Abstract: A method of isolating piezoelectric thin film acoustic resonator devices to prevent laterally propagating waves generated by the device from leaving the device and/or interfering with adjacent devices or systems. Specifically, this isolation technique involves the manipulation or isolation of the piezoelectric material layer between the acoustic resonator devices, in an effort to limit the amount of acoustic energy which propagates in a lateral direction away from the device. In one aspect, at least a portion of the piezoelectric material not involved in signal transmission by transduction between RF and acoustic energy is removed from the device. In another aspect, the growth a piezoelectric material is limited to certain regions during fabrication of the device. In a further aspect, the crystal orientation of the piezoelectric material is disrupted or altered during device fabrication so as to form regions having excellent piezoelectric properties and regions exhibiting poor piezoelectric characteristics.

Abstract: Cellular signals or other wireless signals/messages are introduced into a building or to an outside location by transmitting packets corresponding to those signals over a data network and low cost cables to designated locations within the data network. Once the designated packets containing the signals reach the destination, they are then broadcast over the air to a terminal capable of receiving the wireless message. In a first embodiment, an in-building gigabit Ethernet network, such as that currently existing presently in many buildings, is used to distribute radio signals indoors. Instead of transmitting the radio signals over the air from a repeater connected to a base station, coded baseband signals generated by the coding processor (e.g., a CDMA Modem Unit) in the base station are packetized and sent over the Ethernet network to radio processing equipment and antennas distributed throughout the building.

Abstract: A radiofrequency (rf) signal-processing device offers the possibility of high bandwidth operation. The disclosed device applies principles of microwave photonics and Linear Amplification based on Nonlinear Components (LINC). For some applications, the device may be embodied in an rf amplifier or rf transmitter. In an embodiment, an optical phase modulator is configured to receive an optical carrier signal as input, and further configured so that, when driven by an rf modulation signal, it will produce a complementary pair of optical signals as output. Each of a pair of detectors is configured to convert a respective one of the complementary optical signals to an rf signal. An rf combiner is configured to add the converted radiofrequency signals from the detectors to form an output signal.

Abstract: Cellular signals or other wireless signals/messages are introduced into a building or to an outside location by transmitting packets corresponding to those signals over a data network and low cost cables to designated locations within the data network. Once the designated packets containing the signals reach the destination, they are then broadcast over the air to a terminal capable of receiving the wireless message. In a first embodiment, an in-building gigabit Ethernet network, such as that currently existing presently in many buildings, is used to distribute radio signals indoors. Instead of transmitting the radio signals over the air from a repeater connected to a base station, coded baseband signals generated by the coding processor (e.g., a CDMA Modem Unit) in the base station are packetized and sent over the Ethernet network to radio processing equipment and antennas distributed throughout the building.

Abstract: Cellular signals or other wireless signals/messages are introduced into a building or to an outside location by transmitting packets corresponding to those signals over a data network and low cost cables to designated locations within the data network. Once the designated packets containing the signals reach the destination, they are then broadcast over the air to a terminal capable of receiving the wireless message. In a first embodiment, an in-building gigabit Ethernet network, such as that currently existing presently in many buildings, is used to distribute radio signals indoors. Instead of transmitting the radio signals over the air from a repeater connected to a base station, coded baseband signals generated by the coding processor (e.g., a CDMA Modem Unit) in the base station are packetized and sent over the Ethernet network to radio processing equipment and antennas distributed throughout the building.

Abstract: A radiofrequency (rf) signal-processing device offers the possibility of high bandwidth operation. The disclosed device applies principles of microwave photonics and Linear Amplification based on Nonlinear Components (LINC). For some applications, the device may be embodied in an rf amplifier or rf transmitter. In an embodiment, an optical phase modulator is configured to receive an optical carrier signal as input, and further configured so that, when driven by an rf modulation signal, it will produce a complementary pair of optical signals as output. Each of a pair of detectors is configured to convert a respective one of the complementary optical signals to an rf signal. An rf combiner is configured to add the converted radiofrequency signals from the detectors to form an output signal.

Abstract: A method of isolating piezoelectric thin film acoustic resonator devices to prevent laterally propagating waves generated by the device from leaving the device and/or interfering with adjacent devices or systems. Specifically, this isolation technique involves the manipulation or isolation of the piezoelectric material layer between the acoustic resonator devices, in an effort to limit the amount of acoustic energy which propagates in a lateral direction away from the device. In one aspect, at least a portion of the piezoelectric material not involved in signal transmission by transduction between RF and acoustic energy is removed from the device. In another aspect, the growth a piezoelectric material is limited to certain regions during fabrication of the device. In a further aspect, the crystal orientation of the piezoelectric material is disrupted or altered during device fabrication so as to form regions having excellent piezoelectric properties and regions exhibiting poor piezoelectric characteristics.

