Systems and methods for out-of-band filters

Abstract

The invention relates to an out-of-band filter. Broadband matching in out-of-band blocker rejection filters is provided. An apparatus includes a first inductor. The device includes a second inductor magnetically coupled with the first inductor and an amplifier. The apparatus includes a notch filter electrically coupled between the first inductor and the second inductor. The amplifier may be configured to amplify a plurality of radio frequency signals. The bandwidth of the radio frequency signal may exceed 1.5 gigahertz (GHz).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for signal amplification and transmission. In particular, the present disclosure relates to filters that can be used as input filters for amplification circuits, such as radio frequency (RF) amplifiers. Background Art

[0002] In the past few decades, the market for wireless communication devices has grown by several orders of magnitude due to the use of portable devices and the increased connectivity and data transfer between various devices. Digital switching technology has promoted the large-scale deployment of cheap and easy-to-use wireless communication networks. In addition, improvements in digital and radio frequency (RF) circuit manufacturing and progress in circuit integration and other aspects have made wireless devices smaller, cheaper and more reliable. Wireless communication can be operated according to various standards, such as IEEE 802.11x, Bluetooth, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). With the development of higher data throughput, network density and other changes, newer standards are constantly being developed and adopted. Many devices may include multi-device radios, antennas or other components. Such multi-mode devices can operate across various protocols, power levels, frequencies, etc. Summary of the invention

[0003] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a device comprising: a first inductor; a second inductor magnetically coupled to the first inductor and an amplifier; a notch filter electrically coupled between the first inductor and the second inductor; and wherein the amplifier is configured to amplify a plurality of radio frequency signals, wherein the bandwidth of the plurality of radio frequency signals exceeds 1.5 gigahertz (GHz).

[0004] On the other hand, the present disclosure relates to a system, comprising: a first inductor having a first terminal and a second terminal; a second inductor having a first terminal electrically coupled to the second terminal of the first inductor at a first node, the second inductor being magnetically coupled to the first inductor; a filter coupled to the first node; and an amplifier electrically coupled to the second terminal of the second inductor, the amplifier being configured to amplify a plurality of signals, each of the plurality of signals corresponding to at least one center frequency.

[0005] On the other hand, the present disclosure relates to a method, comprising: receiving a plurality of signals from an antenna, each of the plurality of signals corresponding to at least one center frequency; resonating at a filter at a first center frequency of a first signal of the plurality of signals, the filter: being separated from the antenna by a first inductor; being separated from an amplifier by a second inductor; and comprising a first capacitor connected in series with at least one third inductor; and receiving at a gate terminal: a second signal of the plurality of signals, the second signal comprising a second spectral content corresponding to a second center frequency; and a third signal of the plurality of signals, the third signal comprising a third spectral content corresponding to a third center frequency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The various objects, aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent and better understood by reference to the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference characters indicate all corresponding elements. In the drawings, the same reference numerals generally indicate the same, functionally similar and / or structurally similar elements.

[0007] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a radio frequency amplification circuit according to some embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2 is another schematic block diagram of a radio frequency amplification circuit according to some embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3 is a detailed diagram of a circuit for filtering radio frequency signals according to some embodiments.

[0010] Figure 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 are according to some embodiments Figure 3 The logic transformation of the circuit.

[0011] Figure 8 is another schematic block diagram of a radio frequency amplification circuit according to some embodiments.

[0012] Fig. 9 , 10 and 11 depict sensor geometries according to some embodiments.

[0013] Fig.12 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a method according to some embodiments.

[0014] The details of various embodiments of the method and system are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the subject matter provided. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the disclosure. Of course, these are only examples and are not intended to be limiting. The disclosure may repeat reference numbers and / or letters in various examples. This repetition is for simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed.

[0016] Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to a device. The device may include a first inductor. The device may include a second inductor. The second inductor may be magnetically coupled to the first inductor and an amplifier. The device may include a notch filter. The notch filter may be electrically coupled between the first inductor and the second inductor. The amplifier may be configured to amplify a radio frequency signal. The bandwidth of the radio frequency signal may exceed 1.5 gigahertz (GHz).

[0017] In some embodiments, the second inductor is directly coupled to the gate terminal of the amplifier. In some embodiments, the device includes a multi-tap inductor. A first tap pair of the multi-tap inductor may correspond to a first terminal of the first inductor and a second terminal of the first inductor. A second tap pair of the multi-tap inductor may correspond to a third terminal of the second inductor and a fourth terminal of the second inductor. In some embodiments, the first terminal is coupled to the third terminal. A terminal of the notch filter may be coupled to the first terminal and the third terminal. Another terminal of the notch filter may be coupled to a reference voltage (e.g., ground). In some embodiments, the device includes a capacitor. The first terminal may be coupled to the first terminal and the third terminal. The second terminal may be electrically coupled to the third inductor, and the third inductor is coupled to the third tap pair of the multi-tap inductor. The multi-tap inductor may be a multi-tap spiral inductor. The device may be formed along a flat surface of a semiconductor die.

