Compact thin-film surface mountable coupler
A surface mountable thin-film coupler may include a monolithic base substrate and a plurality of ports formed over the monolithic base substrate. The surface mountable thin-film coupler may include at least one thin-film component connected with at least one port of the plurality of ports. The surface mountable thin-film coupler may provide a coupling factor that is greater than −5 dB and less than −1 dB over a coupling frequency range having a lower bound that is greater than 1 GHz and an upper bound that is at least 200 MHz greater than the lower bound. A footprint of the coupler may be less than about 3 mm 2 .
1 . A surface mountable thin-film coupler comprising:
a monolithic base substrate;
a plurality of ports formed over the monolithic base substrate; and
at least one thin-film component connected with at least one port of the plurality of ports;
wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler provides a coupling factor that is greater than −5 dB and less than −1 dB across a coupling frequency range having a lower bound that is greater than 1 GHz and an upper bound that is at least 200 MHz greater than the lower bound, and
wherein a footprint of the coupler is less than about 3 mm 2 .
2 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler exhibits a coupling factor of about −3 dB across the coupling frequency range.
3 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler exhibits a coupling factor that varies less than 5 dB across the coupling frequency range.
4 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler exhibits a coupling factor that varies less than 3 dB per GHz across the coupling frequency range.
5 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler exhibits an isolation factor that is less than about −10 dB across the coupling frequency range.
6 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein a width of the coupler is less than about 1.2 mm.
7 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein a length of the coupler is less than about 2 mm.
8 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein a footprint of the coupler is less than about 1.5 mm 2 .
9 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thin-film component comprises a layer having a thickness that is less than about 50 microns.
10 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thin-film component of the thin-film circuit comprises a thin-film inductor.
11 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 10 , wherein the at least one thin-film component of the thin-film circuit comprises a thin-film capacitor.
12 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ports comprising an isolated port, a coupling port, an input port, and an output port, and the at least one thin-film component of the thin-film circuit comprises:
a first thin-film inductor connected between the input port and the output port; and
a second thin-film inductor connected between the coupling port and the isolated port and inductively coupled with the first thin-film inductor.
13 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ports comprising an isolated port, a coupling port, an input port, and an output port, and the at least one thin-film component of the thin-film circuit comprises:
a first thin-film capacitor connected between the input port and the coupling port; and
a second thin-film capacitor connected between the isolated port and the output port.
14 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , further comprising a cover layer formed over the at least one thin-film component.
15 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 14 , wherein the cover layer comprises silicon oxynitride.
16 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thin-film component of the thin-film circuit comprises a third thin-film inductor.
17 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 1 , wherein the monolithic base substrate comprises a ceramic material.
18 . A surface mountable thin-film coupler comprising:
a monolithic base substrate;
a plurality of ports formed over the monolithic base substrate, wherein the plurality of ports comprising an isolated port, a coupling port, an input port, and an output port;
a first thin-film inductor connected between the input port and the output port; and
a second thin-film inductor connected between the coupling port and the isolated port and inductively coupled with the first thin-film inductor
wherein a footprint of the coupler is less than about 3 mm 2 .
19 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler exhibits an isolation factor that is less than about −10 dB across the coupling frequency range.
20 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler exhibits a coupling factor between −1 dB and −5 dB over a coupling frequency range.
21 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler exhibits a coupling factor that varies less than 5 dB over a coupling frequency range.
22 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler exhibits a coupling factor that varies less than 3 dB per GHz over the coupling frequency range.
23 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , wherein at least one of the first thin-film inductor or the second thin-film inductor comprises a layer having a thickness that is less than about 50 microns.
24 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , further comprising at least one thin-film capacitor connected with at least one of the input ports or the isolated port.
25 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , further comprising:
a first thin-film capacitor connected between the input port and the coupling port; and
a second thin-film capacitor connected between the isolated port and the output port.
26 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , further comprising a cover layer formed over the first thin-film inductor and the second thin-film inductor.
27 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 26 , wherein the cover layer comprises silicon oxynitride.
28 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , wherein a width of the coupler is less than about 1.2 mm.
29 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , wherein a length of the coupler is less than about 2 mm.
30 . The surface mountable thin-film coupler of claim 18 , wherein the monolithic base substrate comprises a ceramic material.
31 . A method for forming a surface mountable thin-film coupler, the method comprising:
providing a monolithic base substrate;
forming a plurality of ports over the monolithic base substrate, wherein the plurality of ports comprising an isolated port, a coupling port, an input port, and an output port;
forming a first thin-film inductor connected between the input port and the output port; and
forming a second thin-film inductor connected between the coupling port and the isolated port and inductively coupled with the first thin-film inductor, wherein a footprint of the coupler is less than about 3 mm 2 .
32 . A power supply comprising:
at least one amplifier; and
at least one surface mountable thin-film coupler comprising:
a monolithic base substrate;
a plurality of ports formed over the monolithic base substrate; and
at least one thin-film component connected with at least one port of the plurality of ports;
wherein the surface mountable thin-film coupler provides a coupling factor that is greater than −5 dB and less than −1 dB across a coupling frequency range having a lower bound that is greater than 1 GHz and an upper bound that is at least 200 MHz greater than the lower bound, and
wherein a footprint of the coupler is less than about 3 mm 2 .