Abstract: A semiconductor device including a resistance section that includes a first terminal and a second terminal disposed in contact with an outer periphery, and a serial resistance section in which plural resistance elements are connected in series, wherein one end of the serial resistance section is connected to the first terminal, and another end of the serial resistance section is connected to the second terminal; and a current adjustment section that includes a current source that supplies current to the serial resistance section, and disposed adjacent to the resistance section such that a distance between the first terminal and the current adjustment section along the outer periphery of the resistance section and a distance between the second terminal and the current adjustment section along the outer periphery of the resistance section are equal.

Abstract: A charge pump circuit includes a voltage input port, a voltage output port, a plurality of charge pump units cascaded between the voltage input port and the voltage output port, a clock signal source, and N clock delay elements. The clock signal source generates a main clock signal and the N clock delay elements generate clock signals received by the charge pump units by delaying the main clock signal. The main clock signal received by the first charge pump unit has a rising edge leading a rising edge of the last clock signal received by the last charge pump unit, and a falling edge lagging the rising edge of the last clock signal. Each of the charge pump units includes two sets of inverters with delay elements for generating two complementary clock signals.

Abstract: A gate driver circuit comprises a sensor, an amplifier, a regulator and a gate driver. The sensor is configured to sense a collector-emitter voltage and includes a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series, a high voltage diode connected between the series connected first and second resistors and a first capacitor connected parallel to the second resistor. The amplifier is configured to amplify a sensor output voltage and includes a non-inverting operational amplifier controlled by means of a plurality of resistors, a voltage follower connected to an output terminal of the non-inverting operational amplifier through a first diode and a third resistor connected across the first diode and the voltage follower. The regulator is configured to regulate a regulator output voltage based on an amplifier voltage. The gate driver is configured to connect/disconnect the regulator output voltage to the base terminal of the BJT.

Abstract: A circuit and a method for detecting a current zero-crossing point, and a circuit and method for detecting a load voltage are disclosed. The circuit for detecting current zero-crossing point includes: a load power supply circuit, a voltage-dividing resistor, a transistor switch, a zero-crossing detection circuit; the load power supply circuit includes: a load, a diode, and a transformer; one end of a primary winding of the transformer is connected with the operating voltage input terminal, the other end of the primary winding of the transformer is connected with a first end of the transistor switch and a first end of the voltage-dividing resistor, a second end of the voltage-dividing resistor and a second end of the transistor switch are connected with the ground, the load voltage is controlled by the transistor switch.

Abstract: A switching power device (100) is provided which comprises: a normally-ON transistor (12), a normally-OFF metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) (14), the normally-OFF MOSFET (14) being connected in series to a source terminal (12S) of the normally-ON transistor (12), and a driver (16) connected to and arranged to drive a gate terminal (12G) of the normally-ON transistor (12). A switching transistor (28) can then be positioned between the source terminal (12S) of the normally-ON transistor (12) and a common connection (30) of the driver (16) to protect the switching power device (100) from deleterious over-voltage and over-current spikes.

Abstract: A driver includes an open drain output transistor, a capacitor, a first current source, and first and second transistors. Upon assertion of a transmit signal to turn on the first transistor, a controller asserts a second control signal to turn on the second transistor responsive to a voltage of the capacitor being less than a threshold voltage of the open drain output transistor to thereby increase the gate voltage for the open drain output transistor at a first time rate. The controller deasserts the second control signal to turn off the second transistor responsive to the capacitor voltage exceeding the threshold voltage. Responsive to the capacitor's voltage exceeding the threshold, the first current source charges the capacitor to further increase the gate voltage at a second time rate that is smaller than the first time rate.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a pulse generator which generates a pulse train by mixing pulses of a first clock having a first frequency, with pulses of a second clock having a second frequency. Over a predefined time period, the combination of pulses results in a pulse train having an effective frequency which is between the first and second frequencies. A multiplexer is used to select which of the first and second clocks should be provided to the output. Depending on the desired target frequency, the multiplexer is controlled to mix differing amounts of pulses from the first and second clocks. A multiplexer is controlled by a control signal, which is generated using combinatorial logic using the first clock as an input. The pulse generator may be used, for example, as a clock for a charge pump.

Abstract: A circuit comprising: a first passive mixer (21) having mixer inputs configured to receive in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) differential signals; and a first differential sub-circuit (31). The first passive mixer is configured to switch the in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) differential signals to the first differential sub-circuit at a mixing frequency. The first differential sub-circuit (31) has a pair of differential inputs configured to receive the switched in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) differential signals from the first passive mixer (21), each input having a capacitance capable of storing a charge that depends on the switched in-phase or quadrature-phase signals. The circuit further comprises a charge canceller configured to supply, to at least one of: the mixer inputs; and the pair of differential inputs, an opposite charge compared with a charge that has been stored on the pair of differential inputs by the operation of the first passive mixer.

Abstract: Spectrally-efficient digital logic (SEDL) techniques implement spectrally-efficient pulses (e.g., Gaussian-shaped pulses) in lieu of conventional square waveforms to improve electromagnetic, radio frequency, and other unwanted emissions. The SEDL techniques can be used for combinatorial or sequential logic elements and circuits. A SEDL circuit includes a multiplier circuit configured to receive a clock signal and provide a product of the input signal and a clock signal, an integrator circuit to integrate the product signal over a first portion of a clock period to determine the logic state of the input signal, a limit circuit configured to apply limits to a state result provided to the integrator circuit, and a pulse generator configured to receive the logic state from the limit circuit and provide and output signal having a Gaussian-shaped output pulse that represents that logic value corresponding to the logic value of the input signal.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising an accumulator circuit and an offset register. The accumulator circuit may be configured to (a) receive a plurality of frequency offset values from a plurality of sourcing DPLLs and (b) generate a current combined offset value in response to a sum of the frequency offset values. The offset register may be configured to (a) store an offset value corresponding to the current combined offset value in a first mode and (b) store an offset value corresponding to an updated offset value in a second mode. The updated offset value may comprise a difference between the offset value stored in the offset register and the current combined offset value. The offset value may be presented to a receiving DPLL during a re-arrangement of the sourcing DPLLs. Presenting the offset value may reduce a phase transient caused by the re-arrangement.

