Abstract: Digitally controlled delay device, including a plurality of fine delay elements and a plurality of coarse delay elements, capable of delaying a signal generated by the device, by a fine or coarse delay respectively, the fine delay elements having delay times of between 60 and 170% of the mean of the fine delays and the sum of the fine delay times being greater than or equal to at least one coarse delay.

Abstract: The four types of the Z-state circuits basically include a sensing gate, two stacked PMOS transistors, and a feedback line. The sensing gate senses a voltage at its input assuming no feedback is applied. Again, the corresponding output of two stacked PMOS transistors is assumed to be connected to the sensing input. Two stacked PMOS transistors generate a high impedance Z-state at its output according to the corresponding gate voltages. Therefore, the feedback line keeps sampling the output and feeding back the output voltage to the sensing input. Consequently, the feedback configuration provides the initial loop condition, which is affected by the midpoint voltage decided by the device aspect ratios of the sensing gate before normal operation starts.

Abstract: A delay locked loop comprises a circuit configured to receive a clock signal, divide the clock signal by two to provide a divided clock signal, and mirror with respect to the divided clock signal a fractional portion of a feedback delay remaining after dividing the feedback delay by a multiple of a cycle of the clock signal to provide a first signal.

Abstract: A delay circuit includes a constant current source, a delay stage, and a compensating circuit. The delay circuit may compensate for a variation in a delay characteristic of the delay stage due to a variation in temperature, supply voltage and/or process.

Abstract: A multi-stage amplifier circuit that is arranged to minimize offset related errors in a reference circuit. The first stage circuit includes an array of amplifier circuits that receive feedback signals. The outputs of the first stage amplifier circuits are coupled together to a common node. The second stage circuit is also coupled to the common node, and arranged to drive a feedback circuit to generate the feedback signals. In one example, the feedback circuit includes a band-gap core. The second stage circuit can be arranged as part of a low-drop out (LDO) regulator. Each of the amplifier circuits in the first stage can be nulled in response to null control signals from a null control logic circuit. The overall offset in the resulting reference circuit is reduced by the selective nulling of the arrayed amplifiers in the first stage circuit.

Abstract: A power on reset circuit includes a pulse generation circuit that is connected to receive a supply voltage and respond to an initial ramp-up of that supply voltage to generate an output pulse that transitions from a low to a relatively high state tracking the supply voltage ramp-up. The pulse generation circuit further sets a feedback node in an enable state. Responsive to a flip signal received at an input node, the pulse generation circuit then transitions the output pulse from the relatively high state to the low state and sets the feedback node in a disable state. A static current control transistor switch includes a source-drain circuit coupled to the supply voltage and further includes a gate. The gate is connected to the feedback node such that the transistor switch is actuated in response to the feedback node enable state and unactuated in response to the feedback node disable state.

Abstract: Phase locked loop circuitry operates digitally, to at least a large extent, to select from a plurality of phase-distributed candidate clock signals the signal that is closest in phase to transitions in another signal such as a clock data recovery (“CDR”) signal. The circuitry is constructed and operated to avoid glitches in the output clock signal that might otherwise result from changes in selection of the candidate clock signal.

Abstract: A phase shift and duty cycle correction circuit is disclosed herein as comprising a programmable digital to analog converter (DAC), a storage device (e.g., a capacitor), a charge sub-circuit and dump sub-circuit for charging and discharging the storage device, respectively, a comparator, and a clock driver circuit. A linearly increasing (or ramped) voltage waveform is generated within the storage device by the charging and discharging actions of the charge and dump sub-circuits; a periodic process which is controlled by opposite phases of the input clock. By programming the DAC control input to change the slicing threshold of the ramped waveform, the circuit and method described herein provides a means for programmable phase shifting and duty cycle correction.

Abstract: A clock resynchronizer includes a write circuit and a read circuit. The write circuit stores input data in accordance with a first clock associated with the input data. The read circuit outputs data to be output out of the data stored in the write circuit, in accordance with a second clock. The read circuit also outputs a signal acquisition permitting signal indicating that the data to be output is valid. The read circuit outputs no signal acquisition permitting signal when the data to be output is not output.

Abstract: A clock and data recovery system for detecting and resolving meta-stability conditions is provided. The clock and data recovery system includes a phase detector having logic configured to detect a meta-stability condition and to generate an output signal to mitigate the condition. The system can also include a time varying gain adjustment portion. This portion includes a gain control logic configured to determine and adjust system gain during reception of an incoming data stream. The system further includes a phase interpolator having increased linearity. The phase interpolator has a plurality of first branches having a differential transistor pair, a switch, and a current source, coupled between a first output and a first supply voltage and a plurality of second branches having a differential transistor pair, a switch, and a current source, coupled between a second output and the first supply voltage. The phase interpolator can also include an integrator portion.