[0018] Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to a system. The system may include a first inductor having a first terminal and a second terminal. The system may include a second inductor having a first terminal electrically coupled to the second terminal of the first inductor at a first node, the second inductor being magnetically coupled to the first inductor. The system may include a filter coupled to the first node. The system may include an amplifier electrically coupled to the second terminal of the second inductor, the amplifier being used to amplify various signals. Each of the various signals may correspond to at least one center frequency.

[0019] In some embodiments, the signal includes a signal corresponding to a center frequency in a 5 GHz frequency band and a signal corresponding to a center frequency in a 6 GHz frequency band. In some embodiments, the first center frequency corresponding to the first signal exceeds 5 gigahertz (GHz). The second center frequency corresponding to the second signal may exceed the first center frequency by more than 1 GHz. In some embodiments, the system includes a multi-tap inductor. The first tap of the multi-tap inductor may correspond to a first terminal of the first inductor. The second tap of the multi-tap inductor may correspond to a second terminal of the first inductor. The third tap of the multi-tap inductor may correspond to the first terminal of the first inductor. The fourth tap of the multi-tap inductor may correspond to the second terminal of the first inductor. In some embodiments, the second tap is coupled to the third tap. The filter may separate the second tap and the third tap from the reference voltage.

[0020] In some embodiments, the filter is a notch filter including a first capacitor and a third inductor, the third inductor including a first terminal and a second terminal. The reference voltage may be a ground voltage. In some embodiments, the multi-tap inductor includes a fifth tap corresponding to the first terminal of the third inductor and a sixth tap corresponding to the second terminal of the third inductor. In some embodiments, the multi-tap inductor is a multi-tap spiral inductor. In some embodiments, the first inductor, the second inductor, and the third inductor are formed along a flat surface of a semiconductor die.

[0021] Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method. The method may include receiving various signals from an antenna, each of the signals corresponding to at least one center frequency. The method may include resonating at a filter at a first center frequency of a first signal of the plurality of signals. The filter may be separated from the antenna by a first inductor. The filter may be separated from the amplifier by a second inductor. The filter may include a first capacitor in series with at least one third inductor. The method may include receiving a second and a third signal at a gate terminal. The second signal may include a second spectral content corresponding to the second center frequency. The third signal may include a third spectral content corresponding to the third center frequency.

[0022] In some embodiments, the method includes determining the first digital content from the second spectral content and determining the second digital content from the third spectral content. In some embodiments, the second spectral content and the third spectral content are received simultaneously by an antenna. In some embodiments, the first inductor, the second inductor, and the third inductor of the filter are parts of a multi-tap spiral inductor formed along a planar surface.

[0023] An amplifier (e.g., a low noise amplifier for a radio frequency (RF) circuit) may receive a broadband input signal, such as a signal corresponding to WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular, or other wireless communication protocols. An antenna or other input may also receive an interfering signal, which may saturate the amplifier, which may make it difficult to determine the contents of the broadband input signal. Circuits for providing a broadband input match while rejecting interfering signals may avoid this saturation. A transmission line may provide a broadband match, where a notch filter (e.g., a high-Q filter that peaks at the interfering frequency) may "remove" the interfering signal. However, manufacturing such a transmission line is challenging due to the size of the components of the broadband input signal.

[0024] Depending on the inclusion of a notch filter, a lumped model of a transmission line can improve the input bandwidth of an amplifier while rejecting interfering frequencies. For example, a lumped model can be implemented as a T-type filter that separates an antenna from an amplifier. A T-type filter can provide broadband filtering (e.g., in the GHz range, such as 1.5 GHz or greater).

[0025] A T-filter may be implemented as a T-coil, which may increase input bandwidth and reduce circuit area relative to other approaches. The T-coil may be implemented along a flat surface of a semiconductor device (e.g., a die), such as along one or more metallization layers formed on the semiconductor device. The mutual inductance of the coils combined with the omission of shielding, spacing, or duplication of other circuit portions associated with the inductor may reduce consumed circuit area relative to other approaches. In addition, the input inductor (also referred to as a gate inductor) of the amplifier, any inductor of the notch filter, or other adjacent inductors may be included in the same pattern (the pattern includes multiple taps) to further reduce circuit consumed area. An inductor may refer to or include a conductive element to store energy in a magnetic field according to a current passing through the conductive element. For example, the conductive element may include a wound wire, a spiral planar inductor, or other inductor geometry.

