US 9,806,394 B2Granted

0/90 degree coupler with complex termination

AssigneeMediatek Inc.

InventorsFatih Golcuk, Yuen Hui Chee, Osama K. A. Shana'a

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

The isolated port of a 0/90 degree coupler is terminated by a novel complex termination impedance circuit having a reactance. The absolute value of the reactance is at least two ohms. The coupler receives a signal on its input port, and outputs a first signal on its first output port and a second signal on its second output port. A first load is coupled to the first output port without an intervening matching network. A substantial impedance mismatch exists between the first output port and the first load. A second load is coupled to the second output port without an intervening matching network. A substantial impedance mismatch exists between the second output port and the second load. Despite the substantial impedance mismatches, the first and second signals have a phase difference in a range of from 88 degrees to 92 degrees while exhibiting an amplitude imbalance less than 2 dB.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An integrated circuit comprising:

a four-port passive coupler having an input port, an isolated port, a first output port and a second output port, wherein an input signal of a frequency F is received by the four-port passive coupler onto the input port, wherein the frequency F is greater than 500 MHz, wherein a first signal S1 of the frequency F and a phase ΦS1 is output from the first output port, wherein a second signal S2 of the frequency F and a phase ΦS2 is output from the second output port, wherein the signals S1 and S2 have an amplitude imbalance of less than 2 dB, and wherein the absolute value of the phase difference between ΦS1 and ΦS2 is in a range of between eighty-eight degrees and ninety degrees;
a first load having an input port, wherein the input port of the first load is coupled to receive the signal S1 from the first output port of the four-port passive coupler, wherein there is a substantial impedance mismatch between the first output port of the four-port passive coupler and the input port of the first load in that 0.3<|gamma1|<1.0 at the frequency F, where gamma1 is the reflection coefficient from the first output port looking out to the first load;
a second load having an input port, wherein the input port of the second load is coupled to receive the signal S2 from the second output port of the four-port passive coupler, wherein there is a substantial impedance mismatch between the second output port of the four-port passive coupler and the input port of the second load in that 0.3<|gamma2|<1.0 at the frequency F, where gamma2 is the reflection coefficient from the second output port looking out to the second load;
and
a complex termination impedance circuit coupled to terminate the isolated port of the four-port passive coupler, wherein the complex termination impedance has a reactance, and wherein the absolute value of the reactance is more than two ohms at the frequency F.

2 more elements

An integrated circuit comprising:

a four-port passive coupler having an input port, an isolated port, a first output port and a second output port, wherein an input signal is received by the four-port passive coupler onto the input port, wherein a first signal is output from the first output port, wherein a second signal is output from the second output port, wherein a phase of the second signal is different from a phase of the first signal;
a first load having an input port;
a first conductor that couples the input port of the first load to receive the first signal from the first output port of the four-port passive coupler;
a second load having an input port;
a second conductor that couples the input port of the second load to receive the second signal from the second output port of the four-port passive coupler;
and a complex termination impedance circuit coupled to terminate the isolated port of the four-port passive coupler, wherein the complex termination impedance circuit includes an inductive element or a capacitive element, and wherein the complex termination impedance circuit controls a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal.

3 more elements

An integrated circuit comprising:

a differential coupler having a differential input port, a differential isolated port, a first differential output port and a second differential output port, wherein a differential input signal of a frequency F is received onto the differential input port;
a first load having a differential input port, wherein the first load receives a first differential signal of phase φ1 from the first differential output port of the differential coupler and onto the differential input port of the first load;
a second load having a differential input port, wherein the second load receives a second differential signal of phase φ2 from the second differential output port of the differential coupler and onto the differential input port of the second load, wherein φ1 and φ2 are different;
and a complex termination impedance circuit coupled to terminate the differential isolated port of the differential coupler, wherein the complex termination impedance has a reactance of more than two ohms at frequency F, and wherein the complex termination impedance circuit controls a phase difference between φ1 and φ2.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/862,489Filed 23 Sep 2015 · us provisional application
Priority: 20 May 2015
Published: US 2016/0344086 A124 Nov 2016
Granted: 31 Oct 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

H01P 5/18
Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port: consisting of two coupled guides, e.g. directional couplers
H01P 5/185
The guides being strip lines or microstrips: edge coupled lines
H03F 3/19
High-frequency amplifiers, e.g. radio frequency amplifiers: with semiconductor devices only
H03F 3/211
With semiconductor devices only: using a combination of several amplifiers