Low-noise amplifier mixer with coupled inductors

• US 9,503,160 B1
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Impinj, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Impinj, Inc.
• Inventors: Hyde, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh
• Application Number:
  US14/946,793
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/565 using inductive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/193 with field-effect devices H03F3/195 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/38 Impedance-matching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/20 for contactless carriers, e.g. RFID carriers record carriers with integrated circuit chips including means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or to record carriers by hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07318; arrangements for sensing record carriers including arrangements for protecting the interrogation against piracy attacks G06K7/10257
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/228 Elimination in the received signal of jamming or of data corrupted by jamming interference suppression in receivers H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/86 related to preventing deceptive jamming or unauthorized interrogation or access, e.g. WLAN access or RFID reading record carriers with integrated circuit chips including means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or to record carriers by hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07318; arrangements for sensing record carriers including arrangements for protecting the interrogation against piracy attacks G06K7/10257

Abstract

A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader configured to perform self-jammer cancellation (SJC) may include an SJC module coupled to a low-noise amplifier (LNA), which in turn may be coupled to a mixer via an LNA-mixer interface. The interface may be implemented with a horizontal matching circuit that includes four inductors magnetically and direct-current (DC) coupled to each other. In some embodiments, the inductors may each be implemented using a different segment of a single inductor.

Claims

1. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader integrated circuit (IC) receiver front-end circuit (RFE) comprising:

a low-noise amplifier (LNA);

a mixer; and

a horizontal matching circuit coupled from an output port of the LNA to an input port of the mixer, the matching circuit comprising a first inductor, a second inductor, and a third inductor, wherein;

each inductor is magnetically coupled to each of the other inductors; and

each inductor is direct-current (DC) coupled to each of the other inductors.

2. The RFE of claim 1, wherein at least one of the output port of the LNA and the input port of the mixer is differential.

3. The RFE of claim 1, wherein at least one of the output port of the LNA and the input port of the mixer is single-ended.

4. The RFE of claim 1, wherein the matching circuit includes a fourth inductor magnetically and DC coupled to each of the first, second, and third inductors.

5. The RFE of claim 1, wherein the LNA is one of a common-gate LNA and a common-source LNA.

6. The REF of claim 1, wherein the matching circuit includes at least one digitally adjustable capacitor.

7. The RFE of claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third inductors are implemented using segments of a single inductor implemented on an IC.

8. The RFE of claim 1, further comprising a self-jammer cancellation (SJC) module coupled to the LNA and configured to:

receive an SJC input signal comprising a first signal of interest (SOI) and a first unwanted carrier signal (UCS); and

provide an output SJC signal comprising a second SOI and a second UCS in which an amplitude ratio between the second UCS and the second SOI is substantially reduced relative to another amplitude ratio between the first UCS and the first SOI.

9. The RFE of claim 8, wherein the first SOI and the second SOI are substantially the same signal.

10. A low-noise amplifier (LNA) mixer interface for a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) integrated circuit (IC), the interface comprising:

an input port coupled to an LNA;

an output port coupled to a mixer stage; and

a matching circuit coupled to the input port and the output port, the matching circuit comprising a first inductor, a second inductor, and a third inductor, wherein;

each inductor is magnetically coupled to each of the other inductors; and

each inductor is direct-current coupled to each of the other inductors.

11. The interface of claim 10, wherein at least one of the input port and the output port is configured for a differential signal.

12. The interface of claim 10, wherein at least one of the input port and the output port is configured for a single-ended signal.

13. The interface of claim 10, wherein the matching circuit includes a fourth inductor, the fourth inductor magnetically and DC coupled to each of the first, second, and third inductors.

14. The interface of claim 10, wherein the matching circuit includes at least one digitally adjustable capacitor.

15. The interface of claim 10, wherein the first, second, and third inductors are implemented using segments of a single inductor implemented on the IC.