WO2014145687A1 - Tuning systems, devices, and methods - Google Patents
Tuning systems, devices, and methods Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2014145687A1 WO2014145687A1 PCT/US2014/030492 US2014030492W WO2014145687A1 WO 2014145687 A1 WO2014145687 A1 WO 2014145687A1 US 2014030492 W US2014030492 W US 2014030492W WO 2014145687 A1 WO2014145687 A1 WO 2014145687A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- inductor
- capacitor
- inductive elements
- laminate layer
- conductive laminate
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 15
- 239000003990 capacitor Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 115
- 238000004804 winding Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 230000001939 inductive effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 23
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000005476 soldering Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 18
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 18
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 18
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 16
- 239000002648 laminated material Substances 0.000 description 11
- 230000005684 electric field Effects 0.000 description 10
- 229910000679 solder Inorganic materials 0.000 description 7
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 6
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000003071 parasitic effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 5
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 4
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 4
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000010267 cellular communication Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 2
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910001218 Gallium arsenide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silver Chemical compound [Ag] BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000005266 casting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000919 ceramic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003989 dielectric material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000945 filler Substances 0.000 description 1
- PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N gold Chemical compound [Au] PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052737 gold Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010931 gold Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000010354 integration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012536 packaging technology Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008054 signal transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000377 silicon dioxide Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052709 silver Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000004332 silver Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01F—MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
- H01F21/00—Variable inductances or transformers of the signal type
- H01F21/02—Variable inductances or transformers of the signal type continuously variable, e.g. variometers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01F—MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
- H01F27/00—Details of transformers or inductances, in general
- H01F27/28—Coils; Windings; Conductive connections
- H01F27/2804—Printed windings
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01F—MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
- H01F27/00—Details of transformers or inductances, in general
- H01F27/40—Structural association with built-in electric component, e.g. fuse
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01F—MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
- H01F5/00—Coils
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
- H03H—IMPEDANCE NETWORKS, e.g. RESONANT CIRCUITS; RESONATORS
- H03H5/00—One-port networks comprising only passive electrical elements as network components
- H03H5/003—One-port networks comprising only passive electrical elements as network components comprising distributed impedance elements together with lumped impedance elements
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
- H03H—IMPEDANCE NETWORKS, e.g. RESONANT CIRCUITS; RESONATORS
- H03H5/00—One-port networks comprising only passive electrical elements as network components
- H03H5/12—One-port networks comprising only passive electrical elements as network components with at least one voltage- or current-dependent element
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01F—MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
- H01F27/00—Details of transformers or inductances, in general
- H01F27/28—Coils; Windings; Conductive connections
- H01F27/2804—Printed windings
- H01F2027/2809—Printed windings on stacked layers
Definitions
- the subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to operations and implementations of electrical inductors. More particularly, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to systems and implementations of operating tunable resonators. BACKGROUND
- tunable single resonance antennas have also been utilized for supporting multi-band operations.
- tunable single resonance antennas have limited tuning ranges due to device component constraints.
- tuning range can be limited by factors such as capacitance ratios between C m ax/C mi n of the antenna or the ratio between series impedance values and shunt parasitic impedance values when one or more antennas are placed in a series configuration.
- an inductance tuning system can include at least one inductor connected to a first terminal, the at least one inductor comprising of a plurality of inductive elements that are substantially magnetically coupled to each other, wherein spacing between the inductive elements are substantially less than diameters of the windings.
- At least one capacitor can be connected between one or more of the plurality of inductive elements and a second terminal.
- a method for tuning the inductance of an electrical resonator can include connecting at least one inductor to a first terminal, the at least one inductor comprising of a plurality of inductive elements that are substantially magnetically coupled to each other, wherein spacing between the inductive elements are substantially less than diameters of the windings.
- the method can further include connecting at least one capacitor between one or more of the plurality of inductive elements and a second terminal and selectively adjusting a capacitance of the at least one capacitor to adjust an inductance of the at least one inductor.
- Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figure 2 illustrates a frequency response graph of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- FIGS. 3A to 3D illustrate various operations of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figures 4A to 4C are different signal feed configurations of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figure 5 illustrates an antenna structure utilizing an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figures 6A to 6C illustrate various configurations of coupling an electric field into an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate various implementations of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figures 8A and 8B are cross section views of an inductance tuning system packaged using embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) technology illustrates a side view according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
- eWLB embedded wafer level ball grid array
- Figure 9 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a vertical inductor according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figure 10 illustrates a multi-layer planar inductor according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figure 1 1 illustrates an inductance tuning system mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figure 1 2 illustrates another inductance tuning system mounted on a
- FIG. 13A and 13B illustrate a configuration in which an inductance tuning system can be integrated into a PCB substrate according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
- Figures 14A and 14B illustrate an implementation where an inductor is mounted to an edge of a circuit laminate layer according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figures 15A and 15B are exemplary configurations of tunable helical resonators according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter
- Figures 16A to 19B are exemplary implementations of tunable helical resonators according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- Figure 20 illustrates an exemplary implementation of a tunable helical resonator mounted onto a PCB substrate according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- the present subject matter provides systems, devices, and methods that use inductance tuning systems comprising of a plurality of tunable capacitors that can tune inductances and impedances over a wide frequency range.
- inductance tuning systems comprising of a plurality of tunable capacitors that can tune inductances and impedances over a wide frequency range.
- Such an inductance tuning system can be easily implemented on a PCB/PWB substrate, which can bring down the size of a tunable antenna, make it more robust, more easily to be integrated with other circuit components, and at the same time maintain a constant characteristic impedance over a wide range of frequencies.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an inductance tuning system according to an embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- an inductance tuning system generally designated 100, can include an inductor L comprising a number N of windings through L N distributed throughout the inductor L, where N is a selectable integer value.
- spacing between each of windings through L N is substantially less than their diameters, and thus windings !_ ! through L N can be substantially magnetically coupled to each other.
- variable capacitors can be connected to a plurality of taps ⁇ N-[ through W N of inductor L, where a tap can be a node connecting two of windings U through L N of inductor L.
- one variable capacitor is connected to a first connection point T 1 ; and variable capacitors Co - CM can all be connected to a second connection point T 2 .
- variable capacitor C 0 can be connected to a first tap W 1 ;
- variable capacitor Ci can be connected to a second tap W 2 , and variable capacitor C M can be connected to an nth tap W N , etc.
- first and second connection points ⁇ and T 2 as illustrated in Figure 1 can be connected to other reactive elements (e.g., series or shunt capacitors and/or series or shunt inductors), and as such, inductance tuning system 100 does not have to be self-resonant at a frequency of operation.
- reactive elements e.g., series or shunt capacitors and/or series or shunt inductors
- capacitors C 0 - C M can be semiconductor devices (e.g., CMOS, PHEMT, Silicon-On-lnsulator (SOI), Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), tunable ceramics, BST) controlled by varying electric field or current.
- Variable capacitances can be achieved using electro-mechanical-actuation (e.g., MEMS), Electric field actuation (e.g., pin diodes, tunable dielectrics), or electrical semiconductor switches connected to an array of capacitances.
- the electrical semiconductor switches may be based on voltage field switching (e.g., PHEMT, CMOS) or current switching (e.g., bipolar transistors like GaAs HBT).
- capacitors C 0 - C M can be programmable using either one or more serial buses (e.g., SPI, RFFE, I2C) or programmable registers that operate with semiconductor devices (e.g., transistors, gates, ADCs) to produce variable capacitance values.
- a variable capacitance value can be programmable to an integer number of discrete capacitance settings according to a binary weighting scheme or a linearly weighting scheme.
- the impedance value of inductance tuning system 100 can be most dominantly influenced by one of variable capacitors Co through C M with the largest capacitance value. For example, if the capacitance values of capacitor Ci to C M are controlled to have comparatively low capacitance values, the impedance value of inductance tuning system 100 can be effectively controlled by the inductance value in series between taps W N through ⁇ N-[ and the capacitance value of capacitor C 0 . Similarly, if capacitors C 0 and C 2 -C M are configured to have low capacitance values, the impedance value of inductance tuning system 100 can be determined by the inductance value in series from taps W M to W 2 and the capacitance value of capacitor Ci .
- inductance tuning system 100 can be correspondingly controlled by the inductance value in series from first connection point ⁇ to that tap to which capacitor C x is connected and the capacitance value of capacitor C x .
- This configuration enables inductance tuning system 100 to achieve a wider tuning range compared to conventional systems, where the tuning range is limited by a tuning capacitance ratio (e.g., C m ax/C mi n).
- inductance tuning system 100 can be configured to provide impedance matching over a large frequency range (e.g., 1 .6GHz to 2.8GHz) with similar efficiencies to conventional systems.
- the configuration as illustrated in Figure 1 can also provide a system designer with precise and convenient control over the characteristic impedance of the system over a wide frequency range (e.g., to keep the characteristic impedance constant over a frequency range), thereby improving the performance of a cellular communication system.
- the capacitance value and its position along inductor L e.g., a selected one of capacitors C 0 - C M connected to a corresponding tap on inductor L as illustrated in Figure 1
- the impedance of the tuning capacitance can be kept constant.
- FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic representation of an inductance tuning system, generally designated 300, in accordance to an embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- Inductance tuning system 300 can include an inductor 302 comprising of a plurality of windings - L distributed through the length of inductor 302.