[0026] For clarity of the present disclosure, before further describing the systems and methods provided herein, an illustrative description of various terms is provided:

[0027] In some embodiments, an amplifier may refer to or include an electronic device designed, configured, or operable to increase the strength of an electronic signal. For example, an amplifier may amplify a voltage or a current. An amplifier may output a signal between a maximum and a minimum output (e.g., a rail) based on an input signal. In some embodiments, reaching the rail may be referred to as saturation.

[0028] In some embodiments, a filter may refer to or include a circuit for selectively passing or rejecting certain frequencies or components of a signal. A filter may be used to modify the shape or frequency response of a signal to, for example, selectively pass signals within a first frequency range and selectively reject signals outside the first frequency range. A filter may be or include a notch filter. In some embodiments, a notch filter may refer to or include a circuit configured to include a passband and include frequency rejection of some frequencies greater than the passband and other frequencies less than the passband. A notch filter may have one or more center frequencies, such as a center frequency corresponding to a resonance between an inductor and a capacitor. A notch filter in the RF range may have various other center frequencies corresponding to various parasitic capacitances in order to define a frequency response curve for a notch.

[0029] In some embodiments, a multi-tap inductor may refer to or include an inductor that terminates at a first end, a second end, and includes one or more additional terminals. For example, a multi-tap inductor may include a center terminal or additional terminals that are paired to correspond to electrically separated portions of the multi-tap inductor (which may also be referred to as separate inductors, such as first, second, or third inductors). In some embodiments, a terminal may refer to or include a conductive element connected to an inductor coil or other components configured to be electrically coupled to another element, such as a gate terminal or another inductor. In some embodiments, a gate terminal may refer to or include a terminal that is in electrical contact with a gate. For example, a gate may be a gate of a transistor, a relay, or a silicon-controlled rectifier, wherein a voltage applied to the gate terminal may switch a conductive channel (such as a transistor). In some embodiments, a terminal pair (which may also be referred to as a tap pair in combination with a multi-tap inductor) may refer to or include two terminals (or "taps") disposed on opposite ends of an induction coil or other device. For example, an induction coil may be one of any number of induction coils of a multi-tap inductor. In some embodiments, a multi-tap spiral inductor may refer to or include a multi-tap inductor that includes features disposed on a two-dimensional plane. For example, a spiral inductor may be formed on one or more layers of a printed circuit board, a metallization layer of a semiconductor device, etc. A spiral inductor may include vertical portions, such as a path through a conductive element above or below a portion of a coil, or stacked portions that create a three-dimensional shape on various two-dimensional planes. In some embodiments, a flat surface may refer to or include any one or more layers (e.g., of a printed circuit board, a metallization layer, etc.).

[0030] In some embodiments, a reference voltage may refer to or include a predefined voltage level configured for measuring, adjusting, or comparing with other voltage levels. For example, in some embodiments, a reference voltage may refer to or include a ground voltage, which may refer to or include a zero potential reference corresponding to a chassis, a power plane, a redistribution structure, a shield ground, a signal ground, a power ground, a floating ground, etc. In some embodiments, a reference voltage may include a bias voltage, which may refer to or include a voltage offset from a ground voltage.

[0031] In some embodiments, a semiconductor die may refer to or include a semiconductor material, such as silicon or germanium, having an active surface. The active surface may include n-wells and p-wells for diodes and transistors, films or dopants for resistors or polysilicon resistors or capacitors. Various interconnects of metallization layers disposed on the semiconductor die may form further features, such as inductors, spiral resistors, metal-insulator-metal capacitors, etc.

[0032] In some embodiments, a node may refer to or include a location on an electronic circuit where a voltage, current, or other property may be analyzed. For example, a node may include a junction between two or more active or passive devices (eg, at their terminals).

[0033] In some embodiments, a signal may refer to or include a time-varying electrical, electromagnetic, or optical waveform that can carry information. For example, a signal may include information corresponding to a symbol that can be retrieved to generate digital data according to a predefined symbol representation. A signal may include one or more component signals. For example, a signal received at an antenna may include a first signal from a first device, a second signal from a second device, a third signal from a third device, and the like. For example, at least one of the signals may include information corresponding to a system including the antenna, and one or more signals may include information that is not desired to correspond to the system (e.g., interference). For example, a signal may include information related to the center frequency of a power line, which may be described as interference with one or more systems. In some embodiments, a radio frequency (RF) signal may refer to or include a signal including one or more components in the RF range, which may extend from the kilohertz range to the GHz range (e.g., to hundreds of GHz).

