General Electric Company

Young K Chen

Ying C Hwang

Salvatore F Nati, Jr

Louis J Ragonese

Christopher E Marchant

David C Dening

A novel signal scaling MESFET of a segmented dual gate design is disclosed. The MESFET, which is monolithically integrated on a semi-insulating substrate capable of localized surface modification to form active semiconductor regions using MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) techniques, has a small AC signal transfer which is adjustable in selected discrete steps. For operation in the gigahertz range, the substrate is preferably of gallium arsenide. In applying the MMIC technique, the MESFET, including segment electrodes and segment interconnections, and the electrical connections, signal paths, and passive components connected to the MESFET are formed on the substrate and defined by a photolithographic process. The technique permits reproducable feature definition and very compact minimum reactance segment interconnections, reducing deleterious parasitics and facilitating virtual unitary MESFET operation to very high frequencies. The signal scaling MESFET is an active MESFET subdivided into an n-fold plurality of selectively activated MESFET segments, each of a predetermined width, with dual gates for each segment. The AC input signal is applied to the first gates of all n segments and a DC control potential is selectively applied to the second activating gate of each of the n segments to turn current flow 'ON' or 'OFF' in selected segments. The MESFET transfer values so formed are each substantially constant in a small AC signal sense and successive values are stepped at intervals suitable for linear, trigonometric, logarithmic or arbitrary scaling functions.

Signal scaling MESFET of a segmented dual gate design

The decoder herein described recovers the clocking and the data in a binary format from a three level coded signal. The decoder has application to data rates in excess of one half gigabits per second, which are common to optical communication channels. The decoder employs a comparator for evaluating to two bit accuracy each state of the signal, a two stage, two bit per stage shift register, and decision logic for recovering the data in a binary format. The decoder is monolithically integrated using buffered FET logic on a gallium arsenide substrate. In the decoder, the comparator is optimized by the use of three zero crossing detectors, one of which has a zero input for reference purposes, in combination with two internal voltage dividers and two external voltage references for achieving an accurate drift free determination of the levels of the three level code (TLC) signal. The clock recovery means is optimized for high speed operation by the use, in association with each transition level, of a time delay and an exclusive OR-gate, the logical design of the exclusive OR-gate entailing a four NOR-gate configuration in which the timing indication resulting from each TLC transition is propagated through a like number of states and thereby experiences the same overall propagation delay, in reaching the decoder output.

Decoder for three level coded data

A digitally controlled wideband phase shifter is disclosed in which an input signal is resolved into two quadrature related components, the components are scaled in a stepped digital manner in proportion to the sine and cosine of the phase shifting angle, and then recombined to reconstitute a phase shifted replica of the input signal. The scalers are segmented MESFETS of a dual gate design in which each segment, has a predetermined transconductance and may be gated 'ON' or 'OFF' by a control signal to affect the overall transconductance of the scaler, and thereby the scaling factor. The phase shifter is implemented by a monolithic microwave integrated circuit technique in which the preferred substrate material is gallium arsenide, and in which all active device and circuit features are formed on the substrate by a photolithographic process. The phase shifter is adapted to scaling at stepped angles, typically 111/4 or 221/2 degrees, is broadband and is applicable to frequencies ranging from a fraction of a gigahertz to many gigahertz.

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Syracuse, NY, United States of America

Young K Chen