Method and apparatus for adapting a variable impedance network

• US 9,608,591 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Manssen, Keith, Greene, Matthew Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Stephen E
• Application Number:
  US14/332,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20140327493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 333/17.3, 333/32
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 5/12 with at least one voltage- or current-dependent element
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/004 Capacitive coupling circuits not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/38 Impedance-matching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/56 by the use, as active elements, of semiconductor devices using diodes H03K17/74

Abstract

The present disclosure may include, for example, a tunable capacitor having a decoder for generating a plurality of control signals, and an array of tunable switched capacitors comprising a plurality of fixed capacitors coupled to a plurality of switches. The plurality of switches can be controlled by the plurality of control signals to manage a tunable range of reactance of the array of tunable switched capacitors. Additionally, the array of tunable switched capacitors is adapted to have non-uniform quality (Q) factors. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

first and second variable capacitors on a single die, wherein the first and second variable capacitors are not in parallel, wherein each end of the first and second variable capacitors has an accessible external port,

wherein the first and second variable capacitors are adapted to be configured as a Pi or L circuit topology.

2. The device of claim 1, comprising a switching system that includes a group of switches, wherein the switching system is coupled with the first and second variable capacitors to enable adjustment between a plurality of topologies according to switch positions of the group of switches, wherein the plurality of topologies includes the Pi circuit topology and the L circuit topology.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein a first end and a second end of the first variable capacitor have a first accessible external port and a second accessible external port respectively, wherein a first end and a second end of the second variable capacitor have a third accessible external port and a fourth accessible external port respectively, and wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth accessible external ports are different external ports.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the devices are utilized in a corresponding plurality of RF paths, wherein the plurality RF paths correspond to at least one of high or low band RF paths, and wherein the high or low band RF paths are switchable among a plurality of ports of the single die.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or second variable capacitors is a voltage or current tunable capacitor comprising barium strontium titanate.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second variable capacitors comprise an array of tunable switched capacitors adapted to have non-uniform quality (Q) factors.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the array of tunable switched capacitors comprises a plurality of fixed capacitors coupled to a plurality of switches.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of switches comprises one of a plurality of semiconductor switches or a plurality of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switches.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of switches are scaled to reduce a size of the single die thereby providing the non-uniform Q factors in the array of tunable switched capacitors.

10. A device, comprising:

first and second variable capacitors on a single die, wherein the first and second variable capacitors are not in parallel, wherein each end of the first and second variable capacitors has an accessible external port,

wherein the first and second variable capacitors are adapted to be configured as a Pi circuit topology.

11. The device of claim 10, comprising a switching system that includes a group of switches, wherein the switching system is coupled with the first and second variable capacitors to enable adjustment between a plurality of topologies according to switch positions of the group of switches, wherein the plurality of topologies includes the Pi circuit topology.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first or second variable capacitors is a voltage or current tunable capacitor comprising barium strontium titanate.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the first and second variable capacitors comprise an array of tunable switched capacitors adapted to have non-uniform quality (Q) factors.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the array of tunable switched capacitors comprises a plurality of fixed capacitors coupled to a plurality of switches.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of switches comprises one of a plurality of semiconductor switches or a plurality of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switches.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of switches are scaled to reduce a size of the single die thereby providing the non-uniform Q factors in the array of tunable switched capacitors.

17. A device, comprising:

first and second variable capacitors on a single die, wherein the first and second variable capacitors are not in parallel, wherein each end of the first and second variable capacitors has an accessible external port,

wherein the first and second variable capacitors are adapted to be configured as an L circuit topology.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first or second variable capacitors is a voltage or current tunable capacitor comprising barium strontium titanate.

19. The device of claim 17, comprising a switching system that includes a group of switches, wherein the switching system is coupled with the first and second variable capacitors to enable adjustment between a plurality of topologies according to switch positions of the group of switches, wherein the plurality of topologies includes the L circuit topology.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the first and second variable capacitors comprise an array of tunable switched capacitors adapted to have non-uniform quality (Q) factors.