IP Library Granted Patent US 9,806,701
Granted Patent B1
US 9,806,701 · App. 15/373,791 · Granted Oct 31, 2017

Digital frequency multiplier to generate a local oscillator signal in FDSOI technology

Inventors: Abdellatif Bellaouar (Richardson, TX); Arul Balasubramaniyan (Plano, TX)
Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
H03K5/00006H01L27/1203H01L29/1079H03K5/1534H03L7/0814H03K2005/00026H04W84/12
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,806,701
App. No.
15/373,791
Granted
Oct 31, 2017
Kind
B1
Abstract

A transformer-less DFM device comprising: an input receiving signals that are an integer multiple of an input signal; an edge detector that provides a quantized or a state output comparing an the input signal to a feedback signal; a statemachine that has counters and decimation circuits to provide a digitized output to a DAC that tunes delays between the input/output signals; a DLL for generating delay signals from the input signal that form an input to an edge combiner wherein the edge combiner takes different phases from the DLL to generate a multiplied output signal; a first DAC that takes the signal from the statemachine and provide a control to a supply circuit of the DLL to adjust a delay through a supply voltage; a second DAC that takes a signal from the statemachine and provides control to a backgate circuit of the DLL to adjust the delay.

Claims (33)

1. A transformer-less digital frequency multiplier (DFM) device comprising:

an input receiving a RF_IN signal and a RF_OUT out signal that is an integer multiple of the RF_IN signal;

an edge detector that provides a quantized or a state output comparing the RF_IN signal and a RF_FB signal that determines if the RF_FB signal is ahead or delayed to the RF_IN signal;

a statemachine that has counters and decimation circuits to provide a digitized output to a set of digital to analog converters (DACs) that tunes delays between the RF_IN and the RF_OUT signals;

a digital delay-locked loop (DLL) for generating delay signals from the RF_IN signal that form an input to an edge combiner wherein the edge combiner takes different phases from the DLL to generate a RF_IN multiplied output signal as a second RF_OUT signal;

a first DAC of the set of DACs that takes a digital word from the statemachine and provide an analog control to a supply circuit of the DLL to adjust a delay through a supply voltage; and

a second DAC of the set of DACs that takes a digital word from the statemachine and provide analog control to a backgate circuit of the DLL to adjust the delay though a backgate voltage.

2. The DFM device of claim 1 , further comprising a Wi-Fi transmitter/receiver.

3. The DFM device of claim 1 , wherein varying the supply voltage changes an output time delay of an at least one delay cell in the DLL to synchronize the RF_OUT signal and the RF_IN signal.

4. The DFM device of claim 1 , wherein an output time delay of the DLL is also a function of the backgate voltage.

5. The DFM device of claim 4 , wherein varying the backgate voltage also changes an output time delay of an at least one delay cell in DLL to synchronize RF_OUT signal and the RF_IN signal.

6. The DFM device of claim 1 , wherein the statemachine further processes an output of the edge detector to provide a set of quantized outputs that drive the first DAC and the second DAC.

7. The DFM device of claim 1 , further comprised of statemachine that comprises a series of counters and a series decimation circuits in order to provide a set of quantized outputs that drive the first DAC and the second DAC.

8. The DFM device of claim 1 , wherein the DFM device is implemented using Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FD-SOI) technology using a backgate.

9. The DFM device of claim 1 , wherein the DFM device is implemented using Partially-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (PD-SOI) technology that has a device with a bulk layer.

10. A method to perform low power scalable local oscillator frequency generation using digital frequency multiplication, comprising:

receiving a RF_IN signal and a RF_FB signal at an edge detector;

generating a quantized output that determines whether the RF_FB signal is ahead or delayed to the RF_IN signal;

generating a first set of delay signals with a digital delay-locked loop (DLL) that produces a set of different phases from the RF_IN signal as inputs for an edge combiner wherein the edge combiner takes in different phases from the digital DLL and produces an integer multiplied output of RF_IN signal called a RF_OUT signal; and

an output time delay of the digital DLL is a function of a supply voltage and a backgate voltage, and wherein varying the supply voltage or backgate voltage changes the output time delay of a set of DLL signals.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein varying the backgate voltage also changes an output time delay of the RF_IN signal to generate set of multiple phases for the edge combiner.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprised of adjusting a voltage of the RF_IN signal and a voltage of the RF_OUT signal.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising an application in a Wi-Fi transmitter/receiver.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method is implemented using Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FD-SOI) technology.

15. A transceiver system for using a digital frequency multiplier (DFM) device to generate an integer multiplied signal comprising;

an input receiving a RF_IN signal and a RF_FB signal that is an integer multiple of the RF_IN signal;

an edge detector that provides a quantized output comparing the RF_IN signal and the RF_FB signal;

a statemachine that has a plurality of counters and a plurality of decimation circuits that receives an output of the edge detector to provide a digitized output signal to a digital to analog converter (DAC) that tunes a set of delays between the RF_IN and the RF_FB signals through supply and backgate circuits;

a digital delay-locked loop (DLL) for generating delay signals from the RF_IN signal that form an input to an edge combiner wherein the edge combiner takes different phases from the DLL to generate a RF_IN multiplied output signal as a second RF_OUT signal; and

a DAC that takes a digital word from the statemachine and provide an analog control to a supply circuit of the DLL to adjust delay through a supply voltage and a backgate voltage.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a Wi-Fi transmitter/receiver.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the DFM device is implemented using Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FD-SOI) technology.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the DFM device is implemented using Partially-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (PD-SOI) technology.

Assignments (7)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2020
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
Reel/Frame 054636/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 16, 2020
From: CAVIUM INTERNATIONAL
To: MARVELL ASIA PTE, LTD.
Reel/Frame 053475/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2020
From: MARVELL INTERNATIONAL LTD.
To: CAVIUM INTERNATIONAL
Reel/Frame 052918/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2019
From: GLOBALFOUNDRIES U.S. INC.
To: MARVELL INTERNATIONAL LTD.
Reel/Frame 051070/0625 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2019
From: GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
To: GLOBALFOUNDRIES U.S. INC.
Reel/Frame 050122/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 29, 2018
From: GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 049490/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2016
From: BELLAOUAR, ABDELLATIF; BALASUBRAMANIYAN, ARUL
To: GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
Reel/Frame 040699/0942 →