Switchable inductor network for wideband circuits

• US 10,447,204 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Moslehi Bajestan, Masoud, Mohammadi Izad, Mehran, Farazian, Mohammad
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US15/705,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20190089304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2021/125 Printed variable inductor with taps, e.g. for VCO
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 21/12 discontinuously variable, e.g. tapped
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/28 Coils; Windings; Conductive connections
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0062 Bias and operating point
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0086 relating to the Q factor or damping of the resonant circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2201/0266 the means comprising a transistor
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1212 the amplifier comprising a pair of transistors, wherein an output terminal of each being connected to an input terminal of the other, e.g. a cross coupled pair
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1215 the current source or degeneration circuit being in common to both transistors of the pair, e.g. a cross-coupled long-tailed pair
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1228 the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/124 the means comprising a voltage dependent capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1243 the means comprising voltage variable capacitance diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1268 switched inductors

Abstract

The present disclosure describes aspects of a switchable inductor network for wideband circuits. In some aspects, the switchable inductor network provides selectable inductance. The switchable inductor network includes a first coil and a second coil that includes a first inductive segment and a second inductive segment. Connection points of the second coil connect the second coil across a portion of the first coil. The switchable inductor network also includes a switch connected between the first inductive segment and the second inductive segment of the second coil. The switch is configured to change the selectable inductance of the switchable inductor network by selectively coupling the first inductive segment to the second inductive segment of the second coil in response to a control signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a switchable inductor network comprising;

a first coil including an inner coil and an outer coil, the first coil including a first connection point and a second connection point, the first coil disposed along at least one axis at a first position;

a second coil including a first inductive segment and a second inductive segment, the first inductive segment connected to the first connection point of the first coil, and the second inductive segment connected to the second connection point of the first coil;

the second coil disposed along the at least one axis at a second position, the second position different from the first position; and

a switch connected between the first inductive segment of the second coil and the second inductive segment of the second coil, the switch configured to change, in response to a control signal, an inductance of the switchable inductor network by selectively coupling the first inductive segment of the second coil to the second inductive segment of the second coil to thereby connect the second coil across a portion of the first coil.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second position is different from the first position such that the second coil and the first coil are not concentric with respect to each other.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner coil and the outer coil of the first coil are concentric.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner coil and the outer coil of the first coil are formed on a single metal layer excepting a region of overlap.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a computing device, the computing device includes at least one wireless transceiver, and the at least one wireless transceiver comprises the switchable inductor network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner coil or the outer coil overlaps the other without direct electrical contact in a region of overlap.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner coil of the first coil is nested within the outer coil of the first coil.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein an inductance of the second coil is greater than or equal to a mutual inductance between the inner coil of the first coil and the outer coil of the first coil.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second coil and the outer coil of the first coil have substantially similar dimensions.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first connection point and the second connection point are positioned on the outer coil of the first coil, an overlap of the inner coil and the outer coil being disposed between the first connection point and the second connection point.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the connection of the second coil across the portion of the outer coil of the first coil is configured to couple the inner coil of the first coil and the second coil in parallel if the switch is in a closed-state, and the switch is configured to couple the first inductive segment of the second coil to the second inductive segment of the second coil in the closed-state.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second coil has multiple turns.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the multiple turns of the second coil comprise an outer turn and an inner turn, the inner turn being nested within the outer turn.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switch is configured to change, in response to the control signal, the inductance of the switchable inductor network by selectively decoupling the first inductive segment of the second coil from the second inductive segment of the second coil to thereby disconnect the second coil from being across the portion of the first coil.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises a transistor having a drain and a source, and the drain and the source switchably couple the first inductive segment of the second coil to the second inductive segment of the second coil.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first inductive segment of the second coil and the second inductive segment of the second coil are substantially equal in length.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switch is disposed at ends of the first inductive segment and the second inductive segment that are opposite from other ends of the first inductive segment and the second inductive segment that respectively connect to the first connection point of the first coil and the second connection point of the first coil.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the second coil is positioned adjacent to the first coil;

the first coil and the second coil are symmetric about the at least one axis;

terminals of the first coil are positioned symmetrically about the at least one axis; and

the first connection point of the first coil and the second connection point of the first coil are symmetric about the at least one axis.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first coil and the second coil are symmetric about the at least one axis, and the switch is positioned along the at least one axis.

20. A switchable inductor network, the switchable inductor network comprising:

a first coil including an inner coil and an outer coil, the first coil including a first connection point and a second connection point, the first coil disposed along at least one axis at a first position;

a second coil including a first inductive segment and a second inductive segment, the first inductive segment connected to the first connection point of the first coil, and the second inductive segment connected to the second connection point of the first coil;

the second coil disposed along the at least one axis at a second position, the second position different from the first position; and

means for selecting an inductance of the switchable inductor network in response to a control signal by selectively coupling the first inductive segment of the second coil to the second inductive segment of the second coil to thereby connect the second coil across a portion of the first coil.

21. The switchable inductor network of claim 20, wherein the means for selecting the inductance of the switchable inductor network in response to the control signal comprises means for selecting the inductance of the switchable inductor network in response to the control signal by selectively decoupling the first inductive segment of the second coil from the second inductive segment of the second coil to thereby disconnect the second coil from being across the portion of the first coil.

22. The switchable inductor network of claim 20, wherein the means for selecting the inductance comprises a switch that is connected between the first inductive segment of the second coil and the second inductive segment of the second coil.

23. The switchable inductor network of claim 20, wherein the first coil and the second coil are symmetric about the at least one axis, and the means for selecting the inductance is positioned along the at least one axis.

24. The switchable inductor network of claim 23, wherein of claim 20, wherein at least one of the inner coil or the outer coil overlaps the other without direct electrical contact in a region of overlap.

25. The switchable inductor network of claim 20, wherein an inductance of the second coil is greater than or equal to a mutual inductance between the inner coil of the first coil and the outer coil of the first coil.

26. The switchable inductor network of claim 20, wherein:

the second coil has multiple turns;

the multiple turns of the second coil comprise an outer turn and an inner turn, the inner turn being nested within the outer turn; and

at least one turn of the multiple turns of the second coil overlaps another turn of the second coil without direct electrical contact in a region of overlap.

27. A method for operating a switchable inductor network, the method comprising:

propagating a current through a first coil including an inner coil and an outer coil, the first coil including a first connection point and a second connection point, the first coil disposed along at least one axis at a first position;

activating, responsive to a control signal, a switch to selectively couple a first inductive segment of a second coil to a second inductive segment of the second coil, the first inductive segment connected to the first connection point of the first coil, and the second inductive segment connected to the second connection point of the first coil;

the second coil disposed along the at least one axis at a second position, the second position different from the first position; and

based on the activating, propagating another current through the first coil and the second coil via the first connection point and the second connection point connecting the second coil across a portion of the first coil.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the activating the switch comprises providing a first inductance at terminals of the switchable inductor network.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

deactivating, responsive to the control signal, the switch to selectively decouple the first inductive segment of the second coil from the second inductive segment of the second coil; and

based on the deactivating, propagating the current through the first coil and bypassing the second coil.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the deactivating the switch comprises providing a second inductance at the terminals of the switchable inductor network.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

using the switchable inductor network to process a signal communicated wirelessly via one or more antennas.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the activating the switch comprises coupling, based on a connection of the second coil across the portion of the outer coil of the first coil, the inner coil of the first coil and the second coil in parallel for a closed-state of the switch.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein a variable capacitance is coupled to terminals of the switchable inductor network to form a resonant tank circuit, the variable capacitance being variable in response to a tuning control signal.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein terminals of the switchable inductor network are coupled to an output of a balanced mixer, the method further comprising:

controlling the switchable inductor network with the control signal to cause an output impedance of the balanced mixer to match an input impedance of circuitry coupled to the output of the balanced mixer.

35. A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) circuit including a switchable inductor network, the switchable inductor network comprising:

a first coil having terminals coupled to a resonant tank circuit of the VCO, the first coil including an inner coil and an outer coil, the first coil including a first connection point and a second connection point, the first coil disposed along at least one axis at a first position;

a second coil including a first inductive segment and a second inductive segment, the first inductive segment connected to the first connection point of the first coil, and the second inductive segment connected to the second connection point of the first coil;

the second coil disposed along the at least one axis at a second position, the second position different from the first position; and

a switch connected between the first inductive segment of the second coil and the second inductive segment of the second coil, the switch configured to selectively have a closed-state or an open-state, an inductance of the second coil being included in an inductance value of the switchable inductor network in the closed-state in which the second coil is connected across a portion of the first coil, and the inductance of the second coil being excluded from the inductance value of the switchable inductor network in the open-state.

36. The VCO circuit of claim 35, wherein:

the switch is configured to change between the closed-state and the open-state based on a control signal;

the control signal configures a frequency band of operation of the VCO; and

the closed-state corresponds to a first frequency band, and the open-state corresponds to a second frequency band.