[0034] In some embodiments, a frequency band may refer to or include a specific frequency range within the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, a frequency band may include a set of predefined frequencies defined according to an implementation or standard (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or cellular communication standards). For example, in some embodiments, a 5 GHz band may refer to or include a frequency range between about 5 and 6 GHz. For example, a 5 GHz band of a Wi-Fi communication link may include one or more bands extending from 5150 MHz to 5895 MHz. In some embodiments, a 6 GHz band may refer to or include a frequency range between about 6 and 7 GHz. For example, a 6 GHz band of a Wi-Fi communication link may include one or more bands extending from 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz. One or more frequency bands (e.g., corresponding to a bandwidth of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 320 MHz) may be referred to as being based on a center frequency, which may refer to or include the center point of the frequency band. For example, the center point of channel 44 of a 5 GHz Wi-Fi band extending from 5210 MHz to 5230 MHz is disposed at 5220 MHz. In some embodiments, spectral content may refer to or include information of a signal, the information being disposed within its frequency band. For example, spectral content may refer to symbols transmitted within a frequency band. In some embodiments, content of a message may refer to information in a message body, a message header, a message preamble, or the like.

[0035] In some embodiments, resonance may refer to or include confining energy within a portion of a circuit according to the frequency of the circuit. For example, a notch filter may resonate according to a frequency defined by its components. The energy confined within the portion of the circuit may be dissipated according to (e.g., resistive) losses associated therewith, which may reduce the spectral content at the resonant frequency in other portions of the circuit.

[0036] In some embodiments, separation may refer to or include physical or electrical separation of two components by a third component. For example, the third component may be located between the first two components, so that the first two components may be referred to as indirectly coupled, or may be connected to the first two components at a common node.

[0037] Figure 1A schematic block diagram of a radio frequency amplification circuit 100 according to some embodiments is depicted. The circuit 100 may be configured to operate along various frequency bands. For example, the circuit 100 may operate across various frequency bands of wireless protocols such as the Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) protocol or across various wireless protocols such as WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular communication protocols, etc. The circuit 100 may include a low noise amplifier 102, which is configured to receive a signal from an input port such as an antenna 104. The signal may include content distributed across one or more channels (e.g., channels exhibiting spectrum diversity). For example, the antenna 104 may be a broadband antenna configured to receive various signals, such as WiFi signals in the 5 or 6 GHz band (e.g., between 5.15 and 7.125 GHz), the 2.4 GHz band (e.g., 2.4 to 2.5 GHz), or other signals such as Bluetooth content (e.g., in the range of 2.4 to 2.49 GHz), cell phone signals, etc.

[0038] The amplifier 102 may output a signal to one or more devices (or terminals configured to connect to another device). For example, the amplifier 102 may be coupled to a splitter 106 to connect to multiple devices 108 or to transmit multiple frequency bands or signals to a single device 108. The depicted device 108 may extend frequencies greater than other approaches (e.g., greater than 1.5 GHz). For example, the output may correspond to 5 GHz and 6 GHz WiFi bands or greater than 4 GHz to operate with an additional 2.4 GHz band for WiFi or Bluetooth systems. The circuit 100 may be implemented on or include one or more silicon dies, a multi-die package, a circuit board, or the like.

[0039] The antenna 104 may receive various incidental signals or interference, such as wireless transmissions from radar systems, cordless phones, power line interference (e.g., 50 or 60 Hz), etc. A filter, such as the depicted notch filter 110, may be configured to pass a band-select frequency range corresponding to the bandwidth of the amplifier 102. According to the frequency response of the notch filter 110, the input impedance 112 of the amplifier 102 may vary with frequency. For frequencies of interest, the notch filter may be adjusted to increase its input impedance. However, the adjustment may target a center operating frequency, where broadband operation may exceed the band stop of the notch filter 110.

[0040] Reference Figure 2, another schematic block diagram of a radio frequency amplification circuit 100 is provided according to some embodiments. The schematic block diagram is provided as a functional schematic diagram and is not necessarily associated with the physical placement of any particular components. A filter 202 (e.g., a T-type filter 202) separates the antenna 104 from the amplifier 102. The series arm of the T-type filter 202 includes a first inductor 204 and a second inductor 206, which are disposed opposite to the shunt arm. The shunt arm includes a notch filter 110 between the coupled terminals of the inductors 204, 206 and a reference voltage, which may include a DC reference voltage, such as a bias voltage or one of various grounds proximate to or associated with the circuit 100.

[0041] An illustrative example of a notch filter 110 is provided that includes an LC section including a first capacitor 208 in series with a filter inductor 210. The first capacitor 208 and the filter inductor 210 may be selected based on known aggressor or interference frequencies. For example, the center frequency of the "well" of the LC section may be defined as being proportional to the square root of the LC and, in particular, as:

[0042]

[0043] In various embodiments, the center frequency may further depend on various parasitic effects, resistances, or other interactions between the depicted elements or with further elements. For example, the bandwidth (e.g., Q factor) of the filter may vary depending on its resistance, such as depending on the construction or diffusion of an inductor, the addition of polysilicon, spiral metal, or other resistors. Adding a second capacitor 212 may produce a series-parallel circuit that resonates at the following frequencies (ignoring certain second-order or third-order effects, such as the parasitic effects and resistances described above):

[0044]

[0045] At this frequency, the impedance of the parallel LC circuit is at a local maximum, since the reactive impedances of the inductor and capacitor cancel each other. However, the first capacitor will still contribute to the overall frequency response. In fact, the filter behavior at RF frequencies will be further affected by circuit parasitics, so that the performance at a specific frequency can be closely related to such effects.

