Continuously-variable monolithic RF and microwave analog delay lines
US5357224A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 5, 1993 |
| Grant date | Oct 18, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 5, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03H11/265
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The use of one or more multi-gate (e.g., dual-gate) FETs are employed in an RF or microwave delay line. The carrier drift velocity in each multi-gate FET is controlled in accordance with the variable magnitude of a delay-control voltage applied between its drain and source, thereby controlling the time delay experienced by an RF or microwave signal traveling between spaced first and second gates of a multi-gate FET. The gates of a plurality of multi-gate FETs may be serially-coupled through amplifying circuits to produce a delay chain in which the total delay is the sum of the delays of all the multi-gate FETs in the chain. A single delay-control voltage, which can be continuously variable, may be used to control the total delay provided by all multi-gate FETs in the chain. Alternatively, a separate delay-control voltage, which can be independently continuously variable, may be used for independently controlling the delay provided by each individual multi-gate FET in the chain. RF and microwave analog delay lines are useful in such apparatus as difference-in-time-of-arrival direction finders and transversal filters, by way of example.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.