Integrated tunable inductance network and method
US5872489A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 28, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 16, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 28, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03J2200/15
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An integrated, tunable inductance network features a number of fixed inductors fabricated on a common substrate along with a switching network made up of a number of micro-electromechanical (MEM) switches. The switches selectably interconnect the inductors to form an inductance network having a particular inductance value, which can be set with a high degree of precision when the inductors are configured appropriately. The preferred MEM switches introduce a very small amount of resistance, and the inductance network can thus have a high Q. The MEM switches and inductors can be integrated using common processing steps, reducing parasitic capacitance problems associated with wire bonds and prior art switches, increasing reliability, and reducing the space, weight and power requirements of prior art designs. The precisely tunable high-Q inductance network has wide applicability, such as in a resonant circuit which provides a narrow bandwidth frequency response which peaks at a specific predetermined frequency, making possible a highly selective performance low noise amplifier (LNA), or in an oscillator circuit so that a precise frequency of oscillation can be generated and changed as …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.