1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to radio-frequency (RF) and/or microwave components, and particularly to RF and/or microwave coupled transmission line components.
2. Technical Background
Communication systems typically require a number of sub-systems and components to convert baseband signals into RF signals for subsequent transmission over a communication channel. Conversely, RF signals received via the communication channel must be converted into baseband signals for use by the user and/or subscriber. Examples of such systems are ubiquitous and include cell phones, cable television converters, satellite television converters, etc.
It is often the case wherein one stage of the communication system employs differential (i.e., balanced signals) signals and a subsequent stage unbalanced signals. A differential signal includes two signal paths, each being 180° out of phase with the other. An unbalanced line is simply implemented as a single signal path. For example, certain antennas are balanced structures that require a balanced feed. However, the system may be such that the signal source is an unbalanced RF transmitter. This situation may also present itself in the opposite direction as well. A push/pull amplifier, for example, may provide a balanced differential signal for subsequent use by an unbalanced antenna. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, a balun is typically used to couple a balanced signal source to an unbalanced load (e.g., an antenna) or vice-versa. The word “balun” is shorthand for a balanced-unbalanced network.
Baluns are typically implemented using several coupled transmission lines, i.e., directional couplers. Couplers are four-port passive devices that are commonly employed in radio-frequency (RF) and microwave circuits and systems. A coupler may be implemented by disposing two conductors in relative proximity to each other such that an RF signal propagating along a main conductor is coupled to a secondary conductor. The RF signal is directed into an input port connected to the main conductor and power is transmitted to an output port disposed at the distal end of the main conductor. An electromagnetic field is coupled to the secondary conductor and the coupled RF signal is directed into an output port disposed at an end of the secondary conductor. The output signals are, of course, 90° out of phase with each other. An isolation port is disposed at the other end of the secondary conductor. The term isolation port refers to the fact that, ideally, the RF signal is not available at this port. At the isolation port, the incident signal and the coupled signal are substantially out of phase with each other and cancel each other out.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that balun performance, weight, form factor and volume are important issues for most implementations. One commonly known balun implementation is referred to as a Marchand balun. The Marchand balun includes a main half-wavelength transmission line coupled to two quarter-wavelength transmission lines. The unbalanced port is connected to the half-wavelength structure. The quarter-wavelength transmission lines provide the differential signal ports. Each differential signal port accommodates a signal that is equal in amplitude and opposite in phase to the other differential port. The Marchand balun is limited in that it supports wideband applications only when the unbalanced impedance is lower than the impedance of the balanced ports. Typical impedance transformation ratios are 1:2 or 1:4. A variation of the Marchand balun is known as the Merrill balun.
The Merrill balun may be thought of as an inverted Marchand balun because the balanced signals are provided at either end of the half-wavelength structure. The unbalanced port is disposed at one end of one of the quarter wavelength transmission lines. The other quarter wavelength transmission line is grounded at both ends. The half-wavelength structure and the quarter wavelength elements may be implemented using stripline segments formed by disposing a layer of conductive material on a dielectric substrate. While the performance of the Merrill balun, as measured by insertion loss and return loss over a predetermined bandwidth, is adequate, there are drawbacks associated with this balun implementation. The Merrill balun is limited in that it supports wideband applications only when the balanced impedance is less than or equal to the unbalanced impedance. For example, typical impedance transformation ratios are 1:1 or 2:1. This is another reason why Merrill baluns are referred to in some quarters as inverted Marchand baluns. In many designs, the electrical length and the even-mode impedance are essentially fixed, only the odd-mode impedance may be manipulated to optimize performance. One drawback of both the Marchand and Merrill baluns relates to the excessive line-widths of the stripline structures at certain odd-mode impedance values.
In certain applications, system designers are requiring that the balanced ports of the balun are isolated from each other and ground. In each of the examples discussed above, there are direct current (DC) paths between the balanced ports and/or ground. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, DC isolation is typically implemented by coupling the differential ports of the balun to the balanced signal source/sink via decoupling capacitors. Thus, size reductions may be realized if decoupling capacitors could be eliminated from the design.
