TUNABLE HYBRID COUPLER

• US 20130201882A1
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bauder, Ruediger, Granger-Jones, Marcus, Khlat, Nadim
• Granted Patent: US 9,083,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/277
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/48 Networks for connecting several sources or loads, working on the same frequency or frequency band, to a common load or source phase shifters providing two or more output signals H03H7/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/44 Transmit/receive switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03878 Line equalisers; line build-out devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex

Abstract

This disclosure includes embodiments of a tunable hybrid coupler. The tunable hybrid coupler includes a first inductive element having a first inductance, a second inductive element having a second inductance and mutually coupled to the first inductive element, a first variable capacitive element having a first variable capacitance, and a second variable capacitance having a second variable capacitance. The first variable capacitive element is coupled between a first port and a second port. The second variable capacitive element is coupled between a third port and a fourth port. The first inductive element is coupled from the first port to the third port, while the second inductive element is coupled from the second port to the fourth port. Accordingly, the tunable hybrid coupler may form an impedance matching network that is tunable to different RF communication bands. The tunable hybrid coupler may thus be included in a tunable RF duplexer.

Claims

1. A tunable hybrid coupler comprising:

a first port, a second port, a third port, and a fourth port;

a first inductive element having a first inductance and connected from the first port to the third port;

a second inductive element having a second inductance and connected from the second port to the fourth port, wherein the second inductive element is mutually coupled to the first inductive element;

a first variable capacitive element having a first variable capacitance, wherein the first variable capacitive element is coupled between the first port and the second port; and

a second variable capacitive element having a second variable capacitance, wherein the second variable capacitive element is coupled between the third port and the fourth port.

2. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 1 wherein the first inductance is the same as the second inductance.

3. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 1 wherein the first inductive element is mutually coupled to the second inductive element such that a radio frequency (RF) signal received at the first port is split into a first RF quadrature hybrid signal and a second RF quadrature hybrid signal.

4. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 1 wherein the first inductive element, the second inductive element, the first variable capacitive element, and the second variable capacitive element form an impedance matching network.

5. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 4 wherein the impedance matching network provides an impedance transformation so as to increase impedance matching between an input impedance at the first port and an output impedance at the first port.

6. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 4 wherein the impedance matching network provides an impedance transformation so as to increase impedance matching between an input impedance at the second port and an output impedance at the second port.

7. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 4 wherein the impedance matching network provides an impedance transformation so as to increase impedance matching between an input impedance at the third port and an output impedance at the third port.

8. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 4 wherein the impedance matching network provides an impedance transformation so as to increase impedance matching between an input impedance at the fourth port and an output impedance at the fourth port.

9. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 4 wherein the impedance transformation network provides:

a first impedance transformation so as to increase impedance matching between an input impedance at the first port and an output impedance at the first port;

a second impedance transformation so as to increase impedance matching between an input impedance at the second port and an output impedance at the second port;

a third impedance transformation so as to increase impedance matching between an input impedance at the third port and an output impedance at the third port; and

a fourth impedance transformation so as to increase impedance matching between an input impedance at the fourth port and an output impedance at the fourth port.

10. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 4 wherein the impedance transformation network provides an impedance transformation so as to increase impedance matching between an impedance from the first port to the second port and an impedance from the third port to the fourth port.

11. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 4 further comprising:

a third variable capacitive element having a third variable capacitance, wherein the third variable capacitive element is coupled between the first port and the third port; and

a fourth variable capacitive element having a fourth variable capacitance, wherein the fourth variable capacitive element is coupled between the second port and the fourth port.

12. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 11 wherein the first variable capacitive element, the second variable capacitive element, the third variable capacitive element, and the fourth variable capacitive element are each a different variable metal-insulator-metal capacitor.

13. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 11 wherein the first variable capacitive element, the second variable capacitive element, the third variable capacitive element, and the fourth variable capacitive element are each a different programmable capacitor array.

14. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 1 further comprising:

a third variable capacitive element having a third variable capacitance, wherein the third variable capacitive element is coupled in parallel with a portion of the first inductive element; and

a fourth variable capacitive element having a fourth variable capacitance, wherein the fourth variable capacitive element is coupled in parallel with a portion of the second inductive element.

15. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 14 wherein:

the third variable capacitive element is configured to resonate only with the portion of the first inductive element; and

the fourth variable capacitive element is configured to resonate only with the portion of the second inductive element.

16. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 14 wherein:

the third variable capacitive element is coupled from an intermediary node of the first inductive element to the third port; and

the fourth variable capacitive element is coupled from an intermediary node of the second inductive element to the fourth port.

17. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 14 wherein:

the third variable capacitive element does not resonate with an entirety of the first inductive element; and

the fourth variable capacitive element does not resonate with an entirety of the second inductive element.

18. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 14 further comprising:

a fifth variable capacitive element having a fifth variable capacitance, wherein the fifth variable capacitive element is coupled from the first port to the third port; and

a sixth variable capacitive element having a sixth variable capacitance, wherein the sixth variable capacitive element is coupled from the second port to the fourth port.

19. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 1 wherein:

the first inductive element comprises a first spiral coil wound about a first central axis;

the second inductive element comprises a second spiral coil wound about a second central axis, wherein the first central axis and the second central axis are positioned such that a parasitic capacitance between the first spiral coil and the second spiral coil sets a minimum capacitance between the first inductive element and the second inductive element.

20. The tunable hybrid coupler of claim 19 further comprising a semiconductor substrate having a substrate body, wherein the first spiral coil is formed on a surface of the substrate body and the second spiral coil is formed within the substrate body.