[0046] At the frequencies of interest, the T-filter 202 can approximate a transmission line. The LC circuit of the first capacitor 208 and the filter inductor 210 can resonate so that the signal passed from the antenna 104 to the amplifier 102 proceeds as if the notch filter is composed of the second capacitor 212. Therefore, the T-filter 202 operates as a lumped model of a transmission line with a T-shaped coil.

[0047] The input (S11) bandwidth of the T-filter 202 may exceed the operating frequency range, such as a bandwidth greater than 1 GHz, 1.5 GHz (e.g., 2 GHz, 4 GHz, etc.). Therefore, the input impedance 112 seen by the antenna 104 may be relatively flat, and the amplification by the amplifier 102 may avoid saturation or other clipping, which may lose information contained in the signal, which may cause the various symbols carried in the signal to be difficult to reconstruct to increase the bit error rate, reduce the throughput, or otherwise affect the throughput or latency of the wireless communication.

[0048] In some embodiments (e.g., on-chip embodiments), an inductor (e.g., a spiral inductor) may occupy a large amount of area. In addition to the inductor itself, a guard ring, a shield, or other features may be used to improve the Q factor or avoid interfering with other circuits of the semiconductor device. A plurality of inductors including the first inductor 204 and the second inductor 206 may be coupled to each other. For example, a photolithographic pattern may define a plurality of inductors configured to be coupled to each other. This inductor combination may be referred to as a multi-tap inductor. A multi-tap inductor may refer to or include an inductor including a first terminal, a second terminal, and at least one terminal between the first and second terminals. A multi-tap inductor may be patterned to include a plurality of constituent inductors. For example, for at least some signals (e.g., a DC signal), two intermediate terminals may electrically isolate the two inductors from each other. The multi-tap inductor pattern may be relatively space-saving or dense, even for inductors that are not functionally related. In addition, according to some embodiments, the proximity of the windings in the multi-tap inductor may contribute to the mutual coupling between them.

[0049] In an illustrative example, a first tap pair of a multi-tap inductor may correspond to a first and second terminal of one or more inductors. A second tap pair of a multi-tap inductor may correspond to a first and second terminal of one or more other inductors. The terminals of the inductors may be coupled to each other (e.g., the inductors may correspond to the first inductor 204 and the second inductor 206). Thus, the terminals of a filter (e.g., a notch filter 110) may separate the connected inductor terminals from a reference voltage (e.g., ground). More specifically, as depicted, the notch filter 110 may include a capacitor 208 coupled to the inductor terminals. For example, the capacitor 208 may be coupled to the inductor terminals at its first terminal and to a second capacitor 212 at its second terminal. The second capacitor 212 may be disposed in parallel with another inductor 210 and connected to a ground opposite to the other capacitor 208. In some embodiments, the inductor 210 in parallel with the second capacitor 212 may include a terminal corresponding to a third tap pair of the multi-tap inductor.

[0050] In addition, the amplifier 102 may be or include a low noise amplifier (LNA) 102. The input of the LNA 102 may incorporate an input inductor as part of a matching network to transform the source impedance to the impedance of the transistor 216, thereby increasing power transfer and reducing noise. The input inductor may help tune the parasitic capacitance at the input, thereby enhancing the bandwidth and frequency response of the LNA 102. The noise reduction may further stabilize the DC operating point of the amplifier 102. This input inductor is depicted as a third inductor 214 (sometimes referred to as the gate inductor of the LNA 102), which separates the filter 202 from the gate of the amplifier 102. The combination of the third inductor 214 and the second inductor 206 in the same pattern may further contribute to area reduction, such as by being included in the same (e.g., photolithographic) pattern. In addition, the combination of the first inductor 204 and the second inductor 206 may include magnetic coupling therebetween, which may improve the S11 bandwidth (e.g., according to a distributed response corresponding to the mutual inductance and inherent capacitance between the windings).

[0051] As indicated above, the depictions provided herein are provided as functional schematics that are not necessarily associated with the physical placement of components. For example, the distinction between the second inductor 206 and the third inductor 214 may be arbitrarily defined as a portion of the same spiral (e.g., there may be no tap or terminal separating the two). Correspondingly, the boundaries of the amplifier 102 may be arbitrarily defined. For example, the third inductor 214 (or an inductor including the second inductor 206 and the third inductor 214) may be referred to as being coupled to the amplifier 204 (e.g., directly coupled to the gate terminal of the amplifier 102) or as being a component of the amplifier 102.