What is needed is a balun implementation having an isolated balanced port while conforming to a desired form factor for a desired performance specification.
The present invention addresses the needs described above by providing an isolated balanced port while conforming to a desired form factor for a desired performance specification.
One aspect of the present invention is directed to a balun that includes a first coupler structure having a first port of a balanced port pair and an unbalanced port. A second coupler structure includes a second port of the balanced port pair. The second coupler structure is connected to the first coupler structure such that the second port of the balanced port pair is DC isolated from the first port of the balanced port pair without decoupling components.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a balun that includes a first coupler structure having a first port of a balanced port pair and an unbalanced port. A second coupler structure includes a second port of the balanced port pair. The second coupler structure is connected to the first coupler structure such that the first port of the balanced port pair and the second port of the balanced port pair are isolated from ground potential without decoupling components.
In yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to a device that includes a first coupler structure having a first portion of a first balanced port pair, a first portion of a second balanced port pair and an unbalanced port. A resistive element is connected to the first coupler structure. A second coupler structure includes a second portion of the first balanced port pair and a second portion of the second balanced port pair. The second coupler structure is connected to the first coupler structure by way of the resistive element such that the first and second portions of the first balanced port pair and the first and second portions of the second balanced port pair are isolated from ground potential without decoupling components.
In yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to a balun having a first coupler structure including a first port of a balanced port pair and an unbalanced port. The first coupler structure includes a first transmission line layer coupled to a second transmission line layer and a third transmission line layer coupled to the second transmission layer. The second transmission line layer is disposed between the first transmission line layer and the third transmission line layer. A second coupler structure includes a second port of the balanced port pair. The second coupler structure also includes a fourth transmission line layer coupled to a fifth transmission line layer and a sixth transmission line layer coupled to the fifth transmission layer. The fifth transmission line layer is disposed between the fourth transmission line layer and the sixth transmission line layer. The first transmission line layer is connected to the sixth transmission line layer and the third transmission line layer is connected to the fourth transmission line layer such that the first port of the balanced port pair is DC isolated from the second port of the balanced port pair.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the invention as described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary of the invention and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in, and constitute a part of, this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operation of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. One embodiment of the balun of the present invention is shown in
In accordance with the invention, initially referring to
Referring back to
In general, vertical interdigital couplers may be implemented by disposing transmission line layers 14 in alternating layers with transmission line layers 12 to form a total of N transmission line layers. Transmission lines 12 and transmission lines 14 are disposed in a predetermined vertical position relative to each other. In one embodiment, transmission lines 12 may be vertically aligned with transmission lines 14 to effect maximum coupling. In other embodiment, transmission lines 14 are vertically offset from transmission lines 12 to obtain a different degree of coupling. In other words, the vertical geometric configuration may be adjusted to obtain a predetermined coupling constant. In accordance with the present invention, N is an integer value that is greater than or equal to three (3).
In the balun structure of the present invention, N is typically equal to three. N may be selected for a variety of reasons including coupling value, form factor considerations and etc. The alternating layers of transmission line layers 12 and transmission line layers 14 are typically disposed between a pair of ground plates 18. In certain embodiment, however, the ground plates 18 are unnecessary. Each second transmission line is disposed in a predetermined position relative to a corresponding first transmission line within the structure. However, those of ordinary skill in the alt will understand that the balun structures of the present invention should not be deemed as being limited to coupler structures having only three layers.
Referring to
Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that three layer structures are inherently asymmetrically coupled devices. Therefore, the use of Even and Odd mode impedances herein is a simplified approximation of the asymmetric nature of the vertical interdigital coupler structures. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will also understand that using asymmetric mathematical models to explain the present invention overly, and significantly, complicates the disclosure with very limited benefit. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the compact structural designs disclosed herein must be finalized using three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic simulators whether asymmetrical or symmetrical models are employed.