- Variable capacitors Co-C 3 can be connected to taps W W of inductor 302 and can be utilized to adjust the impedance value of inductance tuning system 300.
- parasitics in the capacitive tuning elements can be minimized by tuning the lowest frequencies (e.g., f min ) using variable capacitor C 0 .
- C 0 can be adjusted to have a high capacitance value compared to capacitors CrC 3 , and as such, the resonance frequency of inductance tuning system 300 can be determined by the maximum total inductance of inductor 302 (e.g., summed inductance across all of windings L 1 +L 2 +L 3 +L ) and the capacitance value of capacitor Co, as depicted in Figure 3B.
- inductance tuning system 300 can be configured to operate in a multi-resonant mode.
- variable capacitor C 3 can be selectively adjusted to resonate with inductance value of fourth winding L , while variable capacitors C 0 -C 2 can be selectively tuned to achieve a high impedance value (e.g., parallel resonance close to the operation frequency) with inductance values of first and second windings L L 2 .
- C 3 is the primary variable capacitor used for tuning the resonance frequency
- capacitance values of capacitors C 0 -C 2 can be kept relatively small and thereby reducing the parasitics associated with capacitors C 0 -C 2 as well.
- the minimum capacitance C min can be reduced by the configuration described above. Accordingly, because the frequency tuning range of inductance tuning system 300 depends at least partially on the ratio between the minimum capacitance C min and a maximum capacitance C max (e.g., Cm a x Cmin), system 300 can operate in a wider frequency range compared to a conventional system.
- a maximum capacitance C max e.g., Cm a x Cmin
- inductance tuning system 100 as described in Figure 1 can be implemented using multiple inductors (e.g., SMD inductors) or a single multi-turn inductor with tapped outputs (e.g., helical type).
- Figures 4A - 4C illustrate a multi-turn inductor with one or more tapped outputs according to various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- a first configuration of a multi-turn inductance tuning system, generally designated 400 can be a three terminal system, such as is illustrated in Figure 4A.
- multi-turn inductance tuning system 400 can also include a third connection point T 3 tied to capacitor C 0 .
- a second configuration for a multi-turn inductance tuning system can be configured such that second and third connection points T 2 and T 3 are coupled together, effectively making system 402 a two terminal system.
- a third configuration for a multi-turn inductance tuning system can have third connection point T 3 being coupled to second connection point T 2 and also tied to a signal ground, effectively making multi-turn inductance tuning system 404 a one terminal system.
- FIG. 5 illustrates an antenna structure, generally designated 500, according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- Antenna structure 500 can include a multi-turn inductor 504 comprising of a plurality of windings U through L M .
- Variable capacitors CO- CM can be connected to taps of inductor 504 and can be adjusted accordingly to produce desired impedance values.
- capacitors C 0 -C M and inductor 504 can effectively function as a LC ladder network, and an antenna element (i.e., antenna coupling plate 502) can be tied to inductor 504 for coupling electric fields and/or currents, where the antenna element can be a conductive material designed to radiate electric or magnetic field, sometimes directly to the far-field.
- the antenna element can be an antenna coupling element that couples its electric or magnetic field to another conductive body and thereby induces currents or electric fields that can be further coupled to the far field.
- an electric field can be capacitively coupled to antenna structure 500, and the LC ladder can be tuned to resonate at multiple frequencies for a resonator.
- the LC ladder can tune a resonance frequency such that the resonator can be effectively modeled as a series L, shunt C near the resonance frequency.
- the LC ladder network together with the capacitance of antenna coupling plate 502 can effectively form a combined equivalent Pi network, where the combined equivalent Pi network can dominate the frequency of resonance.
- the LC ladder network can advantageously provide frequency tuning over a wide frequency range despite the fact that variable capacitors C 0 -C M can include some fixed non- variable capacitances (e.g., parasitic capacitances).
- such LC ladder network also enables a system designer to control the characteristic impedances of the resonator (e.g., to keep the characteristic impedance constant over a wide frequency range).
- the antenna element can be a conductive plate (e.g., patch) or a conductive material with a cylindrical shape (e.g., wire).
- the antenna element can be a conductive geometrical shape fabricated by stamping, casting, etching or laser direct structuring (LDS).
- the antenna element can be replaced by an electric connector, where the electric connector can be connected to another antenna element.
- FIGS 6A to 6C illustrate various configurations where an electric field can be coupled into an antenna structure (e.g., antenna structure 500) according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- an electric field can be capacitively coupled to antenna coupling plate 502 from a feed terminal Pi and through a capacitor 602.
- an electric field can be coupled into antenna coupling plate 502 from a feed terminal ⁇ through another coupling plate 604.
- a feed terminal ⁇ can be capacitively coupled into antenna coupling plate 502 via a fixed or variable capacitor.
- one of the variable capacitors in the LC ladder network can be disconnected from ground and be tied to feed terminal ⁇ instead.
- magnetic fields can also be coupled into antenna structure 500 via antenna coupling plate 502.
- the system can be constructed in any of a variety of configurations.
- a vertical inductor fabricated using planar technology can be utilized for inductance tuning purposes.
- Figure 9 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a vertical inductor, generally designated 900, in accordance to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.
- Inductor 900 can include a plurality of layer 1 structures 902 and a plurality of layer 2 structures 904 that effectively function as windings of a multi-turn inductor.
- layer 1 structures 902 and Layer 2 structures 904 can be fixed on opposing sides of a substrate (not shown) and connected by a plurality of vias 906 as illustrated in Figure 9, where the thickness or length of the vias can be substantially the same as the thickness of the substrate.
- gaps g between each of layer 1 structures 902 and layer 2 structures 904 can be narrow enough such that magnetic fields generated by layer 1 structures 902 and layer 2 structures 904 are coupled together.
- electric fields generated by inductor 900 can be a horizontal field, and the magnetic field can be aligned with the center of the turns approximately at the middle of the inductor to form a rough dipole.
- connection terminals can be tied to either or both of layer 1 structures 902 and/or layer 2 structures 904 as a feed for inductor 900.
- a multi-layer inductor can be utilized with the inductance tuning system.
- a multi-layer planar inductor 1000 can be fabricated by connecting a plurality of substantially planar windings 1002 through a plurality of vias 1004.
- Each of substantially planar windings 1002 can be fixed to a non- conductive laminate surface (e.g., PCB) and function as a winding to a multi- turn inductor.
- each of substantially planar windings 1002 can be separated by a nonconductive laminate layer with thickness g such that magnetic fields generated by each of substantially planar windings 1002 can be coupled together.
- Figures 7A and 7B illustrate various implementations of an inductance tuning system according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- an inductor 700 comprising of a plurality of windings can be fixed to a nonconductive laminate substrate 702 (e.g., PCB or PWB), where nonconductive laminate surface 702 can be further connected to an array of capacitors.
- a nonconductive laminate substrate 702 e.g., PCB or PWB
- inductor 700 can be constructed from a single piece of wounded wire of conductive material (e.g., copper, aluminum, gold, silver, etc.) where one or more taps of inductor 700 can be connected with conductive circuit laminate material 706 using solder-like materials 704 or wire-bonding.
- a capacitor array 708 can be fixed to an opposite side of nonconductive laminate substrate 702 and be connected to inductor 700 through a plurality of via connections 710.
- capacitor array 708 can include a plurality of variable capacitors, and each variable capacitor can be connected with conductive circuit laminate material 706 using solder-like materials 704 (e.g., solder balls or solder paste) or wire-bonding techniques.
- a plurality of vias 710 constructed through nonconductive laminate substrate 702 can connect taps on inductor 700 with individual variable capacitors by connecting the conductive circuit laminate materials 706.
- first and second connection points ⁇ and T 2 can be constructed using conductive circuit laminate material 706 to provide input and/or feed terminals. This configuration advantageously allows an implementation of an inductance tuning system within a confined space, which can result in improved resonator quality factor (e.g., low inter inductor contact losses, etc.).
- SMD or SMT inductors and capacitors can be utilized to implement a LC ladder network for inductance tuning purposes.
- Figure 7C illustrates an exemplary configuration of a LC ladder network comprising of SMD components in accordance to various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- SMD inductors L L 4 can be electrically coupled to SMD capacitors C C 5 through conduction traces 712 by soldering, and SMD inductors L L 4 can be placed closely to each other such that their generated magnetic fields can be coupled together.
- each of the inductors L L 4 can function as windings of a multi-turn inductor, and capacitors C C 5 can be connected to nodes between two inductors for tuning impedances.
- connection terminals 714, 716 and 718 can each be tied to a capacitor for providing control signals and/or be coupled to another antenna element.
- Figure 8A illustrates a cross section view of an artificial or handling wafer being prepared for the eWLB process according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- a plurality of device dies 802 can be firstly placed or populated on an artificial wafer 800 where device die 802 can include electrical circuitries and variable capacitor arrays.
- the space between device dies 802 can then be filled with a mold compound 808, where mold compound 808 can include silica fillers to make tis mechanical properties similar to silicon.
- Interconnects such as solder balls 806 and RDLs 812 can be placed for providing electrical connections to device dies 802.
- connection vias 804 can be etched through device dies 802 for providing additional electrical connections.
