IP Library Granted Patent US 12,640,708
Granted Patent B2
US 12,640,708 · App. 18/774,026 · Granted May 26, 2026

Multi-frequency capacitance cancellation in an acoustic filter circuit

Inventor: Nadim Khlat (Cugnaux, FR)
Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc.
H03H9/542
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,640,708
App. No.
18/774,026
Filed
Jul 16, 2024
Granted
May 26, 2026
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2843
USPC
333/186
Abstract

Multi-frequency capacitance cancellation in an acoustic filter circuit is provided. The acoustic filter circuit includes an acoustic resonator configured to resonate in a series resonance frequency to pass a radio frequency (RF) signal. However, the acoustic resonator may create an electrical capacitance that can cause the acoustic resonator to resonate at multiple operating frequencies outside the series resonance frequency, thus compromising performance of the acoustic resonator at these operating frequencies. Herein, a negative capacitance circuit is provided in parallel to the acoustic resonator and configured to present multiple negative capacitances to cancel (or at least reduce) the electrical capacitance at the operating frequencies. As a result, it is possible to improve the performance of the acoustic filter circuit across a broader frequency bandwidth.

Claims (47)

1 . An acoustic filter circuit comprising:

an acoustic resonator coupled between an input node and an output node and configured to resonate in a series resonance frequency to pass a radio frequency (RF) signal from the input node to the output node; and

a negative capacitance circuit coupled in parallel to the acoustic resonator between the input node and the output node and configured to present a plurality of negative capacitances each at a respective one of a plurality of operating frequencies in an operating frequency range nonoverlapping with the series resonance frequency between the input node and the output node.

2 . The acoustic filter circuit of claim 1 , wherein the negative capacitance circuit comprises a negative resonant circuit, the negative resonant circuit comprises:

a first inductor coupled between the input node and a middle node;

a second inductor coupled between the middle node and the output node; and

a tunable capacitor coupled between the middle node and a ground.

3 . The acoustic filter circuit of claim 2 , wherein the negative resonant circuit is configured to present a first negative capacitance among the plurality of negative capacitances at a first operating frequency among the plurality of operating frequencies.

4 . The acoustic filter circuit of claim 3 , wherein the negative capacitance circuit further comprises:

a first acoustic resonator coupled between the input node and the negative resonant circuit; and

a second acoustic resonator coupled between the negative resonant circuit and the output node.

5 . The acoustic filter circuit of claim 4 , wherein the first acoustic resonator and the second acoustic resonator are each configured to present a second negative capacitance among the plurality of negative capacitances at a second operating frequency among the plurality of operating frequencies.

6 . The acoustic filter circuit of claim 5 , wherein the second operating frequency is identical to the first operating frequency.

7 . The acoustic filter circuit of claim 5 , wherein the second operating frequency is different from the first operating frequency.

8 . The acoustic filter circuit of claim 5 , wherein:

the second negative capacitance is expressed as: −C 0 /(1+N*K); and

the second operating frequency is expressed as: ½π√{square root over (L*C 0 /N)};

wherein:

L represents a respective inductance of the first inductor and the second inductor;

K represents a coupling factor between the first inductor and the second inductor;

C 0 represents a respective capacitance of the tunable capacitor; and

N is a positive integer greater than one.

9 . The acoustic filter circuit of claim 2 , wherein the negative capacitance circuit further comprises:

a plurality of first acoustic resonators coupled in parallel between the input node and the negative resonant circuit; and

a plurality of second acoustic resonators coupled in parallel between the negative resonant circuit and the output node.

10 . The acoustic filter circuit of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of first acoustic resonators and the plurality of second acoustic resonators collectively provide a set of second negative capacitances at a set of second operating frequencies, respectively.

11 . A wireless device comprising an acoustic filter circuit, the acoustic filter circuit comprising:

an acoustic resonator coupled between an input node and an output node and configured to resonate in a series resonance frequency to pass a radio frequency (RF) signal from the input node to the output node; and

a negative capacitance circuit coupled in parallel to the acoustic resonator between the input node and the output node and configured to present a plurality of negative capacitances each at a respective one of a plurality of operating frequencies in an operating frequency range nonoverlapping with the series resonance frequency between the input node and the output node.

12 . The wireless device of claim 11 , wherein the negative capacitance circuit comprises a negative resonant circuit, the negative resonant circuit comprises:

a first inductor coupled between the input node and a middle node;

a second inductor coupled between the middle node and the output node; and

a tunable capacitor coupled between the middle node and a ground.

13 . The wireless device of claim 12 , wherein the negative resonant circuit is configured to present a first negative capacitance among the plurality of negative capacitances at a first operating frequency among the plurality of operating frequencies.

14 . The wireless device of claim 13 , wherein the negative capacitance circuit further comprises:

a first acoustic resonator coupled between the input node and the negative resonant circuit; and

a second acoustic resonator coupled between the negative resonant circuit and the output node.

15 . The wireless device of claim 14 , wherein the first acoustic resonator and the second acoustic resonator are each configured to present a second negative capacitance among the plurality of negative capacitances at a second operating frequency among the plurality of operating frequencies.

16 . The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein the second operating frequency is identical to the first operating frequency.

17 . The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein the second operating frequency is different from the first operating frequency.

18 . The wireless device of claim 12 , wherein the negative capacitance circuit further comprises:

a plurality of first acoustic resonators coupled in parallel between the input node and the negative resonant circuit; and

a plurality of second acoustic resonators coupled in parallel between the negative resonant circuit and the output node.

19 . The wireless device of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of first acoustic resonators and the plurality of second acoustic resonators collectively provide a set of second negative capacitances at a set of second operating frequencies, respectively.

20 . A method for cancelling multiple capacitances in an acoustic filter circuit comprising:

configuring an acoustic resonator to resonate in a series resonance frequency to pass a radio frequency (RF) signal from an input node to an output node; and

presenting a plurality of negative capacitances each at a respective one of a plurality of operating frequencies in an operating frequency range nonoverlapping with the series resonance frequency between the input node and the output node.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 16, 2024
From: KHLAT, NADIM
To: QORVO US, INC.
Reel/Frame 067998/0231 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 63590512 · Oct 16, 2023
Provisional Application 63520452 · Aug 18, 2023
Related Publication 20250062749A1 · Feb 20, 2025
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