The total ground plane spacing of the stripline structure, not including conductor thickness is:
bN=2h+(N−1)d (3)
The total ground plane spacing of the stripline structure including the conductor thickness is:
BN=2h+(N−1)d+Ntm (4)
The cross sectional area occupied by a coupled section is therefore:
AN=BN(s+w)=(s+w)(2h+(N−1)s+Ntm) (5)
Equation (5) is an approximation that assumes that the structure has an electrical wall interposed between each vertical conductor group. This approximation is reasonable for tightly spiraled structures with X-Y dimension much smaller than one quarter wavelength (λ/4). Thus, the capacitances can be approximated to that of parallel plate capacitance:
The dimension l is the length of the transmission lines and dCP is the distance between the plates.
Cx is employed in the even and odd mode capacitance equations derived herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the constants ∈0 and ∈r in equation (7) refer to the permittivity of the dielectric material. Permittivity is a measure of a dielectric material's response to an applied electric field. In particular, if the permittivity of a first dielectric material is larger than the permittivity of a second dielectric material, the first material will store a greater charge for a given applied electric field. As equation (7) suggests, permittivity is proportional to capacitance. Thus, the first dielectric material will have a greater capacitance. Note also that ∈0, the permittivity of free space is 8.8541878176×10−12 farads per meter (F/m). Hence, [pFm] is used to denote “pico Farads per meter” in equation (7).
Note that the odd-mode capacitance does not depend on the strip line height. This implies that the stripline ground planes may be removed without any adverse consequences (relative to the odd mode). In other words, this design is an approximation of a coax cable. Also of note is that the even-mode capacitance is identical to the conventional 2-layer broadside coupler. In fact, the even-mode capacitance does not depend on the value of N.
As embodied herein and depicted in
In-phase port 2 is connected to transmission line layer 12 and transmission line layer 15. Quadrature port 3 is connected to transmission line layer 12′ and transmission line layer 15′. The internal ends of coupler 10 transmission lines (12, 15) are connected to the internal ends of coupler 10′ transmission lines (12′, 15′). One end of transmission line 14 is connected to the unbalanced port and the other end is connected to ground. Transmission line 14′ is grounded at both ends. In this way, the coupler structure 10 is interconnected with coupler structure 10′ such that in-phase port 2 and quadrature port 3 are isolated from ground potential without decoupling components. Both coupler structures (10, 10′) as shown in
Referring to
As shown in the chart, the bandwidth of interest is between point A (950 MHz) and point B (2100 MHz). The insertion loss curves 700 within the specified bandwidth varies from −4 dB at 950 MHZ to approximately 0 dB at 2100 MHz. In this example, an acceptable return loss must be −12 dB or better. Return loss curve 702 corresponds to a finite odd-mode impedance (Zo) of 34Ω. In the bandwidth region at or near 950 MHz, the return loss is approximately −11 dB, and therefore, the design is unacceptable. Return loss curve 704 and 706 correspond to a finite odd-mode impedance (Zo) of 30Ω and 32Ω respectively, and represent an improvement over curve 702. However, both show marginal performance in the 950 MHz region.
Referring to
Referring to
As embodied herein and depicted in
Unlike the previous embodiment, transmission line layer 12 is connected to transmission line layer 15 and transmission line layer 12′ is also connected to the transmission line layer 15′. The in-phase port (2) is connected to transmission line layer 14 and quadrature port (3) is connected to transmission line layer 14′. Further, the internal ends of transmission line layer 14 and transmission line layer 14′ are connected to each other. Transmission line layer 12 and transmission line layer 15 have an outer end connected to ground potential and an internal end connected to the unbalanced port. Transmission line layer 12′ and transmission lines layer 15′ are connected to ground potential at both ends.