[0052] Reference Figure 3 , according to some embodiments, provides a detailed diagram of a circuit for filtering an RF signal. Figure 2 The first inductor 204 and the second inductor 206 are shown as being connected according to the mutual inductance between them. According to various embodiments, the mutual inductance (hereinafter provided by corresponding inductor points, for clarity only) may correspond to the interaction between the coils of the first inductor 204 and the coils of the second inductor 206 or to the sharing of the magnetic core. For example, in some embodiments, the first inductor 204 and the second inductor 206 may be wire-wound inductors wound around each other or around the same magnetic core. In some embodiments, the first inductor 204 and the second inductor 206 may be formed along a planar surface of a semiconductor die (e.g., may be spiral inductors). For example, the first inductor 204 and the second inductor 206 may be formed on a first and second metallization layer on the active die surface or in the same metallization layer (e.g., according to the same lithographic pattern), the lithographic pattern including taps connected to the respective inductors, wherein the tap connections may extend above or below the coils, on another metallization layer. That is, the first inductor 204 and the second inductor 206 may be components of a multi-tap spiral inductor.

[0053] The multi-tap inductor may further include a third inductor 214. For example, a lithographic pattern or a metallization layer defined thereby may define a first portion electrically terminated at its respective pair of taps, the first portion corresponding to the first transistor 204. The multi-tap inductor may include a second portion terminated at its respective pair of taps, the second portion corresponding to the series combination of the second inductor 206 and the third inductor 214. A first segment of the second portion (corresponding to the first segment of the second inductor) may be magnetically coupled to the first portion 204. A second segment of the second portion may correspond to the third inductor 214. As described below, respective values ​​of respective portions may be determined.

[0054] Figure 4 Depiction Figure 3 The first logical transformation 400 of the circuit of FIG. The mutual inductance between the corresponding coils of the first inductor 204 and the second inductor 206 is defined according to the turns ratio between them, according to:

[0055]

[0056] Of course, the depicted formula is intended only to describe a first order function, where the specific geometry of the semiconductor device and various couplings (e.g., magnetic, electrical, mechanical) with other circuit elements may further affect the behavior of the circuit. However, this transformation may be helpful in approximating the circuit behavior to, for example, help select component values ​​for various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0057] Reference Figure 5 ,supply Figure 35. The series arm of the T-type filter 202 is depicted as including the leftmost inductor 502 (corresponding to the first inductor 204, minus its mutual inductance), the rightmost inductor 504 (corresponding to the second inductor 206, minus its mutual inductance) and a shunt inductor corresponding to the mutual inductance 302 portion. The third inductor 114 is depicted as being separated from the other inductors. Figure 6 ,supply Figure 3 The third logical transformation 600 of the circuit of FIG. The transformation combines the rightmost inductor 504 with the third inductor 114 to produce another rightmost inductor 602, the inductance of the rightmost inductor 602 is equal to Figure 5 The sum of the rightmost inductor 504 and the third inductor 114 .

[0058] Reference Figure 7 , depict Figure 3 The fourth logic transformation 700 of the circuit. The fourth logic transformation and Figure 5 The transformation of is opposite, but includes a third inductor. The turns ratio between the depicted left inductor 702 and the right inductor 704 can be provided according to:

[0059]

[0060] Reference Figure 8 According to some embodiments, a circuit 100 for filtering an RF signal is provided. The circuit 100 can be configured by inverting Figure 4 Logical transformation of Figure 1 The circuit 100 includes a first inductor 702 and a second inductor 704. The inductance, turns ratio or other properties of the first inductor 702 and the second inductor 704 can be based on Figure 4 , 5 , 6 or 7 logical transformation to determine.

[0061] Fig. 9 Example inductor geometries are depicted in accordance with some embodiments. For example, the depicted inductor 900 may be formed in a first metallization layer of a semiconductor device and configured to couple with another inductor 900 formed on a corresponding layer (e.g., along the z-axis). A first terminal 902 of the inductor and a second terminal 904 of the inductor are provided for connection to another portion of a circuit. One or more terminals, such as the depicted first terminal 902, may pass over or under the inductor coil 900 to connect to another element. For example, one or more vias, redistribution layers, etc. may connect the first terminal 902 to another layer of the semiconductor device.

[0062] Fig.10 Another example inductor geometry is depicted according to some embodiments. Fig. 9Inductor 900, the depicted inductor 1000 may be formed on one or more metallization layers of a semiconductor device. The first terminal 1002 and the second terminal 1004 (collectively referred to as the first tap pair) of the multi-tap inductor may correspond to one inductor. The third terminal 1006 and the fourth terminal 1008 (collectively referred to as the second tap pair) of the inductor correspond to another inductor. In some embodiments, one of the first tap pairs may be connected to one of the second tap pairs. For example, the connection of the second terminal 1004 to the third terminal 1006 may produce a shunt arm. This shunt arm can be used, for example, to connect to a reference voltage via a shunt branch, such as to ground or a bias voltage via a notch filter 110. The same mode may include another tap pair depicted according to the fifth terminal 1010 and the sixth terminal 1012.

