US 8,805,316 B2Granted

Method of manufacture of a passive high-frequency image reject mixer

AssigneeTheta Microelectronics, Inc.

InventorIoannis Papananos

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A passive implementation of an image reject mixer (IRM), capable of operating at very high frequency, is manufactured in a variety of silicon processes. The IRM comprises a quad MOS multiplier and a lumped-element hybrid, resulting in a passive IRM, operative at radio frequencies (RF) of tens of GHz with an intermediate frequency (IF) of several GHz. The RF+ and RF− signals are provided to two quad MOS multipliers. A local oscillator signal (LO) is used to provide LO+ and LO− signals to one of the multipliers and by providing the LO to a phase shifter, generated are a ninety degree shifted LO+ and LO− signals provided to the other multiplier. Providing the hybrids with the outputs of both multipliers and selecting an appropriate IF signal from each of the hybrids ensures the proper operation of the passive IRM.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method of manufacture of a passive image reject mixer (IRM) comprising:

forming in a silicon manufacturing process a first passive multiplier configured to receive RF+ and RF− input signals, LO+ and LO− input signals, and further configured to provide I IF+ and I IF− output signals;
forming in the silicon manufacturing process a second passive multiplier configured to receive the RF+ and RF− input signals, phase shifted LO+ and phase shifted LO− signals, and further configured to provide Q IF+ and Q IF− output signals;
forming in the silicon manufacturing process a first passive filter configured to receive on its input the I IF+ and the Q IF+ output signals and to generate an IF+ output signal on its output;
and
forming in the silicon manufacturing process a second passive filter configured to receive on its input the I IF− and Q IF− signals and to generate on its output an IF− output signal.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/710,002Filed 10 Dec 2012 · continuation
Priority: 10 Jul 2009
Published: US 2013/0095621 A118 Apr 2013
Granted: 12 Aug 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H04B 1/10
Receivers: means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference
H03D 7/1458
With transistors: double balanced arrangements, i.e. where both input signals are differential
H03D 7/1466
With transistors: passive mixer arrangements
H03D 7/165
Multiple-frequency-changing: at least two frequency changers being located in different paths, e.g. in two paths with carriers in quadrature

Family

Application61/213,754Us provisional application · filed 10 Jul 2009
Application12/832,964Parent of this continuation · filed 8 Jul 2010
US 2013/0095621 A1Pre-grant publication · published 18 Apr 2013
US 8,331,896 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2011/0009081 A1Published application
US 8,805,316 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.