# US 10,483,992 B2 · Voltage controlled oscillator using variable capacitor and phase locked loop using the same

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- Number: US 10,483,992 B2
- Document ID: US10483992B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/923,620
- Filed: 2018-03-16
- Published: 2018-07-19
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2012-01-30
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jong-Woo Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483992B2

## CPC

- H03L 7/099: concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop
- H01G 15/00: Structural combinations of capacitors or other devices covered by at least two different main groups of this subclass with each other (involving at least one hybrid or electric double-layer [EDL] capacitor as the main component H01G11/08)
- 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}
- H03B 5/1228: {the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors}
- H03B 5/1265: {switched capacitors}
- H03L: AUTOMATIC CONTROL, STARTING, SYNCHRONISATION OR STABILISATION OF GENERATORS OF ELECTRONIC OSCILLATIONS OR PULSES (generation of oscillations H03B)
- H01G: CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE (selection of specified materials as dielectric H01B3/00; capacitors having potential barriers H10D1/62, H10K10/10)
- H03B: GENERATION OF OSCILLATIONS, DIRECTLY OR BY FREQUENCY-CHANGING, BY CIRCUITS EMPLOYING ACTIVE ELEMENTS WHICH OPERATE IN A NON-SWITCHING MANNER; GENERATION OF NOISE BY SUCH CIRCUITS (generators adapted for electrophonic musical instruments G10H; masers or lasers H01S; generation of oscillations in plasma H05H)

## Abstract

A variable capacitor is provided. The variable capacitor includes a plurality of capacitor segments. The plurality of capacitor segments are connected in parallel within the variable capacitor. When a plurality of candidate capacitances allowable to the variable capacitor according to a connection state of the plurality of capacitor segments connected in parallel are sorted in a magnitude sequence, the plurality of candidate capacitances form a geometric series. The variable capacitor is used for a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO), and the VCO is used for a Phase Locked Loop (PLL).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A variable capacitor comprising:
a capacitor bank comprising a plurality of capacitor segments; and
a plurality of switch segments configured to control connection states of each of the plurality of capacitor segments,
wherein the capacitor bank provides a capacitance from a set of candidate capacitances based on the connection states,
wherein the connection states are controlled based on a control code,
wherein the capacitance provided by the capacitor bank is linearly changed on a log scale by linearly increasing a value of the control code,
wherein the candidate capacitances form a geometric series with a constant ratio between successive candidate capacitances, and
wherein the constant ratio is related to a quantity of the switch segments in the capacitor bank.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The variable capacitor of claim 1,
wherein each capacitor segment of the plurality of capacitor segments has a different capacitance, and
wherein the set of candidate capacitances provided by all possible combinations of the plurality of capacitor segments have a non-linear distribution.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The variable capacitor of claim 1,
wherein the control code comprises a plurality of bits,
wherein each of the switch segments is on or off according to a control signal that corresponds to a value of one bit of the control code or a value determined by combining at least two bits of the control code,
wherein each of all values of individual bits of the control code is used to control at least one of the switch segments, and
wherein each of all values derived from combinations of at least two bits of the control bits is used to control at least one of the switch segments.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The variable capacitor of claim 1,
wherein a portion of the plurality of the switch segments is directly controlled based on the control code, and
wherein a remaining portion of the plurality of the switch segments is controlled based on at least one logic operation between at least two bits of the control code.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The variable capacitor of claim 1, wherein the capacitor bank comprises a first capacitor segment that is connected regardless of the plurality of the switch segments.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The variable capacitor of claim 1, wherein one of the set of candidate capacitances is provided by a combination of all of the plurality of capacitor segments.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The variable capacitor of claim 1, wherein the set of candidate capacitances is exponentially distributed without a binary-weighted capacitor array.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The variable capacitor of claim 1,
wherein the control code is converted into control signals that control the plurality of switch segments, and
wherein a total number of the control signals is equal to a total number of all possible combinations of bits of the control code.