[0063] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, various geometries may be employed. For example, an inner coil (or portion thereof) may be disposed within an outer coil, as depicted with respect to an inner coil terminating at third terminal 1006 and fourth terminal 1108 and an outer coil terminating at first terminal 1002 and second terminal 1004. Some coils (or portions thereof) may be configured to alternate, such as Fig.11 Inductor 1100 of the present invention. The first coil terminates at a first terminal 1102 and a second terminal 1104 alternating with the second coil, and the second coil terminates at a third terminal 1106 and a fourth terminal 1108. The geometric shapes provided are only provided to illustrate certain aspects of the inductor and should not be construed as limiting. In addition, the various geometric shapes herein can be combined with each other or with other geometric shapes to achieve the desired inductor parameters. In addition, one or more dielectrics, shielding elements or other circuit components can be selected based on the desired inductor parameters.

[0064] Fig.12 A method 1200 for circuit operation is depicted. At operation 1202, signals having various center frequencies are received. The signals may be received from antenna 104. The signals may overlap or be exclusive in spectrum or time. The signals may include spectrum content associated with one or more frequency bands. The frequency bands (e.g., their center frequencies) may be separated by one or more GHz, such as 1.5 GHZ, 2 GHz, or 4 GHz. For example, the signals may include Bluetooth signals or 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signals and 5 or 6 GHz Wi-Fi signals. The received signals may include component signals of different frequencies (e.g., 900 MHz, 24 GHz, 50 / 60 Hz, etc.), which may include interfering signals and desired input signals. The interfering signal (e.g., interference) may be associated with another system, such as millimeter wave cellular communications, radar, power lines, etc.

[0065] In operation 1204, the filter resonates at one of the center frequencies. The resonance may be a peak or other portion of the resonance. For example, the center frequency of the notch may correspond to the center frequency of the signal or may be offset therefrom. The resonance may include a well of the LC network of the filter or another capacitor according to a series-parallel circuit. For example, the filter may include a capacitor connected in series with an inductor to form an LC network. A pair of inductors may separate the LC network from the antenna and the amplifier, respectively. The resonance may "capture" energy in the filter so as to reduce the voltage magnitude at the frequency presented to the input of the amplifier. The filter impedance may dissipate energy. The various inductors may be part of a multi-tap inductor. For example, a multi-tap inductor may be formed along a flat surface, such as in one or more metallization layers of a semiconductor device (e.g., it may be a multi-tap spiral inductor).

[0066] At operation 1206, first and second signals are received at an amplifier gate. Each of the first and second signals may include corresponding spectral content. The amplifier may provide a corresponding signal to a signal processing device (e.g., a DSP circuit) to generate digital content from the spectral content. For example, the DSP circuit may identify a symbol embedded in the spectral content, the signal corresponds to the digital information, and generate the digital information in response to the determination of the symbol.

[0067] References to "or" may be interpreted as inclusive, such that any term described using "or" may indicate any of a single, more than one, and all of the described items. References to at least one of a list of conjunction items may be interpreted as an inclusive "or" to indicate any of a single, more than one, and all of the described items. For example, reference to "at least one of 'A' and 'B'" may include only 'A', only 'B', and both 'A' and 'B'. Such references used in conjunction with "includes" or other open terms may include additional items.

[0068] It should be noted that certain paragraphs of the present disclosure may refer to terms such as "first" and "second" in conjunction with transmission spatial streams, sounding frames, responses, and subsets of devices for identifying or distinguishing one from another. These terms are not intended to relate entities (such as first devices and second devices) only in time or according to order, although in some cases, these entities may include such a relationship. These terms also do not limit the number of possible entities (such as reader elements, writer elements, or magnetic media) that can operate within a system or environment. It should be understood that the above-mentioned system may provide multiple components of any or each of these components and these components may be provided on a stand-alone machine or, in some embodiments, on multiple machines in a distributed system. In addition, bit field positions may be changed and multi-bit words may be used. In addition, the above-mentioned systems and methods may be provided as one or more computer-readable programs or executable instructions embodied on or in one or more articles of manufacture (such as floppy disks, hard disks, CD-ROMs, flash memory cards, PROMs, RAMs, ROMs, or tapes). The program may be implemented in any programming language (such as LISP, PERL, C, C++, C#) or any bytecode language (such as JAVA). A software program or executable instructions may be stored as object code on or in one or more articles of manufacture.

