Agenda:

Passive RLC networks (review)

Impedance transformation
REC: Lee, pp 74-87

Power matching networks

RLC networks:
Low frequencies

Iin

Iin

inductor dominates admittance

High frequencies

capacitor dominates admittance

What separates high and low frequencies?

1

Admittance: () = + (
1

At resonance: 0 =

0 =

)
1

Equivalent circuit @ resonance:

Purely resistive

Define () = impedance of paralleled

RLC tank

At resonance
Magnitude |(0 )| =
Phase (0 ) = 0

Resonance Frequency

Quality Factor Q:
Measure of how well a system stores energy
Analogy of pendulum:

At position : pendulum has only kinetic energy, and no

potential energy
At position and : pendulum has only potential energy,
and no kinetic energy

For a lossless pendulum:

KE + PE = constant for ever

no dissipation

Lossy pendulum: Energy dissipates until pendulum stops oscillating

Quality is high if energy is dissipated very slowly:
For RLC circuit (or any circuit or system for that matter)

RLC tank

energy sloshes between L and C with a constant sum at resonance

Ipk
Iin

Iin

When current reaches , voltage across capacitor (at resonance)

=

Energy in capacitor reaches a peak at this instant & the energy in the inductor at this instant is
zero.
1

2
Peak energy stored = 2
= 2 ( )2

Also, at resonance, all the current from the current source flows into the resistor
1

2
Average power dissipated = 2

( ) 1

2
2

called characteristic impedance (analogy with transmission lines)

As ,
intuitively correct
1

At resonance, | | =

| | = 0 =

Characteristic impedance

Three forms of Q for parallel RLC networks:

=

| |

| |

= 0

Branch currents at resonance:

| | =

| |
0

= | |

| | = | | 0 = | |

Beware for very high Q,

we have very large branch currents.

To say that the inductor and capacitor cancel at resonance dangerously incorrect!

Relationship between bandwidth and Q

What happens @ frequencies near resonance?

= 0 +
1

() = + ( ) = + [(0 + ) (
= + (
=+

0 +)

0 2 = 1
=+
=+
=+
Use

1
1+

)0
0

(1+ )0
0

(1+

[(0 + )2 1]

(1+

1
0 +)

)0
0

(1+ )0
0

{[0 2 + 20 + ()2 ] 1}

[20 + ()2 ]
[20 + ]

[2 + ] 0
0

1 for 1,

= + (1 ) (2 + )
0

= + [2 ( ) ]
0

neglect 1

() + 2

Equivalent circuit @ resonance

2C

Near resonance, we can replace the original circuit with this equivalent circuit, and replace

absolute frequency by frequency offset with respect to 0 .

 ()

-3dB
Bandwidth of RLC network

0
1
2RC

BW of RLC network = 2

Normalize w.r.t

1
2

1
1

Higher the Q, narrower the frequency.

Series RLC network:

LF

Vin

Capacitance dominates
the impedance

R
HF

Vin

Vin

Resonance

Vin
At resonance + = 0,

Inductance dominates
the impedance

R
1

() = + ( )

Purely resistance

1
resonance @ 0 =

|Z()|
log scale
-20dB/dec
capactive

+20dB/dec
inductive

Z()
+90
0
-90

log scale

log scale

At resonance, when voltage reaches its peak, the current is =

peak magnetic energy in the inductor at this instant & zero capacitive energy at that instant
1

2
=
= (

Average power dissipated =

= 0
=

2
1
(
)
2
2
1
2

1
0

characteristic impedance

0 intuitively correct

Branch voltages at resonance:

| | = | | 0 =
| | = | |

1
0

| |0

= | |

| |

=
= | |

High branch voltage at resonance breakdown

useful for voltage amplification in LNAs

Bandwidth near resonance
For = 0 + for 0 :

() + (PROVE THIS!)

