Carbon nanotubes litz wire for low loss inductors and resonators

• US 7,709,732 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Phillips, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mayo, III; William H
• Application Number:
  US11/609,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20080136551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 174/36, 174/110.R, 174/110.FC
• US Class Current: 174/36
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 1/147 comprising electric conductors or elements for information transfer D07B1/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 5/08 Several wires or the like stranded in the form of a rope
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0006 Printed inductances printed coils for dynamo-electric machines H02K3/26; printed circuits H05K
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2823 Wires H01F27/2866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/34 Special means for preventing or reducing unwanted electric or magnetic effects, e.g. no-load losses, reactive currents, harmonics, oscillations, leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/368 using carbon or carbon composite
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/38 Impedance-matching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/04 Heating means manufactured by using nanotechnology
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

An upper frequency-range circuit (160) includes a load element (168) exhibiting a capacitive load impedance. A first matching network (166) includes at least one nano-scale Litz wire (100) inductor. The first matching network (166) exhibits an inductive reactance that nominally matches the capacitive load reactance. An electrical conductor for providing connections for radio-frequency signals includes a plurality of nano-scale conductors (120) that are arranged in the form of a Litz wire (100). In one method of making a Litz wire (142), a plurality of carbon nanotubes (144) is placed on a substrate (146). The carbon nanotubes (144) are woven according to a predefined scheme so as to form a Litz wire (142). An inductor may be formed by manipulating the Litz wire (100) to form a coil (150).

Claims

1. An upper frequency-range circuit, comprising:

a. a load element exhibiting a capacitive load impedance; and

b. a first matching network that includes at least one nano-scale Litz wire inductor and that exhibits an inductive impedance that nominally matches the capacitive load impedance.

2. The high frequency circuit of claim 1, wherein the nano-scale Litz wire inductor comprises an inductor consisting essentially of carbon nanotubes.

3. The high frequency circuit of claim 1, wherein the capacitive load impedance comprises a miniature antenna element.

4. The high frequency circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a. an amplifier that exhibits a capacitive amplifier impedance; and

b. an input nano-scale Litz wire matching network that matches the capacitive amplifier impedance to a signal impedance.