- Mold compound 808 can be diced along dice lines 810 and individual device dies 802 can be obtained for further assembly with other device components.
- Figure 8B illustrates a cross section view of an inductance tuning structure, generally designated 840, being packaged using eWLB according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.
- Structure 840 can include a device die 846 embedded in mold compound 842, where device 846 can include an array of variable capacitors and other electrical circuitries.
- Interconnects such as solder balls 844 and RDLs 848 can provide electrical connections between die 846 and other device components such as an inductor 850.
- Inductor 850 can further be connected to an antenna element 852 for providing impedance tuning to an antenna.
- This configuration can advantageously have a fan out area where additional input/output terminals can be integrated into a single device structure (e.g. structure 840), thereby increases I/O density, and improves process easiness and integration flexibilities.
- an inductance tuning system can be implemented on a printed circuit board (PCB) or printed wire board (PWB) using multi-turn or multi-tap inductors.
- Figure 1 1 illustrates an inductance tuning system, generally designated 1100, mounted on a PCB or PWB surface according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- a multi-turn inductor 1104 and a capacitor array 1102 can be fixed to opposite sides of a nonconductive laminate material layer 1106, where the capacitor array can include a plurality of variable capacitors.
- individual capacitors in capacitor array 1102 can be connected to individual windings of inductor 1104 through a plurality of vias 1108 etched through layer 1106, where windings of inductor 1104 are connected to vias 1108 using conductive material (e.g., solder balls).
- capacitor array 1102 can be flip-chipped onto the backside of nonconductive laminate material layer 1106 and encapsulated in a cavity by one or more supports 1110, where supports 1110 can be mounted on a PCB/PWB or module laminate surface 1112. Vias 1114-1 , 1114 2 can be etched through supports 1110 for providing signal feeds and/or electrical connections.
- an antenna element 1116 such as a shaped sheet metal can be electrical coupled to a first terminal of inductor 1104, where the first terminal can be capacitively coupled to an antenna feed point 1120 through via 1114 2 .
- antenna feeds can be tied directly to antenna element 1116 or be connected to one or more capacitors in capacitor array 1102.
- inductor 1104 can also be a sheet metal inductor and a second terminal 1122 can be tied to inductor 1104, where second terminal 1122 can be tied to ground, a control signal or supply voltages.
- SMD/SMT inductors can be conveniently utilized.
- SMD inductors and capacitors can be surface mounted to layer 1106 and encapsulated in the cavity as described above.
- Figure 12 illustrates another configuration of an inductance tuning system, generally designated 1200, implemented on a PCB according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- a capacitor array 1202 and a multi-turn inductor 1204 can be attached to opposite sides of a nonconductive laminate layer 1208, where capacitor array 1202 can include a plurality of variable capacitors connected to windings of inductor 1204 through a plurality of vias 1206.
- Configuration 1200 can further include supports 1210-1 , 1210 2 , and 1210 3 positioned between nonconductive laminate layer 1208 and PCB substrate 1212, where vias 1214-1 , 1214 2 and 1214 3 can be etched though supports 1210i and 1210 2 for providing electrical signals and/or bias voltages.
- An antenna element 1216 such as an antenna coupling plate can be tied to one or more variable capacitors of capacitor array 1202.
- a feed coupling plate 1218 can be the opposing side of laminate layer 1208 spaced apart from antenna element 1216.
- Feed coupling plate 1218 be connected to a signal feed point 1220 through via 1210 2 embedded in support 1210 2 .
- Signal feeds received by feed coupling plate 1218 can be capacitively coupled to antenna element 1216.
- signal can be fed directly to antenna element 1216 (e.g., an inverted F antenna) or coupled into a feed terminal of inductor 1214 or a capacitor of capacitor array 1202.
- Configuration 1200 can further include a first ground plate 1222 tied to a second ground plate 1224 through a plurality of vias, where second ground plate 1224 can be fixed to an opposite side of PCB substrate 1212 away from inductor 1214 and capacitor array 1212. Second ground plate 1224 can provide grounding to capacitor array 1202 through via 1214 2 embedded in support 1210-
- fixed supports 1210i and 1210 2 can effectively function as shielding walls, encapsulating inductor 1214 from unwanted physical contacts, thereby improve overall device reliability.
- Figures 13A and 13B illustrate yet another configuration, generally designated 1300, where an inductance tuning system can be integrated onto a PCB according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- an inductor and an antenna element such as an antenna plate can be constructed out of a single piece of shaped sheet metal.
- configuration 1300 can include an inductor 1302 and antenna coupling plate 1304 fabricated from a single piece of shaped sheet metal and fixed to a surface (e.g., top surface) of a PCB substrate 1306.
- Inductor 1302 can be electrically coupled to a capacitor array 1308, where capacitor array 1308 can be either fixed to the same top surface of substrate 1306 or on an opposite surface (e.g., bottom surface).
- capacitor array 1308 can be flip chipped onto the bottom surface of substrate 1306 using inter-connect materials (e.g., solder balls), and a plurality of vias can be etched through substrate 1306 connecting capacitor array 1306 with inductor 1302.
- capacitor array 1308 can be coupled to the same top surface as inductor 1302 (e.g., using solder-like material) and can be connected to inductor 1302 through conductive traces.
- FIG. 13B illustrates a top view of configuration 1300 according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- an antenna element 1304 and an inductor 1302 can be both fixed on a top surface of PCB substrate 1306.
- Antenna element 1304 can be an antenna coupling plate electrically coupled to inductor 1302, and inductor 1302 can be a multi-turn inductor made out of bent sheet metal.
- Capacitor array 1308 can include a plurality of variable capacitors, where the variable capacitors can be attached to windings of inductor 1302 through a plurality of conductive traces. Alternatively, capacitor array 1308 can be attached to the backside (not shown) of substrate 1306 and be connected to inductor 1302 through a plurality of vias.
- an inductance tuning system can have inductors and/or capacitor arrays mounted on the edges of a circuit laminate layer.
- Figures 14A and 14B are illustration of an implementation, generally designated 1400, where an inductor is mounted to an edge of a circuit laminate layer according to embodiments of presently disclosed subject matter.
- an inductor 1404 can be mounted on an edge of a circuit laminate material 1410, and a capacitor array 1406 can be fixed to a top surface of said laminate material 1410 using interconnect materials (e.g., solder balls).
- Capacitor array 1406 can include a plurality of variable capacitors and be connected to inductor 1404 through a plurality of conductive traces (not shown).
- Circuit laminate material 1410 can be mounted on a PCB substrate 1402 where additional circuit components may also be mounted.
- Figure 14B illustrates a top view of implementation 1400 according to embodiments of presently disclosed subject matter.
- inductor 1404 can be mounted on the edge of circuit laminate material 1410 and connected to capacitor array 1408 through a plurality of conductive traces, where capacitor array 1408 can include a signal or grounding pad and where control signals can be connected to capacitor array 1408 and inductor 1404.
- inductor 1404 can further be connected to an antenna element 1412, such as a side-coupling antenna element made out of bended sheet metal, where the side-coupling antenna element can also be mounted onto the edge of circuit laminate material 1410.
- inductance tuning systems as described here can be conveniently utilized as a part of a helical resonator.
- inductance tuning systems as described in Figure 1 and Figures 4A to 4C can be encapsulated with a square or cylindrical conductive shield and effectively function as a tunable helical resonator with high Q factors.
- Figures 15A and 15B are exemplary configurations of tunable helical resonators according to embodiments of presently disclosed subject matter.
- an inductance tuning system 1500 similar to the system described in Figure 4B can be shielded with a substantially rectangular-shaped conductive shield 1502, where a feed terminal 1504 of system 1500 can be directly tied to shield 1502.
- Figure 15B illustrates an inductance tuning system 1510 that is similar to the system described in Figure 4A being shielded with conductive shield 1502, where system 1510 can have a feed terminal 1512 capacitively coupled to shield 1502.
- Figures 16A to 19B are exemplary implementations of tunable helical resonators according to embodiments of presently disclosed subject matter.
- Figure 16A illustrates a filter created by means of two tunable helical resonators 1600 coupled together where each resonator 1600 can include an inductance tuning system 1602 shielded with a square shaped conductive shielding 1608.
- a first feed terminal 1604 of inductance tuning system 1602 can be tied to a signal feed and connected to a capacitor 1610, while a second feed terminal 1606 can be capacitively coupled to shield 1608 and tied to ground.
- Figure 16B illustrates a circuit equivalent of the implementation described in Figure 16A and Figures 17A and 17B illustrate resonator 1600 and its simplified circuit equivalent.
- FIG 18A illustrates two tunable helical resonators 1800 coupled together where each resonator 1800 can include an inductance tuning system 1802 shielded with a substantially rectangular shaped conductive shielding 1808. Similar to the implementation described in Figure 16A, a first feed terminal 1804 of inductance tuning system 1802 can be tied to a signal feed and further connected to a capacitor 1812, while a second feed terminal 1810 can be capacitively coupled to shield 1808 and tied to ground. Furthermore, a variable capacitor 1812 can be tied to first feed terminal 1804 for adjusting the signal feed into system 1802.
- Figure 18B illustrates a circuit equivalent of the implementation described in Figure 18A and Figures 19A and 19B illustrate resonator 1800 and its simplified circuit equivalent.
