Frequency synthesizer using micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology and method
First Claim
1. An electric circuit for obtaining an information signal comprising:
- a voltage control oscillator that produces a local signal;
a phase detector that compares a remote signal, comprising a carrier signal and an information signal, to said local signal;
a transresistance amplifier that converts the difference between said local and remote signals from a voltage into a current; and
an a Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) capacitance device whose capacitance is adjustably tunable to integrate said current and provide a voltage to said voltage control oscillator to adjust said local signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A frequency stabilizer circuit in the form of a charge-pump phase-lock loop utilizing a MEMS capacitance device, preferably a tunable MEMS capacitor or a MEMS capacitor bank, which more rapid and with a greater precision determine the phase and frequency of a carrier signal so that it can be extracted, providing an information signal of interest. Such MEMS devices have the added advantage of providing linear capacitance, low insertion losses, higher isolation and high reliability, they run on low power and permit the entire circuit to be fabricated on a common substrate. The use of the MEMS capacitance device reduces unwanted harmonics generated by the circuit'"'"'s charge pump allowing the filtering requirements to be relaxed or perhaps eliminated.
84 Citations
38 Claims
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1. An electric circuit for obtaining an information signal comprising:
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a voltage control oscillator that produces a local signal; a phase detector that compares a remote signal, comprising a carrier signal and an information signal, to said local signal; a transresistance amplifier that converts the difference between said local and remote signals from a voltage into a current; and an a Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) capacitance device whose capacitance is adjustably tunable to integrate said current and provide a voltage to said voltage control oscillator to adjust said local signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for obtaining an information signal, comprising:
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setting an initial capacitance of a Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) capacitance device; generating a local signal; receiving a remote signal comprising a carrier signal and an information signal; comparing the local signal to the carrier signal to determining the difference; integrating the difference in the signals by the use of the MEMS capacitance device; using the integrated signal to adjust the local signal; adjusting the capacitance of the MEMS capacitance device; repeating the above steps until the local signal is in sync with the carrier signal; and extracting the information signal. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A frequency synthesizer comprising:
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a receiver for receiving a signal which comprises a carrier and an information signal; a feedback circuit, containing said receiver and a Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) capacitance device, wherein said circuit generates a feedback adjustable local signal to synch with and remove said carrier signal to provide said information signal. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification