Methods and apparatuses for use in tuning reactance in a circuit device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9806694-B2
Application number	US-201514883512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2015
Priority date	Feb 28, 2008
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for use in tuning reactance are described. Open loop and closed loop control for tuning of reactances are also described. Tunable inductors and/or tunable capacitors may be used in filters, resonant circuits, matching networks, and phase shifters. Ability to control inductance and/or capacitance in a circuit leads to flexibility in operation of the circuit, since the circuit may be tuned to operate under a range of different operating frequencies.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tunable inductor, comprising:
a first RF terminal;
a second RF terminal;
a plurality of inductive elements connected therebetween, wherein each inductive element is an inductor or a portion thereof;
a plurality of switches coupled with the plurality of inductive elements, wherein each switch of the plurality of switches is configured to receive a control signal, and wherein the control signal controls inductance applied between the first RF terminal and the second RF terminal by turning on or off switches in the plurality of switches; and
at least one bypass switch comprising a plurality of series connected switches, wherein the at least one bypass switch is connected to a bypass node within the tunable inductor via a first terminal of the at least one bypass switch and to the second RF terminal via a second terminal of the at least one bypass switch, the at least one bypass switch being configured to selectively exclude, via a first mode of operation of the at least one bypass switch, and to include, via a second mode of operation of the at least one bypass switch, at least two inductive elements of the plurality of inductive elements and corresponding connected switches of the plurality of the series connected switches in a conduction path between the first RF terminal and the second RF terminal,
wherein at least one inductive element in the plurality of inductive elements is coupled with at least two switches from among the plurality of switches, the at least two switches being serially connected therebetween.

2. The tunable inductor of claim 1 , wherein:
each inductive element of the plurality of inductive elements is connected with at least one switch of the plurality of switches, and each switch of the at least one switch is configured, during operation, to receive the same control signal.

3. The tunable inductor according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one switch comprise a plurality of serially connected switches.

4. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , wherein at least one inductive element in the plurality of inductive elements is connected in parallel with at least one switch in the plurality of switches.

5. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of inductive elements are serially connected therebetween.

6. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , wherein at least one inductive element in the plurality of inductive elements is serially connected with at least one switch in the plurality of switches.

7. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , wherein at least one inductive element in the plurality of inductive elements is connected in parallel with another inductive element in the plurality of inductive elements.

8. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , wherein each inductive element in the plurality of inductive elements is connected with at least two switches from among the plurality of switches, the at least two switches being serially connected therebetween.

9. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of inductive elements are connected in parallel or in series with each other.

10. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , the plurality of inductive elements comprising at least a first inductive element, a second inductive element, and a third inductive element, wherein inductance values of the first inductive element and the second inductive element differ by a first scaling factor and inductance values of the second inductive element and the third inductive element differ by a second scaling factor.

11. The tunable inductor according to claim 10 , wherein the first scaling factor is equal to the second scaling factor.

12. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , wherein at least one switch in the plurality of switches is selected from the group consisting of a field effect transistor, an accumulated charge control field effect transistor, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch, a diode, and a bipolar junction transistor.

13. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , wherein each inductive element in the plurality of inductive elements is either a lumped element or a distributed element.

14. The tunable inductor according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of switches is integrated onto a chip and each inductive element in the plurality of inductive elements is either integrated onto the chip or off-chip.

15. The tunable inductor according to claim 14 , wherein the plurality of switches and each inductive element in the plurality of inductive elements is integrated onto the chip.

16. The tunable inductor according to claim 14 , wherein the chip is a silicon-on-insulator chip.

17. The tunable inductor according to claim 14 , wherein the chip is a silicon-on-sapphire chip.

18. A system for tuning reactance to generate a target signal, the system comprising:
the circuital arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the circuital arrangement is configured, during operation, to receive a first signal and generate a second signal; and
a controller configured, during operation, to provide a plurality of control signals to the circuital arrangement, wherein the plurality of control signals is a function of the second signal and the target signal.

19. A method for tuning reactance of a circuital arrangement to generate a target signal, the method comprising:
providing the circuital arrangement according to claim 1 ;
applying a first signal and a plurality of control signals to the circuital arrangement, wherein reactance of the circuital arrangement is a function of the plurality of control signals;
generating a second signal based on the applying; and
adjusting the plurality of control signals based on the second signal and the target signal.

20. The tunable inductor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of switches are field effect transistor (FET) switches.

21. A circuital arrangement with a tunable impedance, the circuital arrangement comprising:
a first RF terminal;
a second RF terminal;
a fixed reactance, wherein the fixed reactance comprises a fixed inductor or a portion thereof and/or a fixed capacitor;
a plurality of switches connected in parallel or series with the fixed reactance, wherein each switch in the plurality of switches is configured, during operation, to receive a control signal;
a plurality of individual reactances connected with the plurality of switches,
wherein at least one individual reactance is connected with at least two switches from among the plurality of switches, the at least two switches being serially connected therebetween; and
at least one bypass switch comprising a plurality of series connected switches, wherein the at least one bypass switch is connected to a first individual reactance of the plurality of individual reactances via a first terminal of the bypass switch and to a second individual reactance of the plurality of reactances via a second terminal of the bypass switch, the bypass switch being configured to selectively exclude and include, via a bypass control signal, a conduction path comprising the first and the second individual reactances in the circuital arrangement,

wherein:
whether impedance of a particular individual reactance among the plurality of individual reactances contributes to impedance of the circuital arrangement is based on a control signal received, during operation, by a particular switch in the plurality of switches that is connected with the particular individual reactance, the con

Assignees

• Peregrine Semiconductor Corp

Inventors

• Reedy Ronald Eugene
• Nobbe Dan William
• Ranta Tero Tapio
• Liss Cheryl V
• Kovac David

Classifications

• H10W20/496

  Capacitor integral with wiring layers · CPC title

• H03H7/38

  Impedance-matching networks · CPC title

• H03K17/162 Primary

  without feedback from the output circuit to the control circuit · CPC title

• H03J3/20

  of single resonant circuit by varying inductance only or capacitance only · CPC title

• H03H11/28 Primary

  Impedance matching networks · CPC title