SBIR Phase I: Compact and Power Efficient Integrated Voltage Tunable RF Inductors and Transformers with Wide Tunable Inductance Range

SBIR 第一阶段：紧凑、高能效的集成电压可调射频电感器和变压器，具有宽可调电感范围

• 批准号: 1315213
• 负责人: Nian-xiang Sun
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Winchester Technologies, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-01 至 2014-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1315213&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Compact; Power; Efficient

This Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop a new class of integrated voltage tunable RF inductors and transformers, which are based on the voltage control of magnetism in ferroelectric/magnetic composite materials. These integrated voltage tunable RF inductors and transformers are compact and power efficient, having a wide inductance tuning range, a significantly boosted operating frequency range at several GHz and enhanced quality factor over conventional integrated magnetic inductors. When combined with different commercially available varactor technologies, these tunable inductors and transformers will considerably extend the tunable frequency range of critical RF reconfigurable components and circuits such as tunable impedance matching networks, tunable filters, tunable power amplifiers, tunable low-noise amplifiers, and tunable phase shifters. Such tunable inductors and transformers will lead to transformative ultra-wideband reconfigurable communication systems that are of critical importance in today's highly crowded and complex electromagnetic environment. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes the development a new class of compact and power efficient voltage tunable inductors and transformers, which will enable novel adaptive RF components such as tunable impedance matching networks, tunable filters, tunable power amplifiers, tunable low-noise amplifiers with significantly enhanced tuning frequency ranges, and also create totally new markets for tunable RF components. Compared to integrated RF magnetic inductors which typically show low quality factors at GHz, the voltage tunable inductors and transformers will have significantly enhanced quality factor and extended operating frequency in addition to being efficiently tunable across a wide inductance range. These tunable RF inductors and transformers can nicely complement other commercially available varactor technologies and provide a significantly enhanced tuning frequency range for circuits such as tunable impedance matching networks, antenna tuners, tunable power amplifiers and tunable low noise amplifiers, which will enable new markets for reconfigurable RF components, circuits and communication systems, and have great impacts on different industries such as smart phones, laptops, tablets, E-readers, etc.

这个小企业创新研究计划（SBIR）第一阶段项目提出开发一种新的集成电压可调RF电感器和变压器，其基于铁电/磁性复合材料中的磁性的电压控制。这些集成的电压可调谐RF电感器和变压器结构紧凑，功率高效，具有宽的电感调谐范围，在几GHz处的工作频率范围显著提升，并且与传统集成磁电感器相比，品质因数增强。当与不同的商用变容二极管技术相结合时，这些可调谐电感器和变压器将大大扩展关键RF可重配置组件和电路的可调谐频率范围，例如可调谐阻抗匹配网络、可调谐滤波器、可调谐功率放大器、可调谐低噪声放大器和可调谐移相器。这种可调谐电感器和变压器将导致变革性的超宽带可重构通信系统，这在当今高度拥挤和复杂的电磁环境中至关重要。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力包括开发一种新型紧凑型和功率高效的电压可调谐电感器和变压器，这将使新型自适应RF组件成为可能，例如可调谐阻抗匹配网络，可调谐滤波器，可调谐功率放大器，可调谐低噪声放大器，具有显著增强的调谐频率范围，并为可调谐RF组件创造全新的市场。与通常在GHz处显示低品质因数的集成RF磁性电感器相比，电压可调谐电感器和变压器除了在宽电感范围内有效地可调谐之外，还将具有显著增强的品质因数和扩展的操作频率。这些可调谐RF电感器和变压器可以很好地补充其他商业上可用的变容二极管技术，并为诸如可调谐阻抗匹配网络、天线调谐器、可调谐功率放大器和可调谐低噪声放大器之类的电路提供显著增强的调谐频率范围，这将为可重新配置的RF组件、电路和通信系统带来新市场，并对诸如智能手机、笔记本电脑、平板电脑、电子阅读器等。