Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a switching device with phase selection terminals to select between at least two phase shifting modes to reduce intermodulation distortion in the switching device includes a first phase selection terminal to select a first phase shifting mode of the switching device by enabling a first transmission line in a first phase shifting switching branch coupled to an input of the switching device. The switching device further includes a second phase selection terminal to select a second phase shifting mode of the switching device by enabling a second phase shifting switching branch coupled to the switching device input. The intermodulation distortion in the switching device is reduced by selecting one of the first and second phase shifting modes. The first transmission line is enabled by enabling a FET coupled in series with the first transmission line in the first phase shifting switching branch.

Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD)-protected radio frequency (RF) transceiver switching circuit includes two or more switchable RF transmit and receive port circuits, a diode-based ESD-protection circuit, and a voltage-dividing circuit. The voltage-dividing circuit, which can be a switching circuit, minimizes the number of diode devices needed to protect against ESD by dividing the voltage at the antenna node down to a lower voltage across the diode devices.

Abstract: A thermal mechanical process for bonding a flip chip die to a substrate. The flip chip die includes a plurality of copper pillar bumps, each copper pillar bump of the plurality of copper pillar bumps having a copper portion attached to the die and a bonding cap attached to the copper portion. The process includes positioning the die on the substrate such that the bonding cap of each copper pillar bump of the plurality of copper pillar bumps contacts a corresponding respective one of a plurality of bonding pads on the substrate, and thermosonically bonding the die to the substrate.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for forming a wafer level package includes fabricating an active device on a substrate in a semiconductor wafer, forming polymer walls around the active device, and applying a blanket film over the semiconductor wafer and the polymer walls to house the active device in a substantially enclosed cavity formed by the polymer walls and the blanket film. By way of examples and without limitation, the active device can be a microelectromechanical systems (“MEMS”) device, a bulk acoustic wave (“BAW”) filter, or a surface acoustic wave (“SAW”) filter. According to one embodiment, solder bumps can be applied to interconnect traces of the active device, and the semiconductor wafer can then be diced to form an individual die. According to another embodiment, the semiconductor wafer can be diced to form an individual die, then the individual die is wire bonded to a circuit board.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a wide temperature range dielectric absorber includes a dielectric absorber comprising a blend of lanthanum oxide, strontium oxide, and cobalt oxide, and is represented by (1?z)[La1?xSrxCoO3±y]+z[La2?xSrxCoO4±y]. The dielectric absorber includes a first crystalline structure existing independently from a second crystalline structure causing the dielectric absorption composition to have a wide temperature range of electromagnetic radiation absorption. In one embodiment, the first crystalline structure is a perovskite crystalline structure and the second crystalline structure is a potassium nickel fluoride crystalline structure.

Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a wafer level package includes a device wafer including at least one device wafer contact pad and a device, and where the at least one device wafer contact pad is electrically connected to the device. The wafer level package includes a first polymer layer situated over the device wafer. The wafer level package includes at least one passive component situated over the first polymer layer and having a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal of the at least one passive component is electrically connected to the at least one device wafer contact pad. The wafer level package includes a second polymer layer situated over the at least one passive component. The wafer level package includes at least one polymer layer contact pad situated over the second polymer layer and electrically connected to the second terminal of the at least one passive component.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for improved and efficient forward and backward recursive computations that may be used, for example, with turbo code decoding applications. The invention performs the forward computations using a full length of a sequence to be decoded and performs the reverse computations using a sliding window over the sequence.

Abstract: A phase-locked loop (PLL) is arranged to receive high-pass data at a first input and low-pass data at a second input. A first digital input is coupled to a primary path through a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and a second digital input is coupled to a feedback path of the PLL. The controller provides the first input and the second input during a calibration procedure. The controller adjusts first and second control inputs in an attempt to keep the input voltage to a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) in the PLL constant while determining the gain of the VCO in Hz/LSB.

Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator includes a piezoelectric layer having a disrupted texture region, where the disrupted texture region is situated in a controlled thickness region of the BAW resonator. The BAW resonator further includes lower and upper electrodes situated on opposite surfaces of the piezoelectric layer. The controlled thickness region has controlled electromechanical coupling and includes a segment of material situated over the upper electrode. The segment of material can be a metal or a dielectric material. The disrupted texture region can be situated at an edge of the BAW resonator and can extend along a perimeter of the BAW resonator.

Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator includes a piezoelectric layer situated between upper and lower electrodes, where each of the upper and lower electrodes are a high density metal. The BAW resonator further includes a controlled thickness region including a low density metal segment, where the low density metal segment is situated adjacent to the piezoelectric layer, and where the controlled thickness region has controlled electromechanical coupling. The controlled thickness region can provide reduced electromechanical coupling into lateral modes. The low density metal segment can extend along the perimeter of the BAW resonator.

Abstract: A system for generating local oscillator (LO) signals for a quadrature mixer includes an oscillator configured to provide a reference frequency signal, at least one frequency divider configured to divide the reference frequency signal into three offset phase signals, a first summing circuit configured to generate two nominal 90 degree offset phase signals from the three offset phase signals, and a second summing circuit configured to generate at least two amplitude-corrected 90 degree offset-phase quadrature signals.

Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a multimode power amplifier configured to receive an RF input signal and provide an RF output signal in linear and saturated operating modes includes an output stage configured to receive a fixed supply voltage and to provide the RF output signal. The multimode power amplifier further includes at least one driver stage coupled to the output stage, where the at least one driver stage is configured to receive the RF input signal and an adjustable supply voltage. The adjustable supply voltage controls an RF output power of the RF output signal when the multimode power amplifier is in the saturated operating mode. The at least one driver and the output stage are each biased by a low impedance voltage in the linear and saturated operating modes. The adjustable supply voltage can be controlled by a fixed control voltage in the linear operating mode.

Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator includes a piezoelectric layer situated between upper and lower electrodes, where each of the upper and lower electrodes are a high density metal. The BAW resonator further includes a controlled thickness region including a low density metal segment, where the low density metal segment is situated adjacent to the piezoelectric layer, and where the controlled thickness region has controlled electromechanical coupling. The controlled thickness region can provide reduced electromechanical coupling into lateral modes. The low density metal segment can extend along the perimeter of the BAW resonator.

Abstract: An electronic module with an integrated electromagnetic shield using surface mount shield wall components has been disclosed. Each surface mount shield wall component provides side shielding of the circuitry within the overmolded electronic module and provides an exposed conductive shield wall section to which a top conductive shield can be applied. By including the shield structure as part of the overmolded electronic module, the need for a separate shield and separate process steps for installing the separate shield can be eliminated. Each surface mount shield wall component comprises a non-conductive portion that provides stability during a reflow soldering process, but at least a sacrificial portion of the non-conductive portion can be removed to reduce the amount of area occupied by the overmoldable shield structure.

Abstract: A method for making a composite magnetic-dielectric disc assembly includes forming a dielectric ceramic cylinder, forming a magnetic ceramic rod, assembling the magnetic ceramic rod coaxially inside the dielectric ceramic cylinder to form a rod-and-cylinder assembly, kilning (firing) the rod-and-cylinder assembly, slicing the rod-and-cylinder assembly to form a plurality of composite magnetic-dielectric disc-shaped assemblies. The magnetic-dielectric disc assemblies can be used in manufacturing, for example, circulators, isolators or similar electronic components. Accordingly, the method for making the disc assemblies can be included as part of a method for making such electronic components.

Abstract: Second-order intermodulation distortion can be suppressed in a direct conversion radio receiver having a downconversion mixer by calibrating resistors and a current source in the mixer. A test signal is applied to the signal inputs of the mixer transconductor. The resistances of first and second variable resistor circuits connected to the switching quad are then varied while also varying a variable current source. Each time the resistances and current are set to new values, the resulting mixer output signal is measured. When the measured output signal is determined to be at a minimum, the variable resistors and current source are left at the corresponding values to which they have been set. Adjusted in this manner, the current source counteracts the DC offset voltage at the mixer output.

Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) receiver device comprises a receiver system that receives an analog radio frequency signal and downconverts the analog radio frequency signal to a downconverted analog signal, the receiver system further including a peak signal detector configured to determine a peak signal level of the downconverted analog signal, and an automatic gain control adjustment element configured to determine whether the peak signal level falls within a predetermined range, and configured to generate, in the RF receiver, a gain control signal controlling the gain of at least one analog component based on whether the peak signal level falls within the predetermined range.

Abstract: A system for pre-charging a current mirror includes a controller configured to provide a first current and an additional current to a current mirror to rapidly charge a capacitance associated with the current mirror based on a reference voltage.

Abstract: A voltage converter includes a plurality of capacitors and corresponding first switch elements, the capacitors coupled in series and arranged to each charge to a voltage level during a first clock period, the voltage level determined by a supply voltage level, the number of capacitors and a value of each capacitor; and a plurality of second switch elements configured to cause the plurality of capacitors to be connected in parallel and to discharge into an output capacitor during a second clock period, the output capacitor charged to a discrete voltage output level so that the output capacitor provides the discrete voltage output level, wherein the discrete voltage output level is less than the supply voltage level and wherein the discrete voltage output level is used to develop a bias signal that is supplied to a power amplifier element.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a voltage up-conversion circuit includes a modulated voltage generator circuit, where the modulated voltage generator circuit is configured to receive an input voltage and generate a modulated voltage, and where the modulated voltage generator circuit includes at least one transistor. The voltage up-conversion circuit further includes a switching circuit coupled to the modulated voltage generator circuit, where the switching circuit is configured to couple the modulated voltage to a load capacitor when the modulated voltage is at a high level and decouple the modulated voltage to the load capacitor when the modulated voltage is at a low level. In the voltage up-conversion circuit, the load capacitor reaches a voltage greater a breakdown voltage of the at least one transistor in the modulated voltage generator circuit. The breakdown voltage can be a reliability breakdown voltage.