Digitally Programmable Radio Frequency (RF) Nanosecond Delay in Small Package

Background Information:

Radar testers, broadband phased arrays, and future full-duplex systems desire hundreds of nanoseconds of programmable radio frequency (RF) delay in the signal path. Current approaches to achieve this delay at RF include coaxial cables which are physically large, passive components which have significant loss and small bandwidth, and digital systems which consume significant power.

Sandia has developed and filed for patent protection on a new RF delay technology using a time-interleaved multi-stage switched-capacitor technique within a CMOS integrated circuit. The technique enables an order of magnitude higher programmable RF delay than prior art and enables ones to hundreds of nanoseconds of RF delay across GHz of signal bandwidth to be digitally programmed on a single integrated circuit device. The delay device enables replacement of coax cables and narrowband passive components in current systems and enables highly reconfigurable delay for future applications.

Technology Highlights:

• Decreases size of RF delay
• Increases programmable range of delay
• Increases operating bandwidth
• Developed in standard commercial CMOS technology

Potential Applications:

• Radar testing devices
• Full-duplex systems
• Broadband phased arrays

Opportunity Description:

SNL is seeking partners to further develop and commercialize the delay element technology. Licensing and technical support (paid by Licensee) are available.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Primary Point of Contact:

David V. Wick

Licensing Executive

Sandia National Laboratories

dvwick@sandia.gov

Keywords:

RF, Delay, microelectronics, CMOS, integrated circuit, true-time delay