Equivalent circuit near resonance (replace absolute frequency by

offset frequency w.r.t 0 )

3dB Bandwidth of equivalent circuit = 2

 = 23 =
Normalized BW =

= 0 or =

= 1

Series-parallel transformations:
Ubiquitous in RF design
Can we use what we know about pure-series or pure-parallel RLC networks to analyze networks
that are not pure series or parallel?
On-chip RF circuit inductors are a lot more lossy than capacitors
LC tank with a lossy inductor:
Convert to a pure parallel RLC

Rs
C

C
Ls

Rp

Lp

Equate impedances at resonance:

2

0 0 (0 ) + 0 2
+ 0 = 0 =

=
2
+ 0 0
2 + ( )

Equate real and imaginary parts:

2

(0 )

2 +(0 )

0 =

0 2
2 +(0 )

Note =

(Qs must be the same after transformation if we want the circuit to be

identical)

1+(

0 =

)2
0

2 +1

= (2 + 1)

[ 2 (0 ) ](0 )
1+(

)2
0

2
2 +1

= (

2 +1
2

Similarly, to transform series-RC to parallel-RC:

Rs
L

L
Cs

= ( 2 + 1)

Cp

Rp

= 2 +1

Generally:
2 +1

= ( 2 + 1), = (

Note that these transformations hold only in a narrow band centered about 0 .

The maximum power transfer theorem:

Suppose that we have a source with a source impedance , at

what value of load impedance will maximum (real) power be
delivered to the load?

= (complex conjugate)
=

Called a conjugate match.

Other types of matcher are
reflection matching and noise matching.

or
=

Derivation (good refresher in basics!)

1

Power delivered to load = 2 [ ] (peak phasors!)

=

,
+

= 2 [

| |2

= 2| + |2 = 2[(

| |2

] = 2|
)

2
+ |

( )

| |2
2
2
+ ) +( + ) ]

Note that the source impedance is fixed, and we are allowed to vary only the load impedance.
For maximum power,

| |2
2

= 0 and

( )[2( + )]

[(

2
2
+ ) +( + ) ]

=0

= 0 + = 0 or =

 | |2
1
2 ( + )
=
{

}=0

2 ( + )2 + ( + )2 [( + )2 + ( + )2 ]2
( + )2 + ( + )2 = 2 ( + )
=0
Since =
+ = 2 or =
The power delivered to the load when = is defined as the available power from a source.
| |2
= =
8

RLC networks as impedance transformers:

1) Upward transformation:

Find and C to match the load to the source at

5GHz

Series-to-parallel transformation:
(A)
Suppose & C resonate @ 5GHz,
then = 200 @ 5GHz.
= ( 2 + 1)

= 50, = 200 = 1

or = 3 = 1.732

But =

350

= 25 or = 2.75,

200
253

= 3.66

(Alternatively, we can use the formula =

( 2 +1)
2

Finally, & C must resonate at 5GHz

0 =

1
3.66

= 2 5 or = 276.83.

This network has a low pass response from the source to the load. We can design another network
with a high pass response:
(B)

C
RL=50

Series to
parallel

200

Cp

Rp=200
@5GHz

200

= ( 2 + 1) = 1 = 3

1
0

1
0

= 25503 or = 367.55

= 2 +1 = 275.66
We want L and to reach resonance @ 5GHz
=

1
0

= 3.67

Which network to choose, (A) or (B)?

-- High-pass vs Low pass response
-- Usually want the network with the smallest inductor (larger inductors have more loss and
area)
-- Parasitics

-- Bandwidth: Match exact only at 5GHz. At other frequencies, we will have an impedance
mismatch.
Basic microwave theory: an impedance mismatch causes power to be reflected back to
the source.
Mismatch quantified by reflection coefficient (=S11 for a 1-port network)
11 = =

0
+ 0

Rule-of-Thumb: || 10
generally a good number.

is

||

High pass

0dB

Low pass

10dB
5GHz

Freq

Note: For a mismatch || between the load & source impedance, the power delivered to
the load is = (1 ||2 ) when source impedance is real.
available power from source.
2) Downward transformation

Match @ 5GHz

L
C

Paralle to
RL=200
series

50

Rs
50

If we resonance L & @5GHz, then = 50 @ 5GHz

= 2 +1 = 1 = 3, =

1
0

= 25503 = 367.55

Cs

 2 +1

2 +1

= (

) = (

)=

(3)2
(3)2 +1

367.5 or = 275.5

Since L and resonate @ 5GHz,

1

0 2 = = (25)2 (367.55) = 2.75 or = 2.75

(Not surprisingly, the values are the same as the upward transformation case looking
backwards)
Mnemonic: How to find if an L-match network gives an upward or downward
transformation?

Since we add L in series, we expect > upward

tx.

Add something (ie, L here) in parallel <

downward transformation