Method and apparatus for adapting a variable impedance network

• US 9,548,716 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• 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:
  US14/332,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20140327492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 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 variable matching network, comprising:

a plurality of variable capacitors on a single die, wherein the single die has a plurality of ports coupled to the plurality of variable capacitors; and

a switching system comprising a group of switches, wherein the switching system is coupled with the plurality of variable capacitors to enable the variable matching network to be adjusted to a plurality of topologies according to switch positions of the group of switches,

wherein a first switch of the group of switches has a different conducting channel size than a second switch of the group of switches.

2. The variable matching network of claim 1, wherein the switching system provides for a non-uniform quality (Q) factor, and wherein at least one topology of the plurality of topologies comprises a Tee topology.

3. The variable matching network of claim 1, wherein the switching system provides for a non-uniform quality (Q) factor, and wherein at least one topology of the plurality of topologies comprises a Pi topology.

4. The variable matching network of claim 1, wherein the switching system provides for a non-uniform quality (Q) factor, and wherein at least one topology of the plurality of topologies comprises an L topology.

5. The variable matching network of claim 1, comprising first and second inductors, wherein the plurality of variable capacitors comprise first and second variable capacitors.

6. The variable matching network of claim 5, wherein the first and second inductors are positioned off of the single die, and wherein the plurality of topologies comprise a Pi topology and an L topology.

7. The variable matching network of claim 1, wherein at least one switch of the group of switches comprises a semiconductor switch, and wherein a scaling factor associated with the group of switches results in a non-uniform Q factor.

8. The variable matching network of claim 1, wherein at least one switch of the group of switches comprises a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switch, and wherein a scaling factor associated with the group of switches results in a non-uniform Q factor.

9. The variable matching network of claim 1, wherein at least one variable capacitor of the plurality of variable capacitors is a voltage or current tunable capacitor comprising barium strontium titanate.

10. The variable matching network of claim 1, wherein at least one variable capacitor of the plurality of variable capacitors comprises a plurality of fixed capacitors coupled to one or more switches.

11. The variable matching network of claim 1, wherein at least two variable capacitors of the plurality of variable capacitors are in parallel.

12. The variable matching network of claim 1, wherein at least two variable capacitors of the plurality of variable capacitors are in series.

13. A variable matching network comprising:

a plurality of variable capacitors on a single die, wherein the single die has a plurality of ports coupled to the plurality of variable capacitors; and

a switching system comprising a group of switches, wherein the switching system is coupled with the plurality of variable capacitors to enable the variable matching network to be adjusted to a plurality of topologies according to switch positions of the group of switches,

wherein at least one topology of the plurality of topologies is selected from a group of topologies consisting essentially of a Tee topology, a Pi topology, an L topology, or a combination thereof.

14. A variable matching network, comprising:

a plurality of variable capacitors on a single die, wherein the single die has a plurality of ports coupled to the plurality of variable capacitors; and

a switching system comprising a group of switches, wherein the switching system is coupled with the plurality of variable capacitors to enable the variable matching network to be adjusted to be one of a plurality of topologies according to switch positions of the group of switches,

wherein the one of the plurality of topologies is selected from a group of topologies consisting essentially of a Tee topology, a Pi topology, an L topology, or a combination thereof.

15. The variable matching network of claim 14, wherein the one of the plurality of topologies is an L topology.

16. The variable matching network of claim 14, comprising first and second inductors, wherein the plurality of variable capacitors comprise first and second variable capacitors.

17. The variable matching network of claim 16, wherein the first and second inductors are positioned off of the single die.

18. The variable matching network of claim 14, wherein at least one switch of the group of switches comprises one of a semiconductor switch or a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switch.

19. The variable matching network of claim 14, wherein at least one variable capacitor of the plurality of variable capacitors is a voltage or current tunable capacitor comprising barium strontium titanate.

20. A variable matching network, comprising:

a plurality of variable capacitors coupled to a plurality of ports; and

a switching system comprising a group of switches, wherein the switching system is coupled with the plurality of variable capacitors to enable the variable matching network to be adjusted to a plurality of topologies according to switch positions of the group of switches,

wherein the group of switches provides for a non-uniform Q factor based on at least one of a different conducting channel size of at least some switches or a parallel configuration of at least two switches,

wherein at least one topology of the plurality of topologies is selected from a group of topologies consisting essentially of a Pi topology, an L topology, or a combination thereof.