- Figure 20 illustrates an exemplary implementation of a tunable helical resonator mounted onto a PCB substrate according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
- a tunable inductance system 2000 similar to the one described in Figure 1 1 can be encapsulated with a substantially rectangular shape conductive shield 2002 and function as a tunable helical resonator.
- a first signal feed terminal 2006 can be tied to capacitor array 2008, where capacitor array 2008 can include a plurality of variable capacitors and encapsulated in a flip chip (FC) ball grid array (BGA) cavity.
- First signal feed terminal 2006 can be further connected to a signal transmission line 2004 for receiving control signals.
- FC flip chip
- BGA ball grid array
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Filters And Equalizers (AREA)
- Coils Or Transformers For Communication (AREA)
Abstract
Systems and implementations for inductance tuning systems that are configured to operate in a wide range of frequencies are provided herein. The subject matter described herein can in some embodiments include an inductance tuning system including at least one inductor connected to a first terminal, the at least one inductor comprising of a plurality of inductive elements that are substantially magnetically coupled to each other, wherein spacing between the inductive elements are substantially less than diameters of the windings. At least one capacitor can be connected between one or more of the plurality of inductive elements and a second terminal.
Description
DESCRIPTION
TUNING SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS
PRIORITY CLAIM
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Serial No. 61 /794,982, filed March 15, 201 3, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to operations and implementations of electrical inductors. More particularly, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to systems and implementations of operating tunable resonators. BACKGROUND
For modern cellular communication systems, it is desirable to have handheld devices that can support multiple frequency bands (e.g., 3GPP, LTE bands). The ability to operate within multiple frequency bands have traditionally been achieved using devices such as fixed multi-resonance antennas. However, fixed multi-resonance antennas can be limited by the number of resonances they are able to achieve and the associated bandwidth of such resonances are not adequate to support a high number of frequency bands. In recent years, tunable single resonance antennas have also been utilized for supporting multi-band operations. However, tunable single resonance antennas have limited tuning ranges due to device component constraints. For example, tuning range can be limited by factors such as capacitance ratios between Cmax/Cmin of the antenna or the ratio between series impedance values and shunt parasitic impedance values when one or more antennas are placed in a series configuration.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to implement systems for tuning inductance over a broader range of frequencies.
SUMMARY
In accordance with this disclosure, inductance tuning systems, devices, and methods are provided. In one aspect, an inductance tuning system can include at least one inductor connected to a first terminal, the at least one inductor comprising of a plurality of inductive elements that are substantially magnetically coupled to each other, wherein spacing between the inductive elements are substantially less than diameters of the windings. At least one capacitor can be connected between one or more of the plurality of inductive elements and a second terminal.
In another aspect, a method for tuning the inductance of an electrical resonator is provided. The method can include connecting at least one inductor to a first terminal, the at least one inductor comprising of a plurality of inductive elements that are substantially magnetically coupled to each other, wherein spacing between the inductive elements are substantially less than diameters of the windings. The method can further include connecting at least one capacitor between one or more of the plurality of inductive elements and a second terminal and selectively adjusting a capacitance of the at least one capacitor to adjust an inductance of the at least one inductor.
Although some of the aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein have been stated hereinabove, and which are achieved in whole or in part by the presently disclosed subject matter, other aspects will become evident as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings as best described hereinbelow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features and advantages of the present subject matter will be more readily understood from the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that are given merely by way of explanatory and non-limiting example, and in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figure 2 illustrates a frequency response graph of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figures 3A to 3D illustrate various operations of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figures 4A to 4C are different signal feed configurations of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figure 5 illustrates an antenna structure utilizing an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figures 6A to 6C illustrate various configurations of coupling an electric field into an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figures 7A to 7C illustrate various implementations of an inductance tuning system according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figures 8A and 8B are cross section views of an inductance tuning system packaged using embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) technology illustrates a side view according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figure 9 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a vertical inductor according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figure 10 illustrates a multi-layer planar inductor according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figure 1 1 illustrates an inductance tuning system mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figure 1 2 illustrates another inductance tuning system mounted on a
PCB according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figures 13A and 13B illustrate a configuration in which an inductance tuning system can be integrated into a PCB substrate according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figures 14A and 14B illustrate an implementation where an inductor is mounted to an edge of a circuit laminate layer according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figures 15A and 15B are exemplary configurations of tunable helical resonators according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;
Figures 16A to 19B are exemplary implementations of tunable helical resonators according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter; and
Figure 20 illustrates an exemplary implementation of a tunable helical resonator mounted onto a PCB substrate according various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present subject matter provides systems, devices, and methods that use inductance tuning systems comprising of a plurality of tunable capacitors that can tune inductances and impedances over a wide frequency range. Such an inductance tuning system can be easily implemented on a PCB/PWB substrate, which can bring down the size of a tunable antenna, make it more robust, more easily to be integrated with other circuit components, and at the same time maintain a constant characteristic impedance over a wide range of frequencies.
Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an inductance tuning system according to an embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 1 , an inductance tuning system, generally designated 100, can include an inductor L comprising a number N of windings through LN distributed throughout the inductor L, where N is a selectable integer value. In some embodiments, spacing between each of windings through LN is substantially less than their diameters, and thus windings !_! through LN can be substantially magnetically coupled to each
other. One or more variable capacitors (e.g., capacitors C0 - CM) can be connected to a plurality of taps \N-[ through WN of inductor L, where a tap can be a node connecting two of windings U through LN of inductor L. For the purpose of illustrating the subject matter disclosed herein, one variable capacitor is connected to a first connection point T1 ; and variable capacitors Co - CM can all be connected to a second connection point T2. For example, variable capacitor C0 can be connected to a first tap W1 ; variable capacitor Ci can be connected to a second tap W2, and variable capacitor CM can be connected to an nth tap WN, etc. However, it is plausible that a particular tap/winding would have no capacitor attached to it. Furthermore, first and second connection points ΤΊ and T2 as illustrated in Figure 1 can be connected to other reactive elements (e.g., series or shunt capacitors and/or series or shunt inductors), and as such, inductance tuning system 100 does not have to be self-resonant at a frequency of operation.
In some embodiments, capacitors C0 - CM can be semiconductor devices (e.g., CMOS, PHEMT, Silicon-On-lnsulator (SOI), Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), tunable ceramics, BST) controlled by varying electric field or current. Variable capacitances can be achieved using electro-mechanical-actuation (e.g., MEMS), Electric field actuation (e.g., pin diodes, tunable dielectrics), or electrical semiconductor switches connected to an array of capacitances. The electrical semiconductor switches may be based on voltage field switching (e.g., PHEMT, CMOS) or current switching (e.g., bipolar transistors like GaAs HBT). Furthermore, in some embodiments, capacitors C0 - CM can be programmable using either one or more serial buses (e.g., SPI, RFFE, I2C) or programmable registers that operate with semiconductor devices (e.g., transistors, gates, ADCs) to produce variable capacitance values. In some embodiments, a variable capacitance value can be programmable to an integer number of discrete capacitance settings according to a binary weighting scheme or a linearly weighting scheme.
In some embodiments, the impedance value of inductance tuning system 100 can be most dominantly influenced by one of variable capacitors Co through CM with the largest capacitance value. For example, if the
capacitance values of capacitor Ci to CM are controlled to have comparatively low capacitance values, the impedance value of inductance tuning system 100 can be effectively controlled by the inductance value in series between taps WN through \N-[ and the capacitance value of capacitor C0. Similarly, if capacitors C0 and C2-CM are configured to have low capacitance values, the impedance value of inductance tuning system 100 can be determined by the inductance value in series from taps WM to W2 and the capacitance value of capacitor Ci . As such, when a particular capacitor Cx among capacitors C0 - CM is configured to have a capacitance value that is comparatively larger compared to the capacitance values of the rest of capacitors C0 - CM, the impedance value of inductance tuning system 100 can be correspondingly controlled by the inductance value in series from first connection point ΤΊ to that tap to which capacitor Cx is connected and the capacitance value of capacitor Cx. This configuration enables inductance tuning system 100 to achieve a wider tuning range compared to conventional systems, where the tuning range is limited by a tuning capacitance ratio (e.g., Cmax/Cmin). As illustrated in Figure 2, inductance tuning system 100 can be configured to provide impedance matching over a large frequency range (e.g., 1 .6GHz to 2.8GHz) with similar efficiencies to conventional systems.
In some embodiments, the configuration as illustrated in Figure 1 can also provide a system designer with precise and convenient control over the characteristic impedance of the system over a wide frequency range (e.g., to keep the characteristic impedance constant over a frequency range), thereby improving the performance of a cellular communication system. For example, for multi-band applications, the capacitance value and its position along inductor L (e.g., a selected one of capacitors C0 - CM connected to a corresponding tap on inductor L as illustrated in Figure 1 ) can be selected such that the impedance of the tuning capacitance can be kept constant.
