Method for adjusting a resonator in an oscillator

Abstract

A method for tuning a resonator in an oscillator is described. A dielectric serving as a resonator in the oscillator is trimmed in a targeted manner by laser pulses until a target frequency is reached. The lasers used are preferably excimer lasers or solid-state lasers.

Description

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0001] The present invention is directed to a method for tuning a resonator in an oscillator according to the definition of the species of the independent claim.

[0002] It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,225 B1 to use a laser to trim a resonator (slab resonator), which was manufactured from metal using a thick-film method, to tune the frequency of a resonator.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In contrast, the method according to the present invention for tuning a resonator in an oscillator having the features of the independent claim has the advantage over the related art that the use of a dielectric makes a higher quality of the oscillator possible, which is of particular value in the very high frequency range. It is thus possible in particular to use the oscillator, of which the resonator according to the present invention is a part, for higher frequencies in the GHz range. The direct trimming of the dielectric, formed as a resonator pellet, results in improved reproducibility of the resonator frequency to be set. The method according to the present invention is suited in particular for the mass production of oscillators and it thus makes a fast, safe, and simple method for frequency tuning of the resonators in oscillators possible.

[0004] The measures and refinements listed in the dependent claims make advantageous improvements of the method specified in the independent claim for tuning a resonator in an oscillator possible.

[0005] It is advantageous in particular that the laser used for trimming is operated as a pulsed laser in order to thus minimize the thermal load on the oscillator circuit.

[0006] It is also an advantage that the oscillator frequency determined by the dielectric is measured after a predetermined number of pulses in order to thus adjust the predetermined oscillator frequency in an iterative process. In one refinement, it is possible to set the resonator frequency automatically using a control loop.

[0007] It is also an advantage that the oscillator according to the present invention has a metallic cover, which is necessary to stimulate oscillation of the oscillator since this metallic cover results in positive feedback. The cover also has a bore through which the laser is able to aim at the dielectric in order to trim this dielectric. This makes direct trimming in the resonator possible, i.e., in the finished circuit of the oscillator, making it possible to immediately measure the success of the trimming based on the oscillator frequency.

[0008] It is a further advantage that an excimer laser or a solid-state laser, which may be laser diode-pumped, is used as a laser, such lasers having the necessary performance density for the method according to the present invention and good trimming properties.

[0009] It is also an advantage that an oscillator is present, which is tuned using the method according to the present invention, the oscillator having a metallic cover, a high-frequency transistor, for example an HFET or a HBT, the electrical and electronic components being connected via microstrip lines and the dielectric being designed as a cylindrical resonator pellet.

[0010] The laser used for the method according to the present invention must be capable of pulsed operation to minimize the thermal load on the oscillator as described above.

DRAWING

[0011] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are depicted in the drawing and explained in greater detail in the following description.

[0012] FIG. 1 shows an oscillator system having a dielectric resonator pellet;

[0013] FIG. 2 shows a resonator tuning using the method according to the present invention;

[0014] FIG. 3 shows an example of the tuning of the resonator frequency in the form of a diagram;

[0015] FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of the method according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION

[0016] For radar applications, in automotive engineering in particular, it is necessary to provide an oscillator that generates signals in the very high frequency range, i.e., in the GHz range. Since methods such as Doppler frequency shift in particular are used to detect objects, a precise determination and setting of the resonator frequency of the oscillator is necessary.

[0017] An oscillator has a passive and an active part. The active part, an amplifier, is a high-frequency transistor in this case, such as a high electron mobility transistor (HFET) or a hetero bipolar transistor (HBT), for example. These transistors are usually manufactured from compound semiconductors. The passive part is the resonator. It is formed in this case by a dielectric, whose equivalent electrical circuit diagram may be formed from resistors, capacitors, and inductors, if necessary.

