Tunable matching network with phase-switched elements

• US 9,755,576 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Perreault, David J., Jurkov, Alexander Sergeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Stephen E
• Assistant Examiner(s): OUTTEN, SAMUEL S
• Application Number:
  US14/974,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20160181986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 333 32
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0205 in transistor amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/565 using inductive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/301 the loading circuit of an amplifying stage comprising a coil
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/387 A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/391 the output circuit of an amplifying stage comprising an LC-network
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/19 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/193 with field-effect devices H03F3/195 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/21 with semiconductor devices only H03F3/245 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/2171 with field-effect devices H03F3/2173 - H03F3/2178 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/2176 Class E amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/38 Impedance-matching networks

Abstract

Described is a phase-switched tunable impedance matching network (PS-TMN). The PS-TMN has an input that can be coupled to a source and an output that can be coupled to a load. The PS-TMN includes one or more phase-switched reactive elements and a controller. The controller provides a control signal to each of the one or more phase-switched reactive elements. In response to one or more control signals provided thereto, each phase-switched reactive element provides a corresponding selected reactance value.

Claims

1. A phased switched tunable impedance network having an input configured to be coupled to a source and having an output configured to be coupled to a load, the tunable impedance network comprising:

one or more phase-switched reactive elements; and

a controller configured to provide a respective control signal to each of the one or more phase-switched reactive elements such that, in response to the respective control signal provided thereto, each phase-switched reactive element provides a corresponding selected reactance value.

2. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more phase-switched reactances comprises:

one or more reactive elements and at least one switch,

wherein at least one of the one or more reactive elements is configured to be switched into and out of the reactance network by at least one switch associated therewith.

3. The tunable impedance network of claim 2, wherein the at least one associated switch is operable at a switching frequency related to a frequency of an RF signal provided by the source and a switching phase based upon the respective control signal.

4. The tunable impedance network of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to determine the switching frequency and select the switching phase based upon at least one of:

a feedback circuit, a feedforward circuit, and an adaptive predistortion system.

5. The tunable impedance network of claim 4, wherein the adaptive predistortion system comprises a lookup table.

6. The tunable impedance network of claim 3, wherein the at least one switch is operable in a half-wave switching configuration to switch on and off once per cycle of the RF signal at the output port of the RF amplifier.

7. The tunable impedance network of claim 3, wherein the at least one switch is operable in a full-wave switching configuration to switch on and off twice per cycle of the RF signal at the output port of the RF amplifier.

8. The tunable impedance network of claim 3, wherein the switching frequency and the switching phase are selected to provide the phase-switched reactance having a desired reactance value.

9. The tunable impedance network of claim 3, wherein the at least one switch is operable to provide at least one of zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) and zero-current-switching (ZCS) of said switch.

10. The tunable impedance network of claim 3, wherein, the phase-switched reactance is a capacitive element, and the capacitance value of the phase-switched capacitive element at a desired frequency is related to a physical DC capacitance value of the phase-switched capacitive element and the switching phase.

11. The tunable impedance network of claim 3, wherein, the phase-switched reactance is an inductive element, and the inductance value of the phase-switched inductive element at a desired frequency is related to a physical DC inductance value of the phase-switched inductive element and the switching phase.

12. The tunable impedance network of claim 2, wherein the one or more reactance elements comprises a plurality of reactive elements and the at least one switch comprises a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches corresponding to a different one of the plurality of reactive elements.

13. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, wherein setting each phase-switched reactance to a corresponding desired reactance value achieves an impedance match between the source and the load.

14. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, wherein setting each phase-switched reactance to a corresponding desired reactance value achieves a desired impedance ratio between the source and the load.

15. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, wherein setting each phase-switched reactance to a corresponding desired reactance value achieves a desired first impedance to the source, and a desired second impedance to the load.

16. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, further comprising:

a digital reactance matrix comprising N selectable reactive elements to adjust an effective reactance value of the digital reactance matrix, where Nis a positive integer.

17. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more analog variable reactive elements.

18. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, wherein the source comprises at least one of a radio frequency (RF) source, an RF power amplifier (PA), and a switched-mode inverter.

19. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, wherein the load comprises at least one of an antenna, a transmission line and a plasma load.

20. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, wherein the input of the tunable impedance network is coupled to a radio frequency (RF) amplifier system, the tunable impedance network configured to modulate a load impedance of the RF amplifier system to control a power level of the RF amplifier system.

21. The tunable impedance network of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more filter components configured to reduce harmonic content coupled to at least one of the input and the output.

22. A phased switched tunable impedance network having an input configured to be coupled to a source and having an output configured to be coupled to a load, the tunable impedance network comprising:

one or more phase-switched reactive elements; and

a controller configured to provide a respective control signal to each of the one or more phase-switched reactive elements such that, in response to the respective control signal provided thereto, each phase-switched reactive element provides a corresponding selected one of a plurality of different reactance values.