Abstract: A transmitter circuit includes a phase locked loop circuit, having one or more operational characteristics indicative of an operating state of the phase locked loop circuit. The phase locked loop circuit is configured to generate a frequency signal. The transmitter circuit also includes a power amplifier configured to selectively drive an antenna with a drive signal according to the frequency signal, and a programmable delay circuit configured to controllably extend a propagation delay between the frequency signal and the drive signal of the power amplifier. The programmable delay circuit is programmed such that a first value of a particular operational characteristic of the phase locked loop circuit is substantially equal to a second value of the operational characteristic of the phase locked loop circuit. The first value is measured with the power amplifier not driving the antenna. The second value is measured with the power amplifier driving the antenna.

Abstract: A semiconductor apparatus includes a first chip that generates a first oscillator signal in response to a detection enable signal and activates a ZQ circuit in response to a ZQ enable signal, and a second chip generates the ZQ enable signal by comparing frequencies of the first oscillator signal and a second oscillator signal with each other in response to the detection enable signal.

Abstract: In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, a transponder is provided, comprising: a frequency detector configured to monitor an output frequency of a clock-stop sensor of said transponder, wherein said frequency detector is further configured to determine if said output frequency falls within a response detection frequency range of an external reader, and a frequency shifter configured to shift, in response to the frequency detector determining that the output frequency falls within said response detection frequency range, said output frequency to a value outside said response detection frequency range. In accordance with a second aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding method of operating a transponder is conceived. In accordance with a third aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding computer program is provided.

Abstract: An oscillator includes a resonator, a clock signal generation circuit, a clock signal output terminal, an external signal input terminal, an interface circuit, and an interface terminal. The clock signal generation circuit oscillates the resonator to generate a clock signal. The clock signal output terminal outputs the clock signal. An external signal is input to the external signal input terminal. The interface circuit outputs time difference information obtained by measuring a time difference between a transition timing of a first signal based on the external signal input from the external signal input terminal and a transition timing of a second signal based on the clock signal, or frequency information obtained by measuring a frequency of a first clock signal, which is one of the clock signal and the external clock signal, based on a frequency of a second clock signal, which is the other of the clock signal and the external clock signal. The interface terminal is coupled to the interface circuit.

Abstract: An oscillator includes: a first inductor; and a programmable capacitor bank coupled between a first terminal of the first inductor and a second terminal of the first inductor, where the programmable capacitor bank includes a plurality of cells concatenated together, where each cell of the plurality of cells includes a first node, a second node, a third node, a second inductor, and a programmable capacitor, where the second inductor is coupled between the first node and the third node, and the programmable capacitor is coupled between the third node and the second node, where a first inductance of the first inductor is larger than a sum of the inductances of the second inductors of the programmable capacitor bank.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a molecular clock includes a waveguide gas cell containing gas molecules having a rotational spectral line with a first frequency a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to generate a clock signal, a transmitter referenced to the clock signal to generate a probing signal for transmission through the waveguide gas cell, and a receiver to receive the probing signal transmitted through the waveguide gas cell and interacting with gas molecules. The receiver can include a filter circuit configured to filter out even harmonic components from the received signal and can further include a lock-in detector to generate an error signal indicating an offset between the first frequency and the second frequency. The error signal is fed back to control generation of the VCO clock signal.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes a frequency divider circuit that includes a superharmonically injection-locked ring oscillator, injection circuitry, and various switches. The input can include a collection of signal components at different phases that are all at the same, but changeable, frequency. The divider's division ratio can be changed during the divider's operation by, for example, utilizing one or more switches to change: the number of stages in the ring oscillator, and/or which stage(s) of the ring oscillator are injected into by which input signal components.

Abstract: A pedestal on which a beveled blank is mounted is provided with a recess portion and an edge portion. The recess portion is provided in a central part of a surface of a pedestal body of the pedestal. The edge portion is adjacent to the recess portion to which the blank is fixed. The recess portion has a length in the short side direction of the pedestal body longer than that of the short side of the blank.

Abstract: According to some aspects, a method is provided of operating a system that includes a multi-level quantum system dispersively coupled to a first quantum mechanical oscillator and dispersively coupled to a second quantum mechanical oscillator, the method comprising applying a first drive waveform to the multi-level quantum system, applying one or more second drive waveforms to the first quantum mechanical oscillator, and applying one or more third drive waveforms to the second quantum mechanical oscillator.

Abstract: A phase and amplitude controlled oscillation device is configured in such a manner that a first controller and a second controller control a phase of a combined output wave obtained by a combiner by performing control to shift phases of respective oscillation frequencies of a first oscillator and a second oscillator in the same direction, and control an amplitude of the combined output wave obtained by the combiner by performing control to shift the phases of the respective oscillation frequencies of the first oscillator and the second oscillator in opposite directions.

