This technology is a semiconductor-based communication circuit that spatially equalizes incoming and outgoing radiofrequency signals, allowing for reduced antenna sizes without loss of performance in transmission and receiving.
Wireless communications have become a mainstay in consumer, industrial, and military technology. A key function of a wireless receiver is the ability to separate incoming and outgoing signals to avoid interference, typically accomplished using external, iron-based magnets that spatially separate the signals. However, these iron-based circulators are bulky, expensive, and incompatible with CMOS technology. As such, there is a need for an alternative strategy to achieve spatial equalization for CMOS-integrated circuits.
This technology is a four-transistor circuit that is precisely clocked to route incoming and outgoing radiofrequency signals in the appropriate direction, allowing these signals to achieve spatial equalization on the same circuit while utilizing the same antenna. This technology enables smaller devices that perform the task of a circulator without the large magnetic components. Importantly, this technology is compatible with standard integrated circuit processing techniques.
A prototype of this technology, consisting of a fully integrated 25-GHz circulator in a 45-nm SOI CMOS, demonstrated magnetic-free passive non-reciprocity on silicon at millimeter waves.
IR CU18123
Licensing Contact: Greg Maskel