[0018] In manufacturing the oscillator, it is now possible to set the oscillator frequency, i.e., the frequency of the signal generated by the oscillator, by precisely setting the resonator. Since a dielectric is used as a resonator in this case, this dielectric must be changed by a geometric adaptation for setting the resonator frequency. According to the present invention, this is achieved directly on the oscillator circuit by a laser used to trim the dielectric, the laser preferably being operated as a pulsed laser. Since the oscillator circuit is sealed by a metallic cover, this metallic cover has a bore through which the laser may be aimed at the dielectric for trimming.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows an oscillator system having a resonator pellet. The oscillator circuit, made up of a transistor T including its electrodes drain D, source S and gate G, a resonator pellet DR and microstrip lines, is situated on a substrate 3.

[0020] The transistor is connected to an output of the oscillator via microstrip lines 2 and also to dielectric resonator pellet DR. Resonator pellet DR has a height D, which may be changed by trimming using a laser. The height, however, determines the electrical properties of resonator pellet DR, i.e., its capacitance, inductance, and its resistance, i.e., its impedance. The impedance in turn determines the oscillator frequency. Thus a change in height D brings about a change in the oscillator or resonator frequency.

[0021] A high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), which is suited for gigahertz applications in particular, is used in this case as transistor T. As an alternative, it is possible to use a hetero bipolar transistor (HBT). Metallic cover 1 surrounding the oscillator circuit has a height H and a bore (not shown) which lies directly above resonator pellet DR. The laser beam is guided through this bore to trim resonator pellet DR. A ceramic is used as the material for resonator pellet DR, in this case a combination of strontium, barium, and tantalum oxides. However, other ceramics, i.e., dielectrics, are also possible. After the tuning, cover 1 may be sealed using an electrically conductive label.

[0022] FIG. 2 depicts how the resonator pellet is tuned. Resonator pellet 4 is located directly beneath the bore, through which the laser beam is guided. Resonator pellet 4 is situated on a stripline 2, which is located on a substrate 3. Cover 1 seals the oscillator circuit.

[0023] The substrate is made of a material suitable for millimeter waves, e.g., Teflon-like materials or HF ceramics. The stripline is manufactured by structuring a metallic layer, e.g., copper. The width of such a stripline typically ranges from 0.5-1.0 mm. The thickness of the stripline is typically 40 μm. The diameter of the pellet is 2 mm, the thickness D is 1 mm.

[0024] FIG. 3 shows in a diagram that the resonator frequency, in gigahertz as a function of the number of laser pulses, shows measurement results obtained with the method according to the present invention. A largely linear relationship is seen in the resonator frequency being a function of the number of laser pulses so that the thickness and thus the oscillator frequency may be readily predicted based on the number of laser pulses.

[0025] The wavelength of the laser must be adjusted to the absorption spectrum of the ceramic (dielectric, i.e., the resonator pellet). An excimer laser, whose UV radiation is well-absorbed by the aforementioned ceramic, is suited in particular for the ceramic referred to above. The beam profile must be adapted to the size of the pellet using masks and optics.

[0026] The method according to the present invention is shown as a flow chart in FIG. 4. Initially in method step 5, resonator pellet 4 is trimmed for a predetermined period of time At, which corresponds to a predetermined number of laser pulses, 100 for example, using a laser, an excimer laser, or a diode-pumped solid-state laser. NdYAG lasers, for example, may be used as solid-state lasers. After material has been trimmed from resonator pellet 4 for predetermined period of time δt, the resonator frequency is measured in method step 6. If the frequency is within a predetermined range for the target frequency, the tuning is completed in method step 8. This may be attained, for example, when the obtained resonator frequency deviates from the target frequency by 1%. The frequency of the oscillator is fed to a spectrum analyzer and measured either via a suitable measuring socket and a suitable adaptor or via the emission of a connected antenna.

[0027] If, however, it was determined in method step 7 that this frequency has not been reached, the trimming is then continued in method step 5 using the laser. This process then proceeds iteratively until the predetermined frequency of the oscillator has been reached. This is a simple, fast, and reliable method for the production of such oscillators.

Claims

1. A method for tuning a resonator in an oscillator, a laser being used to tune the resonator,

2. The method as recited in claim 1,

3. The method as recited in claim 2,

4. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

5. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

6. An oscillator, which has been tuned using the method as recited in one of claims 1 through 5,

7. The resonator as recited in claim 6,

8. A laser for implementing the method as recited in one of claims 1 through 5,