Abstract: Examples of increasing yield and operating temperature range of transmitters are disclosed. In one example, a transmitter has an a thin-film bulk acoustic (FBAR) resonator. The transmitter may be a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmitter. In this example, the FBAR-based BLE transmitter does not require or have a phase locked loop, and does not require or have a crystal reference. The FBAR-based BLE transmitter may have an oscillator with a split capacitor array. The oscillator may be a Pierce oscillator with a split capacitor array. The FBAR-based transmitter and calibration methods described herein provide a greater yield and wider operating range than prior transmitters.

Abstract: A first generator produces a first signal that is supplied to an energy storage circuit. Energy transfer circuitry coupled to the energy storage circuit transfers energy stored in the energy storage circuit to an output node. A driver circuit coupled to the energy transfer circuitry switches the energy transfer circuitry between a state where energy from the first signal is stored in the energy storage circuit and a state where energy stored in the energy storage circuit section is delivered to the output node. A voltage at the energy storage circuit varies between an upper value and a lower value around a voltage setting point. A second generator, which is a scaled-down replica of the first generator, produces a second signal that is indicative of an open-circuit voltage of the first generator. The driver circuit uses the second signal to set the voltage setting point.

Abstract: An electronic device may include a transceiver with mixer circuitry that up-converts or down-converts signals based on a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) signal. The transceiver circuitry may include first, second, third, and fourth VCOs. Each VCO may include a VCO core that receives a control voltage and an inductor coupled to the VCO core. Fixed linear capacitors may be coupled between the VCO cores. A switching network may be coupled between the VCOs. Control circuitry may place the VCO circuitry in one of four different operating modes and may switch between the operating modes to selectively control current direction in each of the inductors. The VCO circuitry may generate the VCO signal within a respective frequency range in each of the operating modes. The VCO circuitry may exhibit a relatively wide frequency range across all of the operating modes while introducing minimal phase noise to the system.

Abstract: A method for generating a control signal, having at least one frequency component, for an acousto-optical element, from one frequency spectrum having the at least one frequency, or from multiple frequency spectra which together have the at least one frequency, includes the step of obtaining, from the one frequency spectrum or from the multiple frequency spectra, one transmit signal in the time domain in each case via an inverse Fourier transform. The one or the multiple transmit signals are modulated via a single-sideband modulation onto a carrier signal having a carrier frequency in order to obtain one modulated signal in each case. The control signal is obtained as a real part of the one modulated signal or as a consolidation of the real parts of the multiple modulated signals.

Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator device having a sandwich structure is provided. A crystal oscillator includes: a crystal resonator plate; a first sealing member covering a first excitation electrode of the crystal resonator plate; and a second sealing member covering a second excitation electrode of the crystal resonator plate. A parallelepiped shaped package is formed by bonding: the first sealing member to the crystal resonator plate; and the second sealing member to the crystal resonator plate. The package includes an internal space in which is hermetically sealed a vibrating part of the crystal resonator plate including the first excitation electrode and the second excitation electrode. A bonding material hermetically sealing the vibrating part of the crystal resonator plate is formed to have an annular shape in plan view, and is disposed along an outer peripheral edge of the package.

Abstract: A quantum interference device includes a light emitting element; and an atomic cell on which light from the light emitting element is incident. The atomic cell accommodates alkali metal atoms therein, and a coating film containing a polydiyne compound or a polydiene compound is disposed on an inner wall of the atomic cell.

Abstract: A substance detection system and a substance detection method are provided. The temperature identifying portion identifies a surface temperature of the quartz substrate, based on a difference between a deviation of the fundamental wave frequency from at least any predetermined reference fundamental wave frequency of the reference crystal resonator and the detecting crystal resonator and a deviation of the third harmonic frequency from a predetermined reference third harmonic frequency. The substance identifying portion identifies a temperature at which a contaminant attached to the detecting crystal resonator is desorbed from the detecting crystal resonator to identify the contaminant based on the temperature at which the contaminant is desorbed.

Abstract: Mechanisms to reduce noise and/or energy consumption in PAM communication systems, utilizing conditional symbol substitution in each burst interval of a multi-data lane serial data bus.

Abstract: One aspect of the present disclosure provides a terahertz-wave detector including a semiconductor substrate, an active element formed on the semiconductor substrate and a first resistive portion electrically connected in parallel with the active element.

Abstract: An inductor-capacitor (LC) oscillator with an embedded second harmonic filter and an associated dual core oscillator are provided. The LC oscillator includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a first part-one inductor, a second part-one inductor, a part-one capacitor, a part-two inductor and at least one part-two capacitor. A first end of the first part-one inductor and a first end of the second part-one inductor are coupled to gate terminals of the second transistor and the first transistor, respectively. The part-one capacitor is coupled between the first end of the first part-one inductor and the first end of the second part-one inductor. The part-two inductor is coupled between a second end of the first part-one inductor and a second end of the second part-one inductor. The at least one part-two capacitor is coupled to drain terminals of the first transistor and the second transistor.