Abstract: According to one embodiment, a differential power amplifier includes a pair of transistors, a transformer coupled to the drain terminals of the transistors, and an output transmission line. The differential power amplifier operates in a range of frequencies from a lower operating frequency to an upper operating frequency to provide a relatively linear gain between the lower operating frequency and the higher operating frequency. The drains of the transistors are coupled to the primary winding of the transformer. The output transmission line is coupled to the secondary winding of the transformer. The output transmission line further includes at least one inductor-capacitor (LC) circuit that is configured to match predetermined output impedance in view of the lower and upper operating frequencies of the differential power amplifier.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a radio frequency (RF) receiver circuit includes a low noise amplifier, a poly-phase filter, and an in-phase quadrature (IQ) mixer circuit coupled between the low noise amplifier and the poly-phase filter. The IQ mixer circuit includes an IQ generator having a differential in-phase input port, a differential in-phase output port, and a differential quadrature output port; a first frequency mixer having a differential local oscillator (LO) input port, where the differential LO input port of the first frequency mixer are coupled to the differential in-phase output port of the IQ generator to drive the first frequency mixer; and a second frequency mixer having a differential LO port, where the differential LO input port of the second frequency mixer are coupled to the differential quadrature output port of the IQ generator to drive the second frequency mixer.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a radio frequency (RF) frontend circuit includes a RF receiver, a transceiver (or transmit/receive) switch, and a high-order inductive degeneration matching network coupled in between the transceiver switch and an input port of the RF receiver, where the high-order inductive degeneration matching network matches an impedance for the RF receiver and the transceiver switch and the high-order inductive degeneration matching network is to resonate at a plurality of predetermined resonant frequencies.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a matching network circuit includes a first capacitor coupled, in parallel, to an input port of the matching network circuit; a broadband on-chip transformer coupled, in parallel, to the first capacitor, where the broadband on-chip transformer includes a primary winding and a secondary winding, where the secondary winding is a partial winding. The matching network circuit includes a second capacitor coupled, in series, in between the broadband on-chip transformer and an output port of the matching network circuit.

Abstract: A power amplifier includes a transistor operating in a range of frequencies from a lower operating frequency to a higher operating frequency to provide a relatively linear gain between the lower operating frequency and the higher operating frequency, an input transmission line circuit coupled to a gate terminal of the transistor, and an output transmission line circuit coupled to a drain terminal of the transistor. The input transmission line includes an inductor-capacitor (LC) circuit that resonates at a first resonant frequency equaled to or higher than the higher operating frequency. The output transmission line includes an inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL) circuit and a capacitor-inductor-capacitor (CLC) circuit. The LCL circuit resonates at a second resonant frequency equaled to or lower than the lower operating frequency. The CLC circuit resonates at a third resonant frequency equaled to or higher than the higher operating frequency.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an antenna includes multiple high-band (HB) radiation elements and a low-band (LB) radiation element. Each HB radiation element is configured to resonate or excite within a first frequency band to transmit and/or receive RF signals associated with the first frequency band. The LB band radiation element is configured to resonate or excite within a second frequency band to transmit and/or receive RF signals associated with the second frequency band. The HB radiation elements are arranged such that the distance between any two of the HB radiation elements is at least a half of a wavelength associated with the first frequency band. The LB radiation element is surrounded by the HB radiation element, for example, in a symmetrical manner.

Abstract: An RF frontend circuit includes an RF transceiver and a frequency synthesizer to perform frequency synthetization in a wide frequency spectrum. The frequency synthesizer generates an LO signal to the RF transceiver. The frequency synthesizer includes a quadrature signal generator to generate a quadrature LO signal based on the LO signal. The quadrature signal generator includes a first transformer. A first primary winding of the first transformer is disposed on a first substrate layer of the IC and a secondary winding of the first transformer is disposed on a second substrate layer of an IC. A second transformer is coupled to the first transformer in series. A second primary winding of the second transformer is disposed on the first substrate layer of the IC and a secondary winding of the second transformer is disposed on the second substrate layer of the IC.

