National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Jesse Moody

Travis Forbes

Benjamin Thomas Magstadt

An even harmonic multiplier employing complementary current reuse is disclosed. The even harmonic multiplier employs supply voltage and current density scaling to reduce power consumption. Further, by using complimentary NMOS and PMOS transistors, the even harmonic multiplier achieves high areal efficiency. Current reuse causes a reduction in noise at the first harmonic, as the corresponding first harmonic currents from the NMOS and PMOS transistors are in opposite, i.e., canceling, directions. Complementary current reuse is now feasible, as the performance of PMOS transistors at current process nodes is similar to those of NMOS transistors, with appropriate sizing leading to approximately equivalent transconductances. Multiple even harmonic multiplier configurations are possible, with many using transformer circuits at the input and/or the output. The resultant even harmonic multipliers find ready application in millimeter wave radio frequency receivers. The most common even harmonic multiplier is a frequency doubler, which produces a strong second harmonic signal.

Complementary current reuse even harmonic frequency multiplier

A programmable delay device that provides delays of more than 100 ns over a broad bandwidth is disclosed. The device includes an input stage that employs M sampling switched capacitor elements such that each sampling switched capacitor element samples at a rate of only 1/M of the fundamental sampling rate. The device includes a programmable delay stage with M programmable switched capacitor banks, each programmable switched capacitor bank having N delay switched capacitor storage elements. Thus, the programmable delay stage includes a total of M&#xd7;N delay switched capacitor storage elements, thereby reducing the sampling rate by a factor of M&#xd7;N. This reduced sampling rate permits much smaller sampling switches, resulting in reduced leakage current and enabling far longer programmable delay times. Lastly, the device includes an output reconstruction stage that reconstructs a delayed version of the input RF signal by combining signals from the programmable delay stage.

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Cedar Crest, NM, United States of America

Jesse Moody