Speed of light based oscillator frequency

• US 9,172,326 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globalfoundries US Incorporated (GlobalFoundries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Inventors: Sanduleanu, Mihai A., Sadhu, Bodhisatwa
• Primary Examiner(s): KINKEAD, ARNOLD M
• Application Number:
  US14/036,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20150084703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 331/107.SL, 331/45, 331/107.DP, 331/96
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 1/00 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1215 the current source or degeneration circuit being in common to both transistors of the pair, e.g. a cross-coupled long-tailed pair
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1841 the frequency-determining element being a strip line resonator H03B5/1805, H03B5/1817, H03B5/1864 and H03B5/1882 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1847 the active element in the amplifier being a semiconductor device
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1852 the semiconductor device being a field-effect device
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/24 using a reference signal directly applied to the generator

Abstract

An oscillator and a method of fabricating the oscillator are described. The oscillator includes a resonator with a plurality of transmission lines. An oscillation frequency of the oscillator is independent of at least one dimension of the plurality of transmission lines. The oscillator also includes a negative resistance circuit coupled to the resonator that cancels internal loss resistance of the resonator.

Claims

1. An oscillator, comprising:

a resonator comprising a plurality of transmission lines, an oscillation frequency of the oscillator being independent of at least one dimension of the plurality of transmission lines; and

a negative resistance circuit coupled to the resonator and configured to cancel internal loss resistance of the resonator, wherein the resonator comprises four transmission lines and a first transmission line and a second transmission line of the four transmission lines have a respective first length and second length of one-fourth of a wavelength corresponding with the oscillation frequency.

2. The oscillator according to claim 1, wherein the resonator outputs a signal whose oscillation frequency is a function of the speed of light.

3. The oscillator according to claim 1, wherein the oscillation frequency is independent of a width and depth of the plurality of transmission lines.

4. The oscillator according to claim 1, wherein a third transmission line of the four transmission lines has a third length and the third length is different than the first length and the second length.

5. The oscillator according to claim 1, wherein a third transmission line of the four transmission lines has a third length and the third length is a same length as the first length and the second length.

6. The oscillator according to claim 1, wherein a third transmission line of the four transmission lines has a tunable third length and a change in the third length causes a corresponding change in the oscillation frequency.

7. The oscillator according to claim 6, wherein a fourth transmission line of the four transmission lines has a tunable fourth length and a change in the fourth length causes a corresponding change in the oscillation frequency.

8. The oscillator according to claim 1, further comprising a second negative resistance circuit coupled to the resonator, the negative resistance circuit and the second negative resistance circuit being arranged symmetrically with respect to the resonator.

9. The oscillator according to claim 8, wherein the oscillator is a quadrature oscillator configured to provide two output signals having a same frequency that are 90 degrees out of phase with each other.