Oscillator with fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) resonator
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsHarald Pretl, Ehrentraud Hager, Aly Ismail
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated circuit may include oscillator circuitry having a resonator formed from fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) devices. The resonator may include drive cells of alternating polarities and sense cells interposed between the drive cells. The resonator may be connected in a feedback loop within the oscillator circuitry. The oscillator circuitry may include an amplifier having an input coupled to the sense cells and an output coupled to the drive cells. The oscillator circuitry may also include a separate inductor and capacitor based oscillator, where the resonator serves as a separate output filter stage for the inductor and capacitor based oscillator.
Claims17
Oscillator circuitry comprising:
- an oscillator having an oscillator output at which an oscillating signal is generated;
- and
- a resonator configured to filter the oscillating signal and having
- drive terminals coupled to the oscillator output,
- sense terminals, and
- fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) circuitry coupled to the drive and sense terminals, the FinFET circuitry including a substrate having a linear array of protruding fins characterized by a fin pitch that determines a resonant frequency of the resonator and being configured to generate acoustic waves that is in a subharmonic range of the resonant frequency.
Oscillator circuitry comprising:
- an oscillator having a variable capacitor and configured to output an oscillating signal;
- and
- a resonator having an input configured to receive the oscillating signal from the oscillator and having an output that is coupled to the variable capacitor via a feedback path, the resonator having
- drive terminals coupled to the oscillator output,
- sense terminals, and
- fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) circuitry coupled to the drive and sense terminals;
- a level detector disposed in the feedback path, the level detector having inputs coupled to the output of the resonator and configured to output a signal for controlling the variable capacitor;
- and
- an output buffer having inputs coupled to the level detector, wherein the resonator is coupled between the oscillator and the inputs of the output buffer.
Oscillator circuitry comprising:
- an oscillator having a quality factor;
- a resonator configured to receive signals from the oscillator and to increase an overall quality factor of the oscillator circuitry to be greater than the quality factor of the oscillator, the resonator having
- drive terminals coupled to an oscillator output,
- sense terminals, and
- fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) circuitry coupled to the drive and sense terminals;
- a first capacitor coupling the oscillator output to a positive drive terminal of the drive terminals;
- and
- a second capacitor coupling the oscillator output to a negative drive terminal of the drive terminals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.