Abstract: A signal is predistorted by producing a set of sample values, each of at least a subset of which is dependent on (i) at least one of a plurality of past time spaced input samples and (ii) a current time spaced input sample, and independent of any other time spaced input sample, and combining the sample values to produce the predistorted signal. Predistortion circuitry for generating the predistorted signal may be implemented using multiple predistortion core circuits, with each of the predistortion core circuits receiving a data input and an index input associated with a particular input sample and generating a corresponding data output. The data outputs of the predistortion core circuits correspond generally to sample values. The predistortion circuitry may also include at least one memory finite impulse response (FIR) filter which processes one or more input samples in conjunction with the production of the sample values.

Abstract: A method of producing and mounting electronic devices to negate the effects of parasitics on device performance. In one aspect, the substrate surface of the device is coated with a thin, etch-resistant film during fabrication that acts as a barrier to allow removal of substrate material beneath the film, creating a suspended structure upon which the remaining layers of circuitry rest. Alternatively the device is made with a film that is integral to the device, and that acts as the supporting membrane. To mount the device on a carrier or package, solder bumps are applied near the ends of the conductors of the device, and the die is then secured to a carrier or package, and positioned so that leads extending from the conductors mate up with bonding strips on the carrier or package. The solder bumps are then reflowed or melted to establish electrical connection between leads of the device and corresponding bonding strips of the carrier.

Abstract: A method of producing and mounting electronic devices to negate the effects of parasitics on device performance. In one aspect, the substrate surface of the device is coated with a thin, etch-resistant film during fabrication that acts as a barrier to allow removal of substrate material beneath the film, creating a suspended structure upon which the remaining layers of circuitry rest. Alternatively the device is made with a film that is integral to the device, and that acts as the supporting membrane. To mount the device on a carrier or package, solder bumps are applied near the ends of the conductors of the device, and the die is then secured to a carrier or package, and positioned so that leads extending from the conductors mate up with bonding strips on the carrier or package. The solder bumps are then reflowed or melted to establish electrical connection between leads of the device and corresponding bonding strips of the carrier.

Abstract: A signal is predistorted by producing a set of sample values, each of at least a subset of which is dependent on (i) at least one of a plurality of past time spaced input samples and (ii) a current time spaced input sample, and independent of any other time spaced input sample, and combining the sample values to produce the predistorted signal. Predistortion circuitry for generating the predistorted signal may be implemented using multiple predistortion core circuits, with each of the predistortion core circuits receiving a data input and an index input associated with a particular input sample and generating a corresponding data output. The data outputs of the predistortion core circuits correspond generally to sample values. The predistortion circuitry may also include at least one memory finite impulse response (FIR) filter which processes one or more input samples in conjunction with the production of the sample values.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for tuning a thin film resonator (TFR) filter comprising a plurality of TFR components formed on a substrate. Each of the TFR components has a set of resonant frequencies that depend on material parameters and construction. TFR bandpass filter response for example can be produced by shifting the set of resonant frequencies in at least one of the series branch TFR components so as to establish the desired shape of the bandpass response and the desired performance of the filter. The shifting may be advantageously performed by removing piezoelectric material from the series branch TFR component, providing a TFR filter with bandwidth and attenuation advantages over that conventionally achieved by down-shifting resonant frequency sets of the shunt TFR components by adding metal material.

Abstract: A thin film resonator (TFR) filter circuit including a plurality of TFRs connected in a series-shunt or shunt-series arrangement between input and output ports of the filter. A method is provided that allows for the shifting of resonant frequency sets in each TFR in respective series arms and shunt legs of the TFR filter circuit, as opposed to a conventional concatenating approach using a plurality of chained-up building blocks of TFRs, where resonant frequency sets in each of the series arms are equal, and where resonant frequency sets in each of the shunt legs are equal. Additionally, each TFR in the filter may have a unique parallel plate electrode capacitance, as opposed to the conventional concatenating approach where all series arm electrodes in the root filter design have equal capacitance, and where all shunt leg electrodes have equal capacitance.

Abstract: A TFR ladder filter which may yield less degradation in the stopband near the passband edges than conventionally grounded TFR ladder filters. Each of the plurality of shunt-coupled TFR elements of the ladder filter has its own dedicated ground path which is to connected to a final ground external from the ladder filter, so that each shunt-coupled TFR element is individually isolated from one another. Particularly, each shunt-coupled TFR element has a corresponding wirebond to individually connect its top metal ground electrode to a final external ground of a carrier or package on which the die encompassing the TFR ladder filter rests.