Abstract: In accordance with the present disclosure, one embodiment of a fractal variable capacitor comprises a capacitor body in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure, wherein the capacitor body has an upper first metal plate with a fractal shape separated by a vertical distance from a lower first metal plate with a complementary fractal shape; and a substrate above which the capacitor body is suspended.

Abstract: An embodiment of a fractal fixed capacitor comprises a capacitor body in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure. The capacitor body has a first plate with a fractal shape separated by a horizontal distance from a second plate with a fractal shape. The first plate and the second plate are within the same plane. Such a fractal fixed capacitor further comprises a substrate above which the capacitor body is positioned.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a high voltage charge pump are described. One embodiment is a charge pump circuit that comprises a plurality of switching stages each including a clock input, a clock input inverse, a clock output, and a clock output inverse. The circuit further comprises a plurality of pumping capacitors, wherein one or more pumping capacitors are coupled to a corresponding switching stage. The circuit also comprises a maximum selection circuit coupled to a last switching stage among the plurality of switching stages, the maximum selection circuit configured to filter noise on the output clock and the output clock inverse of the last switching stage, the maximum selection circuit further configured to generate a DC output voltage based on the output clock and the output clock inverse of the last switching stage.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a high voltage charge pump are described. One embodiment is a charge pump circuit that comprises a plurality of switching stages each including a clock input, a clock input inverse, a clock output, and a clock output inverse. The circuit further comprises a plurality of pumping capacitors, wherein one or more pumping capacitors are coupled to a corresponding switching stage. The circuit also comprises a maximum selection circuit coupled to a last switching stage among the plurality of switching stages, the maximum selection circuit configured to filter noise on the output clock and the output clock inverse of the last switching stage, the maximum selection circuit further configured to generate a DC output voltage based on the output clock and the output clock inverse of the last switching stage.

Abstract: An embodiment of a fractal fixed capacitor comprises a capacitor body in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure. The capacitor body has a first plate with a fractal shape separated by a horizontal distance from a second plate with a fractal shape. The first plate and the second plate are within the same plane. Such a fractal fixed capacitor further comprises a substrate above which the capacitor body is positioned.

Abstract: In accordance with the present disclosure, one embodiment of a fractal variable capacitor comprises a capacitor body in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure, wherein the capacitor body has an upper first metal plate with a fractal shape separated by a vertical distance from a lower first metal plate with a complementary fractal shape; and a substrate above which the capacitor body is suspended.

Abstract: An electrical circuit and method of power management of a cellular telephone includes a battery adapted to produce a battery voltage; a LDO regulator operatively connected to the battery and adapted to provide a constant supply voltage from the battery voltage; and a DC-DC converter operatively connected to the LDO regulator, wherein the DC-DC converter is adapted to step down the constant supply voltage to a lower voltage level, wherein the LDO regulator and the DC-DC converter are embedded on a single integrated circuit chip. The constant supply voltage equals 3.6V at an output of the LDO, and the constant supply voltage is applied to an input of the DC-DC converter. Moreover, the battery voltage equals at most 5.5V.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter and method of improving the efficiency of a DC-DC converter at low load current levels using pulse skipping modulation (PSM) with controllable burst duration NTclk, where Tclk is the clock cycle interval. As the average load current increases, the time between bursts decreases so that average inductor current matches the load current. The burst duration is kept around NTclk by controlling the duty cycle of the output switches. The higher the load current, the higher is the duty cycle of the output switches. No current sensing is needed. The optimum burst duration for best efficiency curve is a function of the load capacitor.

Abstract: A noise shaping and voltage gain filtering third order electrical circuit and method comprises at least one pair of input resistors; a Frequency Dependent Negative Resistance (FDNR) filter positioned in between the at least one pair of input resistors; a feedback resistor; and an amplifier operatively connected to the feedback resistor and the at least one pair of input resistors, wherein as an electrical signal is introduced to the electrical circuit, the FDNR filter is adapted to filter signal blockers out of the electrical signal prior to the electrical signal reaching the amplifier for signal amplification, wherein the FDNR filter does not contribute noise to a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the electrical signal, and wherein a transfer function of the FDNR filter is substantially elliptical in shape.

Abstract: A complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) comparator circuit includes a plurality of p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (PMOS) transistors receiving an input voltage signal, a plurality of n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistors operatively connected to the PMOS transistors and adapted to receive the input voltage signal, and an inverter adapted to invert the input voltage signal into an output voltage signal. An effective aspect ratio of the PMOS and NMOS transistors may be dependent on the level of the output voltage signal from the inverter. When a digital output of the inverter is “1”, the effective aspect ratio of the NMOS transistor is increased by turning on a second NMOS transistor, and a threshold voltage of the inverter is decreased.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter and method of improving the efficiency of a DC-DC converter at low load current levels using pulse skipping modulation (PSM) with controllable burst duration NTclk, where Tclk is the clock cycle interval. As the average load current increases, the time between bursts decreases so that average inductor current matches the load current. The burst duration is kept around NTclk by controlling the duty cycle of the output switches. The higher the load current, the higher is the duty cycle of the output switches. No current sensing is needed. The optimum burst duration for best efficiency curve is a function of the load capacitor.

Abstract: An electrical circuit and method of power management of a cellular telephone includes a battery adapted to produce a battery voltage; a LDO regulator operatively connected to the battery and adapted to provide a constant supply voltage from the battery voltage; and a DC-DC converter operatively connected to the LDO regulator, wherein the DC-DC converter is adapted to step down the constant supply voltage to a lower voltage level, wherein the LDO regulator and the DC-DC converter are embedded on a single integrated circuit chip. The constant supply voltage equals 3.6V at an output of the LDO, and the constant supply voltage is applied to an input of the DC-DC converter. Moreover, the battery voltage equals at most 5.5V.

Abstract: A noise shaping and voltage gain filtering third order electrical circuit and method comprises at least one pair of input resistors; a Frequency Dependent Negative Resistance (FDNR) filter positioned in between the at least one pair of input resistors; a feedback resistor; and an amplifier operatively connected to the feedback resistor and the at least one pair of input resistors, wherein as an electrical signal is introduced to the electrical circuit, the FDNR filter is adapted to filter signal blockers out of the electrical signal prior to the electrical signal reaching the amplifier for signal amplification, wherein the FDNR filter does not contribute noise to a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the electrical signal, and wherein a transfer function of the FDNR filter is substantially elliptical in shape.