Referring to
As embodied herein and depicted in
In this embodiment, in-phase port 2 is only connected to transmission line layer 12. In similar fashion, quadrature port 3 is only connected to transmission line layer 12′. The internal end of coupler 10 transmission line 12 is connected to the internal end portion of transmission layer 15′ and the internal end of transmission layer 15 is connected to the internal end of transmission line layer 12′. One end of transmission line 14 is connected to the unbalanced port and the other end is connected to ground. Transmission line 14′ is grounded at both ends. As shown in
Both coupler structures (10, 10′) as shown in
Referring to
Referring to
In reference to the insertion loss charts shown in
Referring to
As embodied herein and depicted in
Power divider structure 200 is formed by connecting resistor element 20 between transmission line layer 12 and transmission line layer 12′. Transmission line 12 is also internally connected to an end portion of transmission layer 15′ and the internal end of transmission layer 15 is similarly connected to the internal end of transmission line layer 12′. One end of transmission line 14 is connected to the unbalanced port and the other end is connected to ground. Transmission line 14′ is grounded at both ends.
Power divider 200 includes unbalanced port 1, balanced port A and balanced port B. Balanced port A includes in-phase port 2 connected to transmission line layer 12 and quadrature phase port 3 connected to transmission line layer 12′. Balanced port B includes in-phase port 4 connected to transmission line layer 15 and quadrature phase port 5 connected to transmission line layer 15′. Again, the terms in-phase and quadrature, as used herein, merely refer to the fact that port 2 and port 3 accommodate signals that are of substantially equal in amplitude and 180° out of phase with each other. In any event, the signal directed into the unbalanced port 1 is divided between balanced port A and balanced B. In one embodiment, the signal provided to the unbalanced port 1 is split equally between the two balanced ports (A, B). However, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the signal may be split unequally in accordance with any desired ratio.
As embodied herein and depicted in
The combiner of the present invention is advantageous in that if one of the differential amplifiers experiences a fault condition and does not provide a differential input signal, combiner 300 will continue to provide an output signal, albeit at approximately half the magnitude.
Referring to
Referring to
In general, each coupler structure (10, 10′) of the present invention may be fabricated in the following manner. As an initial step, the geometric configuration, i.e., the shape of the transmission line in plan view, the width of the conductors, the thickness of the conductors, and all the various spacing dimensions have been calculated. Each transmission line layer is provided as a conductive sheet bonded to a dielectric sheet. Subsequently, the predetermined geometric pattern is transferred to the surface of the conductive sheet using photolithographic techniques. A photoresist material is disposed on the conductive sheet and the pattern is transferred to the resist material by directing radiant energy through a mask. The mask, of course, includes the image of the pattern. Imaging optics disposed in the photolithographic system ensure that the line widths transferred to the surface of the photoresist are properly dimensioned within an appropriate tolerance range. Subsequently, the exposed photoresist material and the underlying portion of the conductive sheet are removed by applying an etchant. The etching provides the transmission line layer wherein a transmission line is disposed on a dielectric substrate 16.
With respect to coupler structure 10, transmission line layers 12, 14, and 15 are placed in vertical alignment with each other using a suitable registration method. For example, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that various keying structures and techniques may be employed to ensure that vertical alignment is effected. After alignment, the transmission line layers 12, 14, 15 are bonded together to form a laminate structure. Again, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that any suitable bonding technique may be employed depending on the type of dielectric material used to implement dielectric layer 16. For example, with certain polymer dielectric materials, the step of bonding may be performed by applying heat and/or pressure to the sandwiched transmission line layers. After lamination is completed, the transmission line layers are interconnected in accordance with schematic diagrams shown in
Reference is made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/419,091, filed on May 18, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth in its entirety, for a more detailed explanation of the vertical interdigital couplers used herein.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening.
The recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.
All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not impose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed.
No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. There is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
This application is based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/764,715 filed on Feb. 2, 2006, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) is hereby claimed, this application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/419,091 filed on May 18, 2006, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 is hereby claimed.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11419091 | May 2006 | US |
Child | 11668682 | US |