Silicon Laboratories Inc.

Jeffrey A Tindle

Terry Lee Dickey

Vitor Pereira

Mustafa H Koroglu

Attila Zólomy

Ádám Süle

Yan Zhou

David S Trager

Guner Arslan

Thomas Edward Voor

Pasi Rahikkala

Joel Kauppo

Arup Mukherji

Euisoo Yoo

Trenton John Grale

Adám Süle

Andrea Nagy

Daniel Simon

Wei Shen

Kiruba Sankaran Subramani

John B Youngblood

J A Bolton

An antenna array that utilizes ground guard rings and metamaterial structures is disclosed. In certain embodiments, the antenna array is constructed from a plurality of antenna unit cells, wherein each antenna unit cell is identical. The antenna unit cell comprises a top surface, that contains a patch antenna and a ground guard ring. A reactive impedance surface (RIS) layer is disposed beneath the top surface and contains the metamaterial structures. The metamaterial structures are configured to present an inductance to the patch antennas, thereby allowing the patch antennas to be smaller than would otherwise be possible. In some embodiments, the metamaterial structures comprise hollow square frames. An antenna array constructed using this antenna unit cell has less coupling than conventional antenna arrays, which results in better performance. A ground skirt surrounds the perimeter of the antenna array to improve radiation phase pattern balance within the array.

Metamaterial antenna array with isolated antennas and ground skirt along the perimeter

A wireless transceiver including a receiver circuit coupled to an RF transceiver node, a tunable notch filter coupled between the RF transceiver node and a reference node, and a controller that programs the tunable notch filter with a selected blocker frequency and that selectively enables the tunable notch filter to attenuate at least one blocker signal. The tunable notch filter may include a variable capacitor and an inductor coupled in series between the RF transceiver node and ground. The inductor of the tunable notch filter may include a bondwire coupled between a semiconductor die and a semiconductor package. The inductance may include a physical inductor mounted on the package or a printed circuit board. The tunable notch filter may be enabled by a switch selectively coupling the filter to either the RF transceiver node or ground. The variable capacitor may be digitally programmed with digital values stored in a memory.

Frequency selective attenuator for optimized radio frequency coexistence

An antenna array that utilizes ground guard rings and metamaterial structures is disclosed. In certain embodiments, the antenna array is constructed from a plurality of antenna unit cells, wherein each antenna unit cell is identical. The antenna unit cell comprises a top surface, that contains a patch antenna and a ground guard ring. A reactive impedance surface (RIS) layer is disposed beneath the top surface and contains the metamaterial structures. The metamaterial structures are configured to present an inductance to the patch antennas, thereby allowing the patch antennas to be smaller than would otherwise be possible. In some embodiments, the metamaterial structures comprise hollow square frames. An antenna array constructed using this antenna unit cell has less coupling than conventional antenna arrays, which results in better performance. Furthermore, this new antenna array also requires less space than conventional antenna arrays.

Rotational symmetric AoX antenna array with metamaterial antennas

Metamaterial antenna array with isolated antennas

A wireless device including a receiver circuit coupled to a radio frequency receiver node, a frequency selective attenuator including an inductor and a first capacitor coupled in series to the radio frequency receiver node, and a second capacitor coupled in parallel with the first capacitor. The first capacitor has a first capacitance based on a blocker frequency and the second capacitor has a second capacitance that linearizes the frequency selective attenuator. A method of linearizing a frequency selective attenuator including detecting presence of a blocker signal, activating and programming a capacitor of the frequency selective attenuator to reduce a strength of the blocker signal, determining a frequency difference between the blocker signal and a receive frequency, and coupling a second capacitor to the frequency selective attenuator to linearize the frequency selective attenuator when the frequency difference is no more than an attenuation threshold.

Dynamically reconfigurable frequency selective attenuator for radio frequency receiver front end

A system and method of performing temperature compensation based on temperature of a crystal. An integrated circuit includes a clock circuit, a memory, an interface developing a sense voltage indicative of a temperature of the crystal, and a controller. The memory stores compensation values including nominal values based on a nominal third order polynomial that defines a nominal frequency versus temperature relationship of a crystal design representing multiple crystals, and a pair of adjustment values derived from two temperature-frequency error points. The controller determines a temperature value based on the sense voltage, calculates a frequency offset using the temperature value and the compensation values to solve a compensated third order polynomial defining a compensated frequency versus temperature relationship of the crystal, and adjusts a clock signal of the clock circuit using the frequency offset. A Wi-Fi device may be optimized for industrial IoT operating within an extended temperature range.

System and method of crystal oscillator temperature compensation for operation in extended temperature range

Die-to-die communication links for receiver integrated circuit dies within multi-die systems and related methods are disclosed for radio frequency (RF) receivers. The disclosed embodiments provide die-to-die communication links that allow for direct communication of operating parameters between receiver integrated circuit dies and other integrated circuit dies within a multi-die system so that the operation of receive path circuitry can be adjusted without requiring intervention from an external host processor integrated circuit. A variety of operating parameter information can be communicated through the die-to-die communication links so that the integrated circuit dies can quickly adjust to changing signal conditions without requiring intervention by the external host processor integrated circuit.

Die-to-die communication links for receiver integrated circuit dies and related methods

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Jeffrey A Tindle