Abstract: A microfabricated thermal platform can be formed over a substrate, such as a silicon wafer, that may form part of the platform. The substrate is coated in a thermally-insulating material, which may be an organic polymer such, as polyimide or SUS. The surface of the thermally-insulating material may include an arrangement of one or more thermal sites, with each site having a reaction plate (or thermal plate) over which chemical reactions may occur. A heating element may be positioned beneath each reaction plate. A fluidic medium, such as a liquid or a gas, may be disposed over the thermal sites. One application is in chemical and biological reactions. In such reactions, the fluidic medium may be an aqueous solution which comprises reagents for those reactions. The fluidic medium may be an ionically conducting fluid, organic solution or a gas. Precise temperature control enables the correct reactions.

Abstract: A photometry device can include a first to emit light to a target in response to a first current through the first LED, a second LED to emit light to the target in response to a second current through the second LED, and an inductor, coupled to the first and second LEDs, to store energy associated with at least one of the first and second currents.

Abstract: An analog-to-digital (ADC) converter system and method of using the system that can be used in low power situations. The converter can periodically or recurrently turn off a reference standard in order to conserve power and instead using a stable supply source as a reference voltage. A precise conversion for signal from the analog to the digital domain while maintaining a low quiescent current.

Abstract: Optically isolated micromachined (MEMS) switches and related methods are described. The optically isolated MEMS switches described herein may be used to provide isolation between electronic devices. For example, the optically isolated MEMS switches of the types described herein can enable the use of separate grounds between the receiving electronic device and the control circuitry. Isolation of high-voltage signals and high-voltage power supplies can be achieved by using an optical isolator and a MEMS switch, where the optical isolator controls the state of the MEMS switch. In some embodiments, utilizing optical isolators to provide high voltages, the need for electric high-voltage sources such as high-voltage power supplies and charge pumps may be removed, thus removing the cause of potential damage to the receiving electronic device. In one example, the optical isolator and the MEMS switch may be co-packaged on the same substrate.

Abstract: Amplifier systems for measuring a wide range of current are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an amplifier system includes a controllable sensing circuit, a first amplifier including an output configured to drive a device under test (DUT) through the controllable sensing circuit, and a second amplifier including an input coupled to the controllable sensing circuit and operable to generate a measurement signal indicating an amount of measured current of the DUT. The amplifier system further includes a control circuit operable to control a configuration or mode of the controllable sensing circuit suitable for a particular type of DUT.

Abstract: A successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) circuit comprises N weighted bit capacitors, wherein N is a positive integer greater than one; a sampling circuit configured to sample an input voltage onto the N weighted bit capacitors; and logic circuitry. The logic circuitry is configured to enable sampling of the input voltage onto the N weighted bit capacitors in a high-resolution mode; enable sampling of the input voltage onto N?M of the weighted bit capacitors in a low-resolution mode and sampling a common mode voltage onto the most significant M weighted bit capacitors, wherein M is a positive integer greater than zero and less than N; and initiate successive bit trials using the weighted bit capacitors to convert the sampled input voltage to a digital value.

Abstract: Various examples are directed to configuring a configurable hardware module to perform a measurement of a physical quantity. A configuration manager may receive an indication of the physical quantity and performance factor data describing the measurement of the physical quantity. The configuration manager may generate a hardware configuration of the hardware based at least in part on the indication of the