### Claim 9

A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) comprising:
a resonance circuit configured to generate a signal with a frequency; and
an amplifier circuit configured to amplify the signal,
wherein the resonance circuit comprises an inductor and a variable capacitor that are coupled in parallel,
wherein the variable capacitor comprises a capacitor bank comprising a plurality of capacitor segments, and a plurality of switch segments configured to control connection states of each of the plurality of capacitor segments,
wherein the capacitor bank provides a capacitance from a set of candidate capacitances based on connection states of the plurality of capacitor segments,
wherein the connection states are controlled based on a control code,
wherein the capacitance provided by the capacitor bank is linearly changed on a log scale by linearly increasing a value of the control code, and
wherein the frequency of the signal is linearly changed on the log scale by linearly increasing the value of the control code.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The VCO of claim 9,
wherein each capacitor segment of the plurality of capacitor segments has a different capacitance, and
wherein the set of candidate capacitances provided by all possible combinations of the plurality of capacitor segments has a non-linear distribution.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The VCO of claim 9,
wherein the control code comprises a plurality of bits,
wherein each of the switch segments is on or off according to a control signal that corresponds to a value of one bit of the control code or a value determined by combining at least two bits of the control code,
wherein each of all values of individual bits of the control code is used to control at least one of the switch segments, and
wherein each of all values derived from combinations of at least two bits of the control bits is used to control at least one of the switch segments.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The VCO of claim 9,
wherein a portion of the plurality of the switch segments is directly controlled based on the control code, and
wherein a remaining portion of the plurality of the switch segments is controlled based on at least one logic operation between at least two bits of the control code.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The VCO of claim 9, wherein the set of candidate capacitances are exponentially distributed without a binary-weighted capacitor array.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The VCO of claim 9,
wherein the control code is converted into control signals that control the plurality of switch segments, and
wherein a total number of the control signals is equal to a total number of all possible combinations of bits of the control code.

### Claim 15

A phase locked loop (PLL) comprising:
a phase comparator configured to:
measure a phase difference between a phase of an input signal and a phase of a signal fed back from a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), and
output a voltage signal proportional to the phase difference; and
a low pass filter configured to:
remove a high frequency component of the voltage signal, and
output a control voltage,
wherein the VCO is configured to generate an output signal with a frequency according to a control code corresponding to the control voltage,
wherein the VCO comprises a variable capacitor configured to provide a capacitance from a set of candidate capacitances,
wherein the variable capacitor comprises:
a capacitor bank comprising a plurality of capacitor segments; and
a plurality of switch segments configured to control connection states of each of the plurality of capacitor segments,
wherein the capacitor bank provides the capacitance based on connection states of the plurality of capacitor segments,
wherein the connection states are controlled based on the control code,
wherein the capacitance provided by the capacitor bank is linearly changed on a log scale by linearly increasing a value of the control code, and
wherein the frequency of the output signal is linearly changed on the log scale by linearly increasing the value of the control code.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The PLL of claim 15,
wherein each capacitor segment of the plurality of capacitor segments has a different capacitance, and
wherein the set of the candidate capacitances provided by all possible combinations of the plurality of capacitor segments has a non-linear distribution.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The PLL of claim 15,
wherein the control code comprises a plurality of bits,
wherein each of the switch segments is on or off according to a control signal that corresponds to a value of one bit of the control code or a value determined by combining at least two bits of the control code,
wherein each of all values of individual bits of the control code is used to control at least one of the switch segments, and
wherein each of all values derived from combinations of at least two bits of the control bits is used to control at least one of the switch segments.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The PLL of claim 15,
wherein a portion of the plurality of the switch segments is directly controlled based on the control code, and
wherein a remaining portion of the plurality of the switch segments is controlled based on at least one logic operation between at least two bits of the control code.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The PLL of claim 15, wherein the set of candidate capacitances is exponentially distributed without a binary-weighted capacitor array.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The PLL of claim 15,
wherein the control code is converted into control signals that control the plurality of switch segments, and
wherein a total number of the control signals is equal to a total number of all possible combinations of bits of the control code.