Methods and apparatuses for use in tuning reactance in a circuit device
AssigneepSemi Corporation
InventorsRonald Eugene Reedy, Dan William Nobbe, Tero Tapio Ranta, Cheryl V. Liss, David Kovac
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Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for use in tuning reactance are described. Open loop and closed loop control for tuning of reactances are also described. Tunable inductors and/or tunable capacitors may be used in filters, resonant circuits, matching networks, and phase shifters. Ability to control inductance and/or capacitance in a circuit leads to flexibility in operation of the circuit, since the circuit may be tuned to operate under a range of different operating frequencies.
Claims18
A tunable inductor comprising:
- a first RF terminal and a second RF terminal;
- an inductive element coupling the first RF terminal to the second RF terminal, the inductive element comprising:
- i) a fixed inductor having a first inductor terminal connected directly to the first RF terminal, and a second inductor terminal connected directly to the second RF terminal;
- and
- ii) a circuital arrangement having a first circuital terminal directly connected to the first RF terminal, and a second circuital terminal directly connected to the second RF terminal, the circuital arrangement comprising a plurality of parallel branches, each parallel branch coupled across the first and the second circuital terminals, and
- wherein each parallel branch includes a series combination of a switching element and a capacitor.
A method of tuning an inductance between a first radio frequency (RF) terminal and a second RF terminal, the method comprising:
- coupling the first RF terminal to the second RF terminal by an inductive element;
- applying an input signal to the first RF terminal to generate an output signal at the second RF terminal;
- sensing the output signal;
- adjusting an inductance of the inductive element based on the sensing of the output signal,
- wherein the inductive element comprises:
- i) a fixed inductor having a first inductor terminal connected directly to the first RF terminal, and a second inductor terminal connected directly to the second RF terminal;
- ii) a circuital arrangement having a first circuital terminal directly connected to the first RF terminal, and a second circuital terminal directly connected to the second RF terminal, the circuital arrangement comprising a plurality of parallel branches, each parallel branch coupled across the first and the second circuital terminals, and
- wherein each parallel branch includes a series combination of a switching element and a capacitor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.