An inductive switch comprises an inductor that has a primary metallic winding having a boundary configured in shape of a figure eight, such as in two loops, and a plurality of secondary metallic windings arranged within the boundary of the primary metallic winding. The inductive switch includes a plurality of switches, each switch arranged in series with a respective one of the plurality of secondary metallic windings. An equal number of the secondary windings is arranged within each loop. A tunable inductor comprises at least one main metallic loop and at least one secondary metallic loop, wherein the at least one secondary metallic loop comprises a switch that is arranged to configure the at least one secondary metallic loop into at least one shorted metallic loop or at least one closed metallic loop. The at least one shorted loop is floating.

A one-coil multi-core inductor-capacitor (LC) oscillator is provided. The one-coil multi-core LC oscillator includes a main coil and at least one mode suppression device. The main coil includes an outer wire and a central wire, wherein the outer wire is coupled to a first core circuit and a second core circuit, and the central wire is coupled between a first node and a second node of the outer wire. More particularly, an outer loop formed by the outer wire corresponds to a first mode of the one-coil multi-core LC oscillator, and inner loops formed by the outer wire and the central wire correspond to a second mode of the one-coil multi-core LC oscillator, where the at least one mode suppression device is configured to suppress one of the first mode and the second mode.

An oscillator circuit is provided. The oscillator circuit includes a first oscillator, a second oscillator, and a switch matrix. The first oscillator includes a first transconductance amplifier, a second transconductance amplifier, and a first resonator. The second oscillator includes a third transconductance amplifier, a fourth transconductance amplifier, and a second resonator. The first resonator includes a first capacitor element and a first inductor element. The second resonator includes a second capacitor element and a second inductor element. The first inductor element is coupled to the second inductor element. The switch matrix includes a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch.

A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and a method of operating the VCO are disclosed. The VCO includes an inductor device, a capacitor device coupled in parallel with the inductor device through first and second nodes, and a pair of cross-coupled transistors coupled in parallel with the inductor device and the capacitor device through the first and second nodes. At least one of the pair of cross-coupled transistor includes a plurality of sub transistors coupled in parallel. The sub transistors are individually switchable to adjust current drive capability of each of the sub transistors. Each of the sub transistors includes a first gate and a second gate.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that is configurable (e.g., in a dynamic manner) in multiple modes of operation (e.g., low/high-band modes). The VCO may include a resonant circuit coupled to a plurality of switches that may be used to adjust current flow within one or more inductive elements of the resonant circuit. By adjusting the current flow within the inductive elements, an inductance of the resonant circuit may be adjusted, which in turn adjusts a band of the VCO.

A one-coil multi-core inductor-capacitor (LC) oscillator is provided. The one-coil multi-core LC oscillator includes a main coil and at least one mode suppression device. The main coil includes an outer wire and a central wire, wherein the outer wire is coupled to a first core circuit and a second core circuit, and the central wire is coupled between a first node and a second node of the outer wire. More particularly, an outer loop formed by the outer wire corresponds to a first mode of the one-coil multi-core LC oscillator, and inner loops formed by the outer wire and the central wire correspond to a second mode of the one-coil multi-core LC oscillator, where the at least one mode suppression device is configured to suppress one of the first mode and the second mode.

A switching inductor device having a first port and a second port includes a first inductor and a second inductor with a switch circuit. The first inductor is coupled between the first port and the second port. The second inductor and the switch circuit are connected in series, and are coupled between the first port and the second port; the first inductor and the second inductor are connected in parallel when the switch circuit is turned on.

An inductive switch comprises an inductor that has a primary metallic winding having a boundary configured in shape of a figure eight, such as in two loops, and a plurality of secondary metallic windings arranged within the boundary of the primary metallic winding. The inductive switch includes a plurality of switches, each switch arranged in series with a respective one of the plurality of secondary metallic windings. An equal number of the secondary windings is arranged within each loop. A tunable inductor comprises at least one main metallic loop and at least one secondary metallic loop, wherein the at least one secondary metallic loop comprises a switch that is arranged to configure the at least one secondary metallic loop into at least one shorted metallic loop or at least one closed metallic loop. The at least one shorted loop is floating.

Various embodiments of the invention relate to a Multi-Band Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO). The multi-band VCO features a coupled-inductor based resonator. The resonator comprises a primary path and a secondary path inductively coupled to the primary path. The primary path comprises multiple LC tuning stages coupled in series with each stage having an adjustable capacitor and a primary inductor inductively coupled to the secondary path. The secondary path comprises multiple secondary inductors inductively coupled to respective primary inductors in the primary path. Furthermore, the secondary path comprises a plurality of controllable switches which are controlled to switch ON or OFF simultaneously to engage/disengage the inductive coupling between the primary path and the secondary path. Incorporating multiple LC tuning stages lowers voltage swing across each tuning stages, thus minimizing phase noise caused by nonlinearity in the resonator.

A resonator and resonator method are provided. The resonator includes an inductor, a capacitor, and a switch configured to maintain energy in at least one of the inductor and the capacitor for a select period of time and to enable variability of energy in the at least one of the inductor and the capacitor for another period of time, to set a resonating frequency of the inductor and the capacitor.