Abstract: Methods of operating a charge pump, and charge pumps configured to perform similar methods, involve monitoring a level of a supply voltage of the charge pump, and turning off an oscillator of the charge pump responsive to the level of the supply voltage dropping below a certain level, wherein turning off the oscillator comprises setting an inverter in a ring oscillator loop of the oscillator to a steady state output.

Abstract: A phase locked loop system includes bias voltage adjustment circuitry and a voltage regulator that outputs a smoothed core voltage to an oscillator. The bias voltage adjustment circuitry is configured to compute a scaled bias voltage based at least on a target frequency for the oscillator. The voltage regulator is configured to input i) the scaled bias voltage and ii) a selected core voltage that is selected based on the target operating frequency of the oscillator and generate the smoothed core voltage for output to the oscillator.

Abstract: A circuit includes a first transistor comprising a first control input and first and second current terminals, the first control input coupled to receive a first input control signal, and the first current terminal coupled to a first power supply node. The circuit also includes a first resistor coupled to the first control input of the first transistor, a first capacitor coupled between the second current terminal of the first transistor and the first resistor and a second transistor comprising a second control input and third and fourth current terminals, the third current terminal coupled to the first resistor and to the first capacitor.

Abstract: An illustrative embodiment of an integrated circuit configured for galvanically isolated signaling includes a transfer conductor carrying a modulated carrier signal. A floating transfer loop is electromagnetically coupled to the transfer conductor to receive the modulated carrier signal. The floating transfer loop includes a primary of a step-up transformer. A receiver is coupled to a secondary of the step-up transformer to receive the modulated carrier signal in an amplified, differential fashion, and to demodulate the modulated carrier signal to obtain a digital receive signal.

Abstract: In recent years, it has been desired to further shorten the dead time. Provided is a driving device that drives on/off a main switching element to which a free wheeling diode is anti-parallel connected, wherein the driving device includes a determination unit configured to output a determination signal indicating whether free wheeling current is flowing from a source terminal to a drain terminal of the main switching element; and a drive control unit configured to reduce a switching speed when the main switching element is driven from an on-state to an off-state on condition that the determination signal indicating that the free wheeling current is flowing is output.

Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) device and its voltage generating circuit are provided. The RF device includes the voltage generating circuit and a RF circuit. The voltage generating circuit receives a RF signal and generates at least one bias voltage related to the RF signal. The RF circuit is used to receive the RF signal. The RF circuit is coupled to the voltage generating circuit to receive the bias voltage. The bias voltage is used to operate the conduction state of at least one RF transmission path of the RF circuit.

Abstract: A wireless power transfer system includes a power transmitter (101) arranged to provide a power transfer to a power receiver (105) via a wireless inductive power signal. A parasitic power loss detector (207) is arranged to detect a parasitic power loss for the power transfer, and a user indicator (209) is arranged to initialize a user alert in response to the detection of the parasitic power loss. The system comprises an input (211) for receiving user inputs; and a controller (213) which is arranged to initiate an adaptation of a parasitic power loss detection operation performed by the parasitic power loss detector (207) to detect parasitic power losses if a user input meeting a criterion is not received. Each of the individual features may be implemented in the power transmitter (101), the power receiver (105), or may e.g. be distributed between these. The approach may allow improved foreign object detection in a wireless power transfer system.

Abstract: A clock generating device includes a divisor register, a reference clock generator, a first counter, a second counter, and a delay regulator circuit. The divisor register provides a divisor. The reference clock generator outputs a reference clock signal. The first counter counts a first number of cycles of the reference clock signal and generates a first count. The first counter outputs a first clock signal according to the first count and the divisor. The second counter counts a second number of cycles of the first clock signal and generates a second count. The second counter outputs a second clock signal according to the second count and a coefficient. The delay regulator circuit determines whether to control the first counter to delay outputting the first clock signal according to the first clock signal.

Abstract: Apparatuses for a flip-flop are provided. One apparatus for a flip-flop includes a domino logic flip-flop, including a single footer transistor for all nodes in the domino logic flip-flop to be pre-charged, wherein the single footer includes a footer node; and a pre-charge transistor connected to the footer node for pre-charging the footer node before an evaluation cycle. Another apparatus for a flip-flop includes a domino logic flip-flop; and combinatory logic configured to evaluate a complimentary signal in conjunction with circuit events.

Abstract: Methods of operating a voltage generation circuit include applying a clock signal to an input of a voltage driver of a stage of the voltage generation circuit, connecting the output of the voltage driver to a first voltage node configured to receive a first voltage when the clock signal has a particular logic level and a voltage level of an output of the voltage driver is less than a threshold, connecting the output of the voltage driver to a second voltage node configured to receive a second voltage, greater than the first voltage, when the clock signal has the particular logic level and the voltage level of the output of the voltage driver is greater than the threshold, and connecting the output of the voltage driver to a third voltage node configured to receive a third voltage, less than the first voltage, when the clock signal has a different logic level.