In some embodiments, the general concept illustrated by inductance tuning system 100 can be utilized to further improve a resonator's tuning range by reduce or eliminate parasitics in the capacitive tuning elements. For example, Figure 3A illustrates a schematic representation of an
inductance tuning system, generally designated 300, in accordance to an embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter. Inductance tuning system 300 can include an inductor 302 comprising of a plurality of windings - L distributed through the length of inductor 302. Variable capacitors Co-C3 can be connected to taps W W of inductor 302 and can be utilized to adjust the impedance value of inductance tuning system 300. In some embodiments, parasitics in the capacitive tuning elements can be minimized by tuning the lowest frequencies (e.g., fmin) using variable capacitor C0. For example, for low frequency bands, C0 can be adjusted to have a high capacitance value compared to capacitors CrC3, and as such, the resonance frequency of inductance tuning system 300 can be determined by the maximum total inductance of inductor 302 (e.g., summed inductance across all of windings L1+L2+L3+L ) and the capacitance value of capacitor Co, as depicted in Figure 3B. For high frequency bands, inductance tuning system 300 can be configured to operate in a multi-resonant mode.
As depicted in Figures 3C and 3D, the capacitance value of variable capacitor C3 can be selectively adjusted to resonate with inductance value of fourth winding L , while variable capacitors C0-C2 can be selectively tuned to achieve a high impedance value (e.g., parallel resonance close to the operation frequency) with inductance values of first and second windings L L2. As such, because C3 is the primary variable capacitor used for tuning the resonance frequency, capacitance values of capacitors C0-C2 can be kept relatively small and thereby reducing the parasitics associated with capacitors C0-C2 as well. Furthermore, because a minimum capacitance Cmin is at least partially determined by the parasitic capacitances, the minimum capacitance Cmin can be reduced by the configuration described above. Accordingly, because the frequency tuning range of inductance tuning system 300 depends at least partially on the ratio between the minimum capacitance Cmin and a maximum capacitance Cmax (e.g., Cmax Cmin), system 300 can operate in a wider frequency range compared to a conventional system.
In some embodiments, inductance tuning system 100 as described in Figure 1 can be implemented using multiple inductors (e.g., SMD inductors)
or a single multi-turn inductor with tapped outputs (e.g., helical type). Figures 4A - 4C illustrate a multi-turn inductor with one or more tapped outputs according to various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. In some embodiments, a first configuration of a multi-turn inductance tuning system, generally designated 400, can be a three terminal system, such as is illustrated in Figure 4A. In addition to first and second connection points ΤΊ and T2, multi-turn inductance tuning system 400 can also include a third connection point T3 tied to capacitor C0. Furthermore, in some embodiments as illustrated in Figure 4B, a second configuration for a multi-turn inductance tuning system, generally designated 402, can be configured such that second and third connection points T2 and T3 are coupled together, effectively making system 402 a two terminal system. Further still, in some embodiments as illustrated in Figure 4C, a third configuration for a multi-turn inductance tuning system, generally designated 404, can have third connection point T3 being coupled to second connection point T2 and also tied to a signal ground, effectively making multi-turn inductance tuning system 404 a one terminal system.
In some embodiments, the general principle previously disclosed in Figure 1 can be applied to an antenna element to construct a tunable antenna structure. Figure 5 illustrates an antenna structure, generally designated 500, according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. Antenna structure 500 can include a multi-turn inductor 504 comprising of a plurality of windings U through LM. Variable capacitors CO- CM can be connected to taps of inductor 504 and can be adjusted accordingly to produce desired impedance values. In some embodiments, capacitors C0-CM and inductor 504 can effectively function as a LC ladder network, and an antenna element (i.e., antenna coupling plate 502) can be tied to inductor 504 for coupling electric fields and/or currents, where the antenna element can be a conductive material designed to radiate electric or magnetic field, sometimes directly to the far-field. In some embodiments, the antenna element can be an antenna coupling element that couples its electric or magnetic field to another conductive body and thereby induces currents or electric fields that can be further coupled to the far field. In some
embodiments, an electric field can be capacitively coupled to antenna structure 500, and the LC ladder can be tuned to resonate at multiple frequencies for a resonator. Furthermore, the LC ladder can tune a resonance frequency such that the resonator can be effectively modeled as a series L, shunt C near the resonance frequency. As such, the LC ladder network together with the capacitance of antenna coupling plate 502 can effectively form a combined equivalent Pi network, where the combined equivalent Pi network can dominate the frequency of resonance. As previously disclosed (e.g., Figures 3A-3D), the LC ladder network can advantageously provide frequency tuning over a wide frequency range despite the fact that variable capacitors C0-CM can include some fixed non- variable capacitances (e.g., parasitic capacitances). In addition, such LC ladder network also enables a system designer to control the characteristic impedances of the resonator (e.g., to keep the characteristic impedance constant over a wide frequency range).
In some embodiments, the antenna element can be a conductive plate (e.g., patch) or a conductive material with a cylindrical shape (e.g., wire). In some embodiments, the antenna element can be a conductive geometrical shape fabricated by stamping, casting, etching or laser direct structuring (LDS). In some embodiments, the antenna element can be replaced by an electric connector, where the electric connector can be connected to another antenna element.
In this regard, for example, Figures 6A to 6C illustrate various configurations where an electric field can be coupled into an antenna structure (e.g., antenna structure 500) according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 6A, an electric field can be capacitively coupled to antenna coupling plate 502 from a feed terminal Pi and through a capacitor 602. Alternatively or in addition, in some embodiments as depicted in Figure 6B, an electric field can be coupled into antenna coupling plate 502 from a feed terminal ΤΊ through another coupling plate 604. In yet a further alternative, a feed terminal ΤΊ can be capacitively coupled into antenna coupling plate 502 via a fixed or variable capacitor. For example, one of the variable capacitors in the LC ladder network can be
disconnected from ground and be tied to feed terminal ΤΊ instead. In yet another embodiment, magnetic fields can also be coupled into antenna structure 500 via antenna coupling plate 502.
To achieve an inductance tuning system having any of the above arrangements, the system can be constructed in any of a variety of configurations. In some embodiments, for example, a vertical inductor fabricated using planar technology can be utilized for inductance tuning purposes. Figure 9 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a vertical inductor, generally designated 900, in accordance to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein. Inductor 900 can include a plurality of layer 1 structures 902 and a plurality of layer 2 structures 904 that effectively function as windings of a multi-turn inductor. Specifically, for example, layer 1 structures 902 and Layer 2 structures 904 can be fixed on opposing sides of a substrate (not shown) and connected by a plurality of vias 906 as illustrated in Figure 9, where the thickness or length of the vias can be substantially the same as the thickness of the substrate. In some embodiments, gaps g between each of layer 1 structures 902 and layer 2 structures 904 can be narrow enough such that magnetic fields generated by layer 1 structures 902 and layer 2 structures 904 are coupled together. In some embodiments, electric fields generated by inductor 900 can be a horizontal field, and the magnetic field can be aligned with the center of the turns approximately at the middle of the inductor to form a rough dipole. Furthermore, connection terminals can be tied to either or both of layer 1 structures 902 and/or layer 2 structures 904 as a feed for inductor 900.
In an alternative physical configuration, a multi-layer inductor can be utilized with the inductance tuning system. As illustrated in Figure 10, for example, a multi-layer planar inductor 1000 can be fabricated by connecting a plurality of substantially planar windings 1002 through a plurality of vias 1004. Each of substantially planar windings 1002 can be fixed to a non- conductive laminate surface (e.g., PCB) and function as a winding to a multi- turn inductor. Furthermore, each of substantially planar windings 1002 can be separated by a nonconductive laminate layer with thickness g such that
magnetic fields generated by each of substantially planar windings 1002 can be coupled together.
In some embodiments, the general concept disclosed in Figure 1 can be implemented in a confined space. Figures 7A and 7B illustrate various implementations of an inductance tuning system according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. As depicted in Figure 7A, for example, an inductor 700 comprising of a plurality of windings can be fixed to a nonconductive laminate substrate 702 (e.g., PCB or PWB), where nonconductive laminate surface 702 can be further connected to an array of capacitors. For example, inductor 700 can be constructed from a single piece of wounded wire of conductive material (e.g., copper, aluminum, gold, silver, etc.) where one or more taps of inductor 700 can be connected with conductive circuit laminate material 706 using solder-like materials 704 or wire-bonding. In some embodiments, a capacitor array 708 can be fixed to an opposite side of nonconductive laminate substrate 702 and be connected to inductor 700 through a plurality of via connections 710. For example, capacitor array 708 can include a plurality of variable capacitors, and each variable capacitor can be connected with conductive circuit laminate material 706 using solder-like materials 704 (e.g., solder balls or solder paste) or wire-bonding techniques. A plurality of vias 710 constructed through nonconductive laminate substrate 702 can connect taps on inductor 700 with individual variable capacitors by connecting the conductive circuit laminate materials 706. Furthermore, first and second connection points ΤΊ and T2 can be constructed using conductive circuit laminate material 706 to provide input and/or feed terminals. This configuration advantageously allows an implementation of an inductance tuning system within a confined space, which can result in improved resonator quality factor (e.g., low inter inductor contact losses, etc.).