Abstract: A semiconductor device that includes an adaptive phase locked loop with improved loop stability and a faster locking rate. In one embodiment, this is accomplished in a manner that does not require an additional second charge pump for loop stability, and therefore the resulting phase locked loop of the present invention consumes less chip die area. In another embodiment, multiple charge pumps are used and the resulting response time for locking is improved over that which can be achieved by conventional embodiments.

Abstract: The four types of the zero idle time Z-state circuits are presented with an improvement in productivity, cost, chip area, power consumption, and design time. The zero idle time Z-state circuits basically include a sensing gate, two stacked PMOS transistors, and a feedback line. The sensing gate senses a voltage at its input assuming no feedback is applied. Again, the corresponding output of two stacked PMOS transistors is assumed to be connected to the sensing input. Two stacked PMOS transistors generate a high impedance Z-state at its output according to the corresponding output of the sensing gate. Therefore, the feedback line keeps sampling the output and feeding back the output voltage to the sensing input. Consequently, the feedback configuration provides the initial output voltage, which is the midpoint voltage decided by the device aspect ratios of the sensing gate before normal operation starts in all three systems such as all kinds of phase-locked loops, delay-locked loops, and switching regulators.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating a phase delay is disclosed. The apparatus includes a buffer utilized for buffering an input signal and then outputting an output signal; a digital to analog converter (DAC) utilized for converting a digital value representative of phase delay into a corresponding control voltage and outputting a control voltage; and a variable capacitor that has a capacitance value controlled by the control voltage. By controlling the variable capacitance value, the apparatus for generating a phase delay can adjust the phase delay between the input signal and the output signal.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing a plurality of programmable timing verniers with a reference pulse signal, each of the verniers being programmable to one of a plurality of timing steps within a delay range determined by a control signal applied to a bias input. A first and second control vernier is selected from the plurality of verniers, the first control vernier is programmed to a first delay, and the second control vernier is programmed to a second delay. The first and second control verniers are triggered together to generate respective first and second delay signals. A difference pulse signal is generated with a duty cycle corresponding to a difference between the generated first delay signal and second delay signal. The duty cycle of the pulse signal is compared to a duty cycle of the reference pulse signal to generate a difference signal pulse.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for programmable determination of frequency, phase, and jitter relationship of a first clock and a second clock in an electronic system. In a first, initialization, mode, a first register and a second register are initialized with a first bit pattern and a second bit pattern, respectively. In a second, normal, mode, the first clock is coupled to the first register and the second clock is coupled to the second register. A compare unit observes the bit patterns of the first and second registers and reports when one or more predetermined relationships between the first clock and the second clock occur.

Abstract: An improved differential inverter comprising a differential inverter having a differential input for receiving a first input signal and a second input signal, said inverter further comprising a differential control input for receiving a first control signal and a second control signal. The improved differential inverter further comprises a differential output for transmitting a first output signal and a second output signal. The improved differential inverter further comprises a controlled bias generator that generates the second vector of input signals in response to a bias control signal. The control bias signal is generated at an output of a voltage divider coupled to the differential output of the differential inverter said bias control signal being indicative for a DC voltage of the of the differential output.

Abstract: A structure is provided for significantly reducing the current excessively consumed for generating a high-speed clock signal necessary for signal processing, and significantly improve the jitter characteristics of the high-speed clock signal. The structure includes a reference-clock signal generation circuit, a time-base processing circuit, a PLL circuit, and a high-speed signal processing circuit. A low-speed reference-clock signal generated by the reference-clock signal generation circuit is provided to the PLL circuit. The PLL circuit generates a high-speed clock signal by multiplying the reference-clock signal by a factor of N. The factor N is at least 100. To reduce a jitter of the high-speed clock signal generated by the PLL circuit, a natural angular frequency ?n and a damping factor ? that relate to the response characteristics of the system of the PLL circuit are set to range from 3 kHz to 10 kHz, and 0.01 or less, respectively.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a power MOSFET driver uses two different voltages for the operating voltage of the two output drivers of the power MOSFET driver.

Abstract: A delay circuit includes a plurality of delay units DI to DN. An input signal IS is input to the delay circuit, and the delay circuit outputs a delay signal. A comparison circuit stores, to a comparison result register, comparison result data of a pulse width time of a pulse of a test input signal IS input to the delay circuit and delay times of delay signals DSM to DSN output from taps PM to PN of the delay circuit. An adjustment circuit adjusts the delay time of the delay signal in the delay circuit. Adjustment data ADT of the delay time is set based on the comparison result data read from the comparison result register. The delay time after adjustment is confirmed by again inputting the test input signal after the delay time has been adjusted, and again reading the comparison result data from the comparison result register.

Abstract: The present invention provides a phase shift circuit that supports multiple frequency ranges. The phase shift circuit receives a plurality of control bits and causes a phase shift in a received signal, the phase shift corresponding to a number of time steps, the number depending on the control bits, and the time step is selected from a plurality of different time steps based on a frequency range associated with the received signal.