Abstract: A packaged integrated circuit device includes a transceiver with one or more oscillators therein. The oscillators can be configured as harmonic or fundamental-frequency oscillators for signal transmitting, or they can be configured as regenerative receivers for signal receiving. An antenna is provided in the package and, preferably, on the same chip IC chip as the transceiver. The antenna includes one or more feeds, which are coupled to the one or more oscillators. A dual-function varactor/envelope detector is provided, which is electrically coupled to the one or more oscillators. A control circuit is provided, which is configured to drive nodes of the transceiver and the dual-function varactor/envelope detector with a first plurality of reference voltages during operation of the transceiver as a radio transmitter (with varactor) and a second plurality of reference voltages during operation of the transceiver as a radio receiver (with envelope detector).

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frontend integrated circuit includes an array of mm-wave transceivers, where each of the mm-wave transceivers transmits and receives coherent mm-wave signals with variable amplitudes and phase shifts. The mm-wave frontend IC chip further includes a wideband frequency synthesizer coupled to the mm-wave transceivers. The full-based or wideband frequency synthesizer generates and provides a local oscillator (LO) signal to each of the mm-wave transceivers to enable the mm-wave transceiver to mix, modulate, and/or demodulate mm-wave signals. The array of mm-wave wideband transceivers and the wideband frequency synthesizer may be implemented within a single IC chip as a single mm-wave frontend IC chip or package.

Abstract: A multi-modality sensor for physiological characterization of cells can include an array of sensing pixel groups, each sensing pixel group comprising an array of sensing pixels; a plurality of signal conditioning blocks, each signal conditioning block coupled to a corresponding one sensing pixel group of the array of sensing pixel groups to process outputs of that sensing pixel group; and a controller providing signals for independent configuration of sensing modalities for each pixel of each sensing pixel group. The pixels of the multi-modality sensor support at least two sensing modalities by including an op amp that can be shared by at least two sensing circuits and including a photodiode. A cellular culture can be applied to the multi-modality sensor and a biological measurement can be performed on the cellular culture using at least two sensing modalities of the multi-modality sensor.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a frequency doubler circuit includes a first field effect transistor (FET) having a first gate, a first source, and a first drain and a second FET having a second gate, a second source, and a second drain, where the first gate of the first FET and the second source of the second FET are driven by an input signal in a first phase, and the first source of the first FET and the second gate of the second FET are driven by the input signal in a second phase, where the first and the second FETs are caused to switch based on the first phase and the second phase of the input signal respectively to generate an output signal at the first drain and the second drain having a frequency that is approximately double of the input signal.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frontend integrated circuit includes an array of mm-wave transceivers, where each of the mm-wave transceivers transmits and receives coherent mm-wave signals with variable amplitudes and phase shifts. The mm-wave frontend IC chip further includes a wideband frequency synthesizer coupled to the mm-wave transceivers. The full-based or wideband frequency synthesizer generates and provides a local oscillator (LO) signal to each of the mm-wave transceivers to enable the mm-wave transceiver to mix, modulate, and/or demodulate mm-wave signals. The array of mm-wave wideband transceivers and the wideband frequency synthesizer may be implemented within a single IC chip as a single mm-wave frontend IC chip or package.

Abstract: A multi-modality sensor for physiological characterization of cells can include an array of sensing pixel groups, each sensing pixel group comprising an array of sensing pixels; a plurality of signal conditioning blocks, each signal conditioning block coupled to a corresponding one sensing pixel group of the array of sensing pixel groups to process outputs of that sensing pixel group; and a controller providing signals for independent configuration of sensing modalities for each pixel of each sensing pixel group. The pixels of the multi-modality sensor support at least two sensing modalities by including an op amp that can be shared by at least two sensing circuits and including a photodiode. A cellular culture can be applied to the multi-modality sensor and a biological measurement can be performed on the cellular culture using at least two sensing modalities of the multi-modality sensor.