University of California

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Tim LaRocca

Mau-Chung Frank Chang

Daquan Huang

Naveen Daftari

A triple-balanced mixer is disclosed. The mixer features a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) mmW (millimeter wave) integrated circuit and adds an inverted double balanced mixer to a double-balanced Gilbert cell mixer to provide a triple-balanced mixer. Another term for this type of mixer is doubly double balanced. Pairs of field effect transistor (FET) devices are interleaved into a single device. The inverted mixer provides an inverted LO feedthrough signal equal in amplitude to the LO feedthrough from the first mixer. The inverted LO feedthrough is used to cancel the LO feedthrough, or leakage, of the first mixer at the RF port.

Triple balanced, interleaved mixer

Generation of Terahertz range (300 GHz to 3 THz) frequencies is increasingly important for communication, imaging and spectroscopic systems, including concealed object detection. Apparatus and methods describe generating multiple phase signals which are phase-locked at a fundamental frequency, which are then interleaved into an output which is a multiple of the fundamental frequency. By way of example phase generators comprise cross-coupling transistors (e.g., NMOS) and twist coupling transistors (NMOS) for generating a desired number of phase-locked output phases. A rectifying interleaver comprising a transconductance stage and Class B amplifiers provides superimposition of the phases into an output signal. The invention allows frequency output to exceed the maximum frequency of oscillation of a given device technology, such as CMOS in which a 324 GHz VCO in 90 nm digital CMOS with 4 GHz tuning was realized.

Submillimeter-wave signal generation by linear superimposition of phase-shifted fundamental tone signals

The present disclosure relates to coupled circuits and methods of coupling circuits having a power supply wherein a plurality of transistors are inductively coupled directly to the power supply for providing a single DC supply voltage directly to each of the plurality of transistors, and wherein a plurality of transformers have primary and secondary windings, the primary and secondary windings providing, at least in part, inductive loads for inductively coupling the plurality of transistors to the power supply, the plurality of transformers also providing an AC signal path for coupling neighboring ones of the plurality of transistors together.

Growing community of inventors

Redondo Beach, CA, United States of America

Tim LaRocca