Integrated Power Combiner Splitter Using Interdigitated Windings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power combiners/splitters in distributed line technology are bulky and suffer from high network losses, making them impractical for high-frequency applications like mobile telephony, and they fail to provide the necessary quadrature phase-shift required in integrated circuits.
Innovation Solution
A combiner/splitter design using thin layer technology with interdigited planar windings in two conductive levels and capacitive elements to enhance coupling, allowing for shorter line lengths and reduced bulk, while maintaining phase and amplitude balance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional distributed line technology is used for combiners/splitters, then the device can provide power distribution function, but the device becomes bulky and suffers from high network losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional planar distributed line structures to a three-dimensional stacked configuration with multiple conductive levels. The first and second conductive levels are stacked vertically with capacitive elements coupling them, creating a compact volumetric structure that reduces the horizontal footprint and overall device bulk while maintaining the required electrical length and performance characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where conductive levels are stacked one above another, with each level containing interdigitated windings that are coupled through capacitive elements. This nested arrangement allows the transmission lines to be folded into a compact space, effectively reducing the physical length of the lines while maintaining the electrical path length needed for the combiner/splitter function
2Volume of moving object
If conventional distributed line technology is used for combiners/splitters, then the device can provide power distribution function, but the device bulk is reduced for integration, yet high network losses occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the electrical parameters of the transmission lines by using interdigitated winding structures with controlled capacitance values. The capacitive elements between conductive levels are specifically designed to achieve the desired electrical length and impedance characteristics without requiring long physical lines, thereby reducing insertion losses while maintaining compact dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite structure combining multiple conductive materials and dielectric layers in a stacked configuration. The interdigitated windings on different levels are coupled through capacitive elements, creating a composite transmission line structure that achieves superior electrical performance with reduced physical dimensions compared to conventional single-plane structures
3Reliability
If quarter wavelength lines are used in conventional combiners/splitters, then the device can provide quadrature phase-shift, but the device becomes impractical for high-frequency applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses vertical stacking of conductive levels to achieve the required electrical length for quadrature phase-shift without requiring long horizontal lines. The capacitive coupling between levels creates an effective electrical length that provides the necessary 90-degree phase difference while keeping the physical footprint compact, making the device practical for high-frequency applications where quarter-wavelength lines would be excessively long
4Volume of moving object
If shorter line lengths are used to reduce bulk, then the device becomes compact for integration, but coupling between lines is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces capacitive elements as intermediary components between the first and second conductive levels. These capacitive elements serve as coupling mechanisms that enable strong electromagnetic interaction between the stacked conductive levels, providing sufficient coupling and energy transfer despite the reduced physical distance between input and output terminals in the compact stacked structure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces the bulk and insertion losses of combiners/splitters, enabling their use in high-frequency applications by improving coupling between lines and ensuring phase and amplitude balance without requiring lines to be a quarter wavelength long, thus facilitating integration into circuits.
Implementation Method 1
a first capacitive element connecting the external ends of the first and third windings; and a second capacitive element connecting the external ends of the second and fourth windings
Data Source
AI summary
A combiner/splitter with distributed lines including a first line formed of a first planar winding in a first conductive level and of a second planar winding in a second conductive level; a second line formed of a third planar winding interdigited with the first winding in the first level, and of a fourth planar winding interdigited with the second winding in the second level; a first capacitive element connecting the external ends of the first and third windings; and a second capacitive element connecting the external ends of the second and fourth windings.