In some embodiments, SMD or SMT inductors and capacitors can be utilized to implement a LC ladder network for inductance tuning purposes. Figure 7C illustrates an exemplary configuration of a LC ladder network comprising of SMD components in accordance to various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 7C, SMD
inductors L L4 can be electrically coupled to SMD capacitors C C5 through conduction traces 712 by soldering, and SMD inductors L L4 can be placed closely to each other such that their generated magnetic fields can be coupled together. In some embodiments, each of the inductors L L4 can function as windings of a multi-turn inductor, and capacitors C C5 can be connected to nodes between two inductors for tuning impedances. Furthermore, connection terminals 714, 716 and 718 can each be tied to a capacitor for providing control signals and/or be coupled to another antenna element.
In some embodiments, the general concept disclosed in Figure 1 can be implemented using embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) packaging technology. Figure 8A illustrates a cross section view of an artificial or handling wafer being prepared for the eWLB process according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 8A, a plurality of device dies 802 can be firstly placed or populated on an artificial wafer 800 where device die 802 can include electrical circuitries and variable capacitor arrays. The space between device dies 802 can then be filled with a mold compound 808, where mold compound 808 can include silica fillers to make tis mechanical properties similar to silicon. Interconnects such as solder balls 806 and RDLs 812 can be placed for providing electrical connections to device dies 802. In some embodiments, connection vias 804 can be etched through device dies 802 for providing additional electrical connections. Mold compound 808 can be diced along dice lines 810 and individual device dies 802 can be obtained for further assembly with other device components.
Figure 8B illustrates a cross section view of an inductance tuning structure, generally designated 840, being packaged using eWLB according to embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein. Structure 840 can include a device die 846 embedded in mold compound 842, where device 846 can include an array of variable capacitors and other electrical circuitries. Interconnects such as solder balls 844 and RDLs 848 can provide electrical connections between die 846 and other device components such as an inductor 850. Inductor 850 can further be connected to an antenna element
852 for providing impedance tuning to an antenna. This configuration can advantageously have a fan out area where additional input/output terminals can be integrated into a single device structure (e.g. structure 840), thereby increases I/O density, and improves process easiness and integration flexibilities.
In some embodiments, an inductance tuning system can be implemented on a printed circuit board (PCB) or printed wire board (PWB) using multi-turn or multi-tap inductors. Figure 1 1 illustrates an inductance tuning system, generally designated 1100, mounted on a PCB or PWB surface according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 1 1 , a multi-turn inductor 1104 and a capacitor array 1102 can be fixed to opposite sides of a nonconductive laminate material layer 1106, where the capacitor array can include a plurality of variable capacitors. In some embodiments, individual capacitors in capacitor array 1102 can be connected to individual windings of inductor 1104 through a plurality of vias 1108 etched through layer 1106, where windings of inductor 1104 are connected to vias 1108 using conductive material (e.g., solder balls). Furthermore, capacitor array 1102 can be flip-chipped onto the backside of nonconductive laminate material layer 1106 and encapsulated in a cavity by one or more supports 1110, where supports 1110 can be mounted on a PCB/PWB or module laminate surface 1112. Vias 1114-1 , 11142 can be etched through supports 1110 for providing signal feeds and/or electrical connections. For example, an antenna element 1116 such as a shaped sheet metal can be electrical coupled to a first terminal of inductor 1104, where the first terminal can be capacitively coupled to an antenna feed point 1120 through via 11142. Alternatively, antenna feeds can be tied directly to antenna element 1116 or be connected to one or more capacitors in capacitor array 1102. In some embodiments, inductor 1104 can also be a sheet metal inductor and a second terminal 1122 can be tied to inductor 1104, where second terminal 1122 can be tied to ground, a control signal or supply voltages. It should be noted that even though multi-turn inductors fabricated using single wires are used for illustrating the general concept here, other kinds of inductors (e.g., SMD/SMT inductors) can be
conveniently utilized. For example, SMD inductors and capacitors can be surface mounted to layer 1106 and encapsulated in the cavity as described above.
Figure 12 illustrates another configuration of an inductance tuning system, generally designated 1200, implemented on a PCB according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 12, a capacitor array 1202 and a multi-turn inductor 1204 can be attached to opposite sides of a nonconductive laminate layer 1208, where capacitor array 1202 can include a plurality of variable capacitors connected to windings of inductor 1204 through a plurality of vias 1206. Configuration 1200 can further include supports 1210-1 , 12102, and 12103 positioned between nonconductive laminate layer 1208 and PCB substrate 1212, where vias 1214-1 , 12142 and 12143 can be etched though supports 1210i and 12102 for providing electrical signals and/or bias voltages. An antenna element 1216 such as an antenna coupling plate can be tied to one or more variable capacitors of capacitor array 1202. A feed coupling plate 1218 can be the opposing side of laminate layer 1208 spaced apart from antenna element 1216. Feed coupling plate 1218 be connected to a signal feed point 1220 through via 12102 embedded in support 12102. Signal feeds received by feed coupling plate 1218 can be capacitively coupled to antenna element 1216. Alternatively, signal can be fed directly to antenna element 1216 (e.g., an inverted F antenna) or coupled into a feed terminal of inductor 1214 or a capacitor of capacitor array 1202. Configuration 1200 can further include a first ground plate 1222 tied to a second ground plate 1224 through a plurality of vias, where second ground plate 1224 can be fixed to an opposite side of PCB substrate 1212 away from inductor 1214 and capacitor array 1212. Second ground plate 1224 can provide grounding to capacitor array 1202 through via 12142 embedded in support 1210-|. Configuration 1200 can further include a connection terminal 1226 where control signals can be coupled into capacitor array 1202 from terminal 1226 through via 12143 embedded in support 121Ο1. In addition, fixed supports 1210i and 12102 can effectively function as shielding walls, encapsulating inductor 1214 from unwanted physical contacts, thereby improve overall device reliability.
Figures 13A and 13B illustrate yet another configuration, generally designated 1300, where an inductance tuning system can be integrated onto a PCB according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. In some embodiments, an inductor and an antenna element such as an antenna plate can be constructed out of a single piece of shaped sheet metal. As illustrated in Figure 13A, configuration 1300 can include an inductor 1302 and antenna coupling plate 1304 fabricated from a single piece of shaped sheet metal and fixed to a surface (e.g., top surface) of a PCB substrate 1306. Inductor 1302 can be electrically coupled to a capacitor array 1308, where capacitor array 1308 can be either fixed to the same top surface of substrate 1306 or on an opposite surface (e.g., bottom surface). For example, capacitor array 1308 can be flip chipped onto the bottom surface of substrate 1306 using inter-connect materials (e.g., solder balls), and a plurality of vias can be etched through substrate 1306 connecting capacitor array 1306 with inductor 1302. Alternatively, capacitor array 1308 can be coupled to the same top surface as inductor 1302 (e.g., using solder-like material) and can be connected to inductor 1302 through conductive traces.
Figure 13B illustrates a top view of configuration 1300 according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 13B, an antenna element 1304 and an inductor 1302 can be both fixed on a top surface of PCB substrate 1306. Antenna element 1304 can be an antenna coupling plate electrically coupled to inductor 1302, and inductor 1302 can be a multi-turn inductor made out of bent sheet metal. Capacitor array 1308 can include a plurality of variable capacitors, where the variable capacitors can be attached to windings of inductor 1302 through a plurality of conductive traces. Alternatively, capacitor array 1308 can be attached to the backside (not shown) of substrate 1306 and be connected to inductor 1302 through a plurality of vias.
In some embodiments, an inductance tuning system can have inductors and/or capacitor arrays mounted on the edges of a circuit laminate layer. Figures 14A and 14B are illustration of an implementation, generally designated 1400, where an inductor is mounted to an edge of a circuit
laminate layer according to embodiments of presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 14A, an inductor 1404 can be mounted on an edge of a circuit laminate material 1410, and a capacitor array 1406 can be fixed to a top surface of said laminate material 1410 using interconnect materials (e.g., solder balls). Capacitor array 1406 can include a plurality of variable capacitors and be connected to inductor 1404 through a plurality of conductive traces (not shown). Circuit laminate material 1410 can be mounted on a PCB substrate 1402 where additional circuit components may also be mounted.
Figure 14B illustrates a top view of implementation 1400 according to embodiments of presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 14B, inductor 1404 can be mounted on the edge of circuit laminate material 1410 and connected to capacitor array 1408 through a plurality of conductive traces, where capacitor array 1408 can include a signal or grounding pad and where control signals can be connected to capacitor array 1408 and inductor 1404. In addition, inductor 1404 can further be connected to an antenna element 1412, such as a side-coupling antenna element made out of bended sheet metal, where the side-coupling antenna element can also be mounted onto the edge of circuit laminate material 1410.
In some embodiments, inductance tuning systems as described here can be conveniently utilized as a part of a helical resonator. For example, inductance tuning systems as described in Figure 1 and Figures 4A to 4C can be encapsulated with a square or cylindrical conductive shield and effectively function as a tunable helical resonator with high Q factors. Specifically, for example, Figures 15A and 15B are exemplary configurations of tunable helical resonators according to embodiments of presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 15A, an inductance tuning system 1500 similar to the system described in Figure 4B can be shielded with a substantially rectangular-shaped conductive shield 1502, where a feed terminal 1504 of system 1500 can be directly tied to shield 1502. Alternatively, Figure 15B illustrates an inductance tuning system 1510 that is similar to the system described in Figure 4A being shielded with conductive
shield 1502, where system 1510 can have a feed terminal 1512 capacitively coupled to shield 1502.
