Frequency synthesizer using micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology and method
US6094102A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 25, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03L7/18
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A frequency stabilizer circuit in the form of a charge-pump phase-lock loop utilizing a MEMS capacitance device, preferably a tunable MEMS capacitor or a MEMS capacitor bank, which more rapid and with a greater precision determine the phase and frequency of a carrier signal so that it can be extracted, providing an information signal of interest. Such MEMS devices have the added advantage of providing linear capacitance, low insertion losses, higher isolation and high reliability, they run on low power and permit the entire circuit to be fabricated on a common substrate. The use of the MEMS capacitance device reduces unwanted harmonics generated by the circuit's charge pump allowing the filtering requirements to be relaxed or perhaps eliminated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.