Electric power conversion systems – Current conversion – With means to introduce or eliminate frequency components
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-16
2001-11-06
Sterrett, Jeffrey (Department: 2838)
Electric power conversion systems
Current conversion
With means to introduce or eliminate frequency components
C363S126000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314008
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to microwave dc-dc converter circuits, and in particular, to an adjustable low-spurious signal dc-dc converter that can be fabricated as a monolithic integrated circuit.
BACKGROUND
Front-end amplifiers used in equipment such as cable television sets and other broadband RF receivers require power supplied from a source that has very low distortion, i.e., a very low incidence of spurious signals. Additionally, in many applications such as cellular/PCS telephones, it is desirable that a single power supply be used.
In amplifiers using depletion-mode devices such as Field Effect Transistors (FETs), there is a need for a bias voltage to turn the devices OFF (non-conducting) from a normally ON (conducting) state. Such depletion-mode devices are commonly used in high-frequency devices constructed from materials in Groups III-V (e.g., GaAs). Common examples of high-frequency semiconductor devices built using these and other semiconductor materials are MESFETs, BJTs, and others.
If a depletion-mode device requires a negative bias supply, but the main circuit power supply is positive, then the negative bias potential must in some manner be generated from the positive potential. Conventional systems use a charge pump or an oscillator-rectifier supply to provide such a negative bias potential. But these conventional devices are generally bulky or difficult to integrate in a monolithic integrated circuit chip. Moreover, rectification generally produces spurious signals in such conventional devices.
SUMMARY
In one aspect, a preferred embodiment of the present invention uses an AC signal and a DC control voltage to generate a plurality of levels of output DC voltages. The level of the voltage output is determined by the DC control voltage and has the opposite polarity of the DC control voltage. The present invention thus effectively converts the DC control voltage to an output voltage, i.e., it functions as a dc-to-dc converter.
In another aspect of the present invention, the dc-dc converter is preferably implemented as a balanced voltage source, which will only have spurious signals at even harmonics of the AC frequency signal. In a further aspect, the present invention comprises a circuit that does not load the output, thereby keeping the output voltage ripple to a minimum.
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Bao Jianwen
Scheinberg Norman
van Saders John
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