Figures 16A to 19B are exemplary implementations of tunable helical resonators according to embodiments of presently disclosed subject matter. Figure 16A illustrates a filter created by means of two tunable helical resonators 1600 coupled together where each resonator 1600 can include an inductance tuning system 1602 shielded with a square shaped conductive shielding 1608. In some embodiments, a first feed terminal 1604 of inductance tuning system 1602 can be tied to a signal feed and connected to a capacitor 1610, while a second feed terminal 1606 can be capacitively coupled to shield 1608 and tied to ground. Figure 16B illustrates a circuit equivalent of the implementation described in Figure 16A and Figures 17A and 17B illustrate resonator 1600 and its simplified circuit equivalent.
Figure 18A illustrates two tunable helical resonators 1800 coupled together where each resonator 1800 can include an inductance tuning system 1802 shielded with a substantially rectangular shaped conductive shielding 1808. Similar to the implementation described in Figure 16A, a first feed terminal 1804 of inductance tuning system 1802 can be tied to a signal feed and further connected to a capacitor 1812, while a second feed terminal 1810 can be capacitively coupled to shield 1808 and tied to ground. Furthermore, a variable capacitor 1812 can be tied to first feed terminal 1804 for adjusting the signal feed into system 1802. Figure 18B illustrates a circuit equivalent of the implementation described in Figure 18A and Figures 19A and 19B illustrate resonator 1800 and its simplified circuit equivalent.
Figure 20 illustrates an exemplary implementation of a tunable helical resonator mounted onto a PCB substrate according to embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated in Figure 20, a tunable inductance system 2000 similar to the one described in Figure 1 1 can be encapsulated with a substantially rectangular shape conductive shield 2002 and function as a tunable helical resonator. A first signal feed terminal 2006 can be tied to capacitor array 2008, where capacitor array 2008 can include a plurality of variable capacitors and encapsulated in a flip chip (FC) ball grid array (BGA) cavity. First signal feed terminal 2006 can be further connected
to a signal transmission line 2004 for receiving control signals. In addition to improved device performance (e.g., high Q) and reliability, such configuration can also be easily integrated with other circuit components
The present subject matter can be embodied in other forms without departure from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments described therefore are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Although the present subject matter has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of the present subject matter.
Claims
1 . An inductance tuning system comprising:
at least one inductor connected to a first terminal, the at least one inductor comprising of a plurality of inductive elements that are substantially magnetically coupled to each other, wherein spacing between the inductive elements are substantially less than diameters of the windings; and
at least one capacitor connected between one or more of the plurality of inductive elements and a second terminal.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal of the at least one inductor is in communication with at least one reactive element.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one capacitor is a tunable capacitor.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein a one of the at least one capacitor that is connected to the one of the plurality of inductive elements that is closest to the first terminal is tuned to a highest capacitance value among the at least one tunable capacitors connected to the inductor, wherein the inductor exhibits a low effective inductance value for high frequency operations.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein a one of the at least one capacitor that is connected to the one of the plurality of inductive elements that is furthest away from the first terminal is tuned to the highest capacitance value among the at least one tunable capacitors connected to the inductor, wherein the inductor exhibits a high effective inductance value for low frequency operations.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inductor comprises a multi-turn inductor; and
wherein plurality of inductive elements each comprise a turn of the multi-turn inductor.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the inductor is fabricated via a single piece of wound wire of conductive material.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of inductive elements comprises a plurality of SMD inductors.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of SMD inductors are connected in a series arrangement; and
wherein at least one tunable capacitor is connected to a node between two of the plurality of SMD inductors.
10. The system of claim 1 , comprising at least one shielding element that encapsulates the at least one inductor and the at least one capacitor.
1 1 . The system of claim 10, wherein the shielding element is connected to a ground.
12. The system of claim 1 , comprising a non-conductive laminate layer positioned between a first conductive laminate layer and a second conductive laminate layer; and
at least one conductive via connecting the first conductive laminate layer and the second conductive laminate layer through the non-conductive laminate layer.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of inductive elements of the inductor is connected to one of the first conductive laminate layer or the second conductive laminate layer.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of inductive elements of the inductor is connected to one of the first conductive laminate
layer or the second conductive laminate layer by one of soldering, bonding, or welding.
15. The system of claim 12, wherein the inductor and the capacitor are each connected to one of the first conductive laminate layer or the second conductive laminate layer.
16. The system of claim 12, wherein the inductor is connected to one of the first conductive laminate layer or the second conductive laminate layer and is surrounded by circuit board elements on at least two sides.
17. A method for tuning the inductance of an electrical resonator, the method comprising:
connecting at least one inductor to a first terminal, the at least one inductor comprising of a plurality of inductive elements that are substantially magnetically coupled to each other, wherein spacing between the inductive elements are substantially less than diameters of the windings
connecting at least one capacitor between one or more of the plurality of inductive elements and a second terminal; and
selectively adjusting a capacitance of the at least one capacitor to adjust an inductance of the at least one inductor.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein selectively adjusting a capacitance of the at least one capacitor comprises selectively adjusting a capacitance of a one of the at least one capacitor that is connected to the one of the plurality of inductive elements that is closest to the first terminal to a highest capacitance value among the at least one tunable capacitors connected to the inductor, wherein the inductor exhibits a low effective inductance value for high frequency operations.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein selectively adjusting a capacitance of the at least one capacitor comprises selectively adjusting a capacitance of a one of the at least one capacitor that is connected to the one of the
plurality of inductive elements that is furthest away from the first terminal to the highest capacitance value among the at least one tunable capacitors connected to the inductor, wherein the inductor exhibits a high effective inductance value for low frequency operations.
20. The method of claim 17, comprising encapsulating the at least one inductor and the at least one capacitor with at least one shielding element.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP14764528.7A EP2974012A4 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-03-17 | Tuning systems, devices, and methods |
CN201480027311.5A CN105210292B (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-03-17 | tuning system, device and method |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201361794982P | 2013-03-15 | 2013-03-15 | |
US61/794,982 | 2013-03-15 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2014145687A1 true WO2014145687A1 (en) | 2014-09-18 |
Family
ID=51538066
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2014/030492 WO2014145687A1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-03-17 | Tuning systems, devices, and methods |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (3) | US10147530B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2974012A4 (en) |
CN (1) | CN105210292B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2014145687A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10147530B2 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2018-12-04 | Wispry, Inc. | Tuning systems, devices and methods |
US11715722B2 (en) * | 2020-04-30 | 2023-08-01 | Wolfspeed, Inc. | Wirebond-constructed inductors |
Families Citing this family (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9800434B2 (en) * | 2013-04-22 | 2017-10-24 | International Business Machines Corporation | Millimeter wave phase shifters using tunable transmission lines |
US9570222B2 (en) | 2013-05-28 | 2017-02-14 | Tdk Corporation | Vector inductor having multiple mutually coupled metalization layers providing high quality factor |
US9324490B2 (en) | 2013-05-28 | 2016-04-26 | Tdk Corporation | Apparatus and methods for vector inductors |
US9735752B2 (en) * | 2014-12-03 | 2017-08-15 | Tdk Corporation | Apparatus and methods for tunable filters |
US9948265B2 (en) | 2015-05-14 | 2018-04-17 | Mediatek Inc. | Inductor capacitor tank for resonator |
US9929123B2 (en) * | 2015-06-08 | 2018-03-27 | Analog Devices, Inc. | Resonant circuit including bump pads |
WO2018012275A1 (en) * | 2016-07-15 | 2018-01-18 | 株式会社村田製作所 | Multiplexer, high-frequency front end circuit, and communication terminal |
