first layer.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second strip of conductive material crosses the first strip of conductive material on the second layer of the multi-layer substrate.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Yehezkely Alon

Classifications

• H03H7/48 Primary

  Networks for connecting several sources or loads, working on the same frequency or frequency band, to a common load or source (phase shifters providing two or more output signals H03H7/21) · CPC title

• H01P5/184 Primary

  the guides being strip lines or microstrips · CPC title

• H03H2001/0085

  Multilayer, e.g. LTCC, HTCC, green sheets · CPC title

• H04B1/581

  using a transformer · CPC title

• H01F5/003

  Printed circuit coils · CPC title