[0069] The term "coupling" and its variations include two components being directly or indirectly joined to each other. The term "electrical coupling" and its variations include two components being directly or indirectly joined to each other through a conductive material (e.g., a metal or copper trace). This joining may be fixed (e.g., permanent or fixed) or movable (e.g., removable or releasable). This joining may be achieved by: two components being directly coupled to each other; two components being coupled to each other using a separate intermediary component and any additional intermediate components that are coupled to each other; or two components being coupled to each other using an intermediary component that is integrally formed as a single entity with one of the two components. If "coupling" or its variations are modified by additional terms (e.g., direct coupling), the general definition of "coupling" provided above is modified by the plain language meaning of the additional terms (e.g., "direct coupling" means the joining of two components without any separate intermediary components), resulting in a narrower definition than the general definition of "coupling" provided above. This coupling may be mechanical, electrical (e.g., magnetic) or fluidic. In some embodiments, magnetic coupling may refer to or include the presence of a link between two or more magnetic devices through which effects such as magnetic fields or forces can be transmitted.

[0070] Although the above written description of the method and system enables a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the embodiments thereof, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate that there are variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiments, methods, and examples herein. Therefore, the inventive method and system should not be limited by the above-described embodiments, methods, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A device comprising: a first inductor; a second inductor magnetically coupled to the first inductor and the amplifier; a notch filter electrically coupled between the first inductor and the second inductor; and The amplifier is configured to amplify a plurality of radio frequency signals, wherein a bandwidth of the plurality of radio frequency signals exceeds 1.5 gigahertz (GHz).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The second inductor is directly coupled to a gate terminal of the amplifier.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising: Multi-tap inductors, where: A first pair of taps of the multi-tap inductor corresponds to a first terminal of the first inductor and a second terminal of the first inductor; and A second pair of taps of the multi-tap inductor corresponds to a third terminal of the second inductor and a fourth terminal of the second inductor.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein: The first terminal is coupled to the third terminal; A terminal of the notch filter is coupled to the first terminal and the third terminal; and The other terminal of the notch filter is coupled to a reference voltage.

5. The device of claim 4, further comprising a capacitor having: A first terminal coupled to the first terminal and the third terminal; and A second terminal is electrically coupled to a third inductor, wherein the third inductor is coupled to a third tap pair of the multi-tap inductor.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the multi-tap inductor is a multi-tap spiral inductor.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the device is formed along a planar surface of a semiconductor die.

8. A system comprising: a first inductor having a first terminal and a second terminal; a second inductor having a first terminal electrically coupled to the second terminal of the first inductor at a first node, the second inductor being magnetically coupled to the first inductor; a filter coupled to the first node; and An amplifier is electrically coupled to the second terminal of the second inductor, the amplifier being configured to amplify a plurality of signals, each signal of the plurality of signals corresponding to at least one center frequency.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein: The plurality of signals include a signal corresponding to a center frequency in a 5 GHz frequency band and a signal corresponding to a center frequency in a 6 GHz frequency band.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein: A first center frequency corresponding to a first signal of the plurality of signals exceeds 5 gigahertz (GHz); and A second center frequency corresponding to a second signal among the plurality of signals exceeds the first center frequency by more than 1 GHz.

11. The system according to claim 8, comprising: Multi-tap inductors, where: A first tap of the multi-tap inductor corresponds to the first terminal of the first inductor; A second tap of the multi-tap inductor corresponds to the second terminal of the first inductor; a third tap of the multi-tap inductor corresponds to the first terminal of the first inductor; and A fourth tap of the multi-tap inductor corresponds to the second terminal of the first inductor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein: The second tap is coupled to the third tap; and A filter separates the second tap and the third tap from a reference voltage.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein: The filter is a notch filter including a first capacitor and a third inductor, the third inductor including a first terminal and a second terminal; and The reference voltage is a ground voltage.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein: The multi-tap inductor includes a fifth tap corresponding to the first terminal of the third inductor and a sixth tap corresponding to the second terminal of the third inductor.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the multi-tap inductor is a multi-tap spiral inductor.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the first inductor, the second inductor, and the third inductor are formed along a planar surface of a semiconductor die.

17. A method comprising: receiving a plurality of signals from an antenna, each signal of the plurality of signals corresponding to at least one center frequency; resonates at a filter at a first center frequency of a first signal of the plurality of signals, the filter: separated from the antenna by a first inductor; is separated from the amplifier by a second inductor; and comprising a first capacitor connected in series with at least a third inductor; and Received at the gate terminal: a second signal of the plurality of signals, the second signal comprising second spectral content corresponding to a second center frequency; and A third signal of the plurality of signals includes third spectral content corresponding to a third center frequency.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: determining first digital content from said second spectral content; and Second digital content is determined from the third spectral content.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second spectral content and the third spectral content are received simultaneously by the antenna.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first, second, and third inductors of the filter are parts of multi-tap spiral inductors formed along a planar surface.

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