CN111585054B (en) * | 2019-02-18 | 2021-11-05 | 荣耀终端有限公司 | Tuning device, antenna device and terminal equipment |
EP3966940A1 (en) * | 2019-05-08 | 2022-03-16 | Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | Multi-band equalizers |
US11658647B2 (en) * | 2020-08-19 | 2023-05-23 | Intrinsix Corp. | Adjustable delay line devices and methods thereof |
CN112054602A (en) * | 2020-09-09 | 2020-12-08 | 宁波微鹅电子科技有限公司 | Coil module and electric energy transmitting circuit |
Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2601338A (en) | 1947-10-31 | 1952-06-24 | Steatite Res Corp | Varialbe parallel resonant circuit |
US3769616A (en) | 1972-02-10 | 1973-10-30 | Bell & Howell Co | Solid state radiofrequency circuits |
US4495503A (en) | 1982-02-19 | 1985-01-22 | Morman William H | Slow wave antenna |
JPH09143715A (en) | 1995-11-27 | 1997-06-03 | Sony Corp | Matching device |
US7528795B2 (en) | 2007-01-09 | 2009-05-05 | Hiercomm, Inc. | High gain antenna and magnetic preamplifier |
US20100232474A1 (en) | 2007-03-14 | 2010-09-16 | Broadcom Corporation | Antenna system for use within a wireless communication device |
US20110175687A1 (en) | 2010-01-15 | 2011-07-21 | Wispry Inc. | Tunable matching network circuit topology devices and methods |
US20120242223A1 (en) | 2010-10-07 | 2012-09-27 | Topanga Technologies, Inc. | Electrodeless lamps with coaxial type resonators/waveguides and grounded coupling elements |
Family Cites Families (32)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1869870A (en) * | 1930-04-17 | 1932-08-02 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Filtering circuits |
US2636085A (en) * | 1945-09-05 | 1953-04-21 | Lawrence W Boothby | Frequency determining device |
US2512945A (en) * | 1946-06-28 | 1950-06-27 | Heinz E Kallmann | Radio-frequency transmission line section |
US3217275A (en) * | 1962-06-01 | 1965-11-09 | Collins Radio Co | Multicoupler system utilizing tunable trap |
US3163782A (en) * | 1963-07-25 | 1964-12-29 | Ling Temco Vought Inc | Multiple delay line solid state pulse modulator |
US3436687A (en) * | 1966-12-27 | 1969-04-01 | Honeywell Inc | Printed circuit delay line having mutually opposed,spiralled,inductance elements |
US3487339A (en) * | 1967-01-04 | 1969-12-30 | Rca Corp | Intermediate frequency coupling network having a sharply tuned sound carrier cancellation trap inductively coupled to the input circuit |
US3693117A (en) * | 1971-03-25 | 1972-09-19 | Robert E Byrns | Phase stable variable attenuator |
US3733608A (en) * | 1971-12-09 | 1973-05-15 | Motorola Inc | Circuit for coupling radio receiver and radio transmitter to a common antenna for duplex operation |
US4090140A (en) * | 1977-01-17 | 1978-05-16 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Constant current charging circuits for high energy modulators |
US4307331A (en) * | 1978-09-15 | 1981-12-22 | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | Hybrid switched-capacitor controlled-inductor static VAR generator and control apparatus |
GB2104327B (en) * | 1981-08-08 | 1984-12-19 | Marconi Co Ltd | Pulse circuits |
US5111169A (en) * | 1989-03-23 | 1992-05-05 | Takeshi Ikeda | Lc noise filter |
US5311158A (en) * | 1992-07-09 | 1994-05-10 | Rockwell International Corporation | High power tuning device using layered varactors |
JP3853855B2 (en) * | 1995-03-15 | 2006-12-06 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Phase shifter |
JP3452006B2 (en) * | 1999-12-07 | 2003-09-29 | 株式会社村田製作所 | Filter, duplexer and communication device |
DE10047214A1 (en) * | 2000-09-23 | 2002-04-11 | Philips Corp Intellectual Pty | Frequency filtering or selection circuit for HF signal reception and/or generation incorporated in IC metallisation with constant ohmic resistance |
AU2002351137A1 (en) * | 2001-12-20 | 2003-07-09 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Coupler, integrated electronic component and electronic device |
US6940365B2 (en) * | 2003-07-18 | 2005-09-06 | Rfstream Corporation | Methods and apparatus for an improved discrete LC filter |
JP4182979B2 (en) * | 2003-11-06 | 2008-11-19 | 株式会社村田製作所 | Resonator, filter, nonreciprocal circuit device, and communication device |
US7276993B2 (en) * | 2005-05-31 | 2007-10-02 | Agile Rf, Inc. | Analog phase shifter using cascaded voltage tunable capacitor |
KR100684148B1 (en) | 2005-11-03 | 2007-02-20 | 한국전자통신연구원 | Digital-controlled circulator and radio frequency identification reader having the same |
US20080278258A1 (en) * | 2007-05-08 | 2008-11-13 | Lianjun Liu | Integrated circuit having re-configurable balun circuit and method therefor |
US8576026B2 (en) * | 2007-12-28 | 2013-11-05 | Stats Chippac, Ltd. | Semiconductor device having balanced band-pass filter implemented with LC resonator |
US8791775B2 (en) * | 2010-03-30 | 2014-07-29 | Stats Chippac, Ltd. | Semiconductor device and method of forming high-attenuation balanced band-pass filter |
US20110260819A1 (en) | 2010-04-26 | 2011-10-27 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Continuously tunable inductor with variable resistors |
US8809956B2 (en) * | 2011-10-13 | 2014-08-19 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. | Vertically oriented semiconductor device and shielding structure thereof |
TWI499123B (en) * | 2011-12-14 | 2015-09-01 | 矽品精密工業股份有限公司 | Cross-coupled band pass filter |
CN102761119B (en) | 2012-07-13 | 2015-05-20 | 刘宝稳 | Reference pressure-variable arc-suppression coil tracking tuning control method |
CN102857191B (en) | 2012-08-30 | 2015-10-28 | 电子科技大学 | Inductance-variable resonator |
US8860521B2 (en) * | 2012-12-19 | 2014-10-14 | Intel IP Corporation | Variable inductor for LC oscillator |
EP2974012A4 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2016-11-23 | Wispry Inc | Tuning systems, devices, and methods |
-
2014
- 2014-03-17 EP EP14764528.7A patent/EP2974012A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2014-03-17 CN CN201480027311.5A patent/CN105210292B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2014-03-17 US US14/216,504 patent/US10147530B2/en active Active
- 2014-03-17 WO PCT/US2014/030492 patent/WO2014145687A1/en active Application Filing
-
2018
- 2018-11-16 US US16/193,841 patent/US10763023B2/en active Active
-
2020
- 2020-08-27 US US17/004,803 patent/US11195647B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2601338A (en) | 1947-10-31 | 1952-06-24 | Steatite Res Corp | Varialbe parallel resonant circuit |
US3769616A (en) | 1972-02-10 | 1973-10-30 | Bell & Howell Co | Solid state radiofrequency circuits |
US4495503A (en) | 1982-02-19 | 1985-01-22 | Morman William H | Slow wave antenna |
JPH09143715A (en) | 1995-11-27 | 1997-06-03 | Sony Corp | Matching device |
US7528795B2 (en) | 2007-01-09 | 2009-05-05 | Hiercomm, Inc. | High gain antenna and magnetic preamplifier |
US20100232474A1 (en) | 2007-03-14 | 2010-09-16 | Broadcom Corporation | Antenna system for use within a wireless communication device |
US20110175687A1 (en) | 2010-01-15 | 2011-07-21 | Wispry Inc. | Tunable matching network circuit topology devices and methods |
US20120242223A1 (en) | 2010-10-07 | 2012-09-27 | Topanga Technologies, Inc. | Electrodeless lamps with coaxial type resonators/waveguides and grounded coupling elements |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
See also references of EP2974012A4 |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10147530B2 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2018-12-04 | Wispry, Inc. | Tuning systems, devices and methods |
US10763023B2 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2020-09-01 | Wispry, Inc. | Tuning systems, devices, and methods |
US11195647B2 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2021-12-07 | Wispry, Inc. | Tuning systems, devices and methods |
US11715722B2 (en) * | 2020-04-30 | 2023-08-01 | Wolfspeed, Inc. | Wirebond-constructed inductors |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20200395157A1 (en) | 2020-12-17 |
US10147530B2 (en) | 2018-12-04 |
US10763023B2 (en) | 2020-09-01 |
US20190088398A1 (en) | 2019-03-21 |
US11195647B2 (en) | 2021-12-07 |
EP2974012A1 (en) | 2016-01-20 |
CN105210292A (en) | 2015-12-30 |
EP2974012A4 (en) | 2016-11-23 |
CN105210292B (en) | 2018-03-23 |
US20140285299A1 (en) | 2014-09-25 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US11195647B2 (en) | Tuning systems, devices and methods | |
US9705193B2 (en) | Antenna device and wireless communication apparatus | |
KR101721703B1 (en) | Semiconductor device and method of forming rf fem with lc filter and ipd filter over substrate | |
US8094080B2 (en) | Antenna and radio communication apparatus | |
US9692099B2 (en) | Antenna-matching device, antenna device and mobile communication terminal | |
EP2104178A1 (en) | Antenna unit and wireless communication apparatus | |
CN109672019B (en) | Terminal MIMO antenna device and method for realizing antenna signal transmission | |
TWI538308B (en) | Tunable antenna | |
MX2012005267A (en) | Flip-chip power amplifier and impedance matching network. | |
EP3050156A1 (en) | Techniques of tuning an antenna by weak coupling of a variable impedance component | |
US8648763B2 (en) | Ground radiator using capacitor | |
JP2006512003A (en) | Small volume antenna for portable radio equipment | |
US11201602B1 (en) | Apparatus and methods for tunable filtering | |
US9666939B2 (en) | Antenna bandwidth expander | |
EP2615686A1 (en) | Antenna and mobile communication apparatus | |
JP2006319867A (en) | Antenna module and wireless device using it | |
US20200373083A1 (en) | Antenna coupling element, antenna device, and communication terminal device | |
JP4661547B2 (en) | Antenna device | |
JP5729559B2 (en) | Antenna device | |
KR101672035B1 (en) | Antenna Bandwidth Expander | |
US20240235516A1 (en) | Filter device, antenna device, and antenna module | |
JP2007251852A (en) | Antenna device | |
JP6489153B2 (en) | Antenna device | |
JP2010245894A (en) | Antenna and radio communication equipment | |
KR101992517B1 (en) | Antenna device use board and antenna device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application |
Ref document number: 14764528 Country of ref document: EP Kind code of ref document: A1 |
|
NENP | Non-entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: DE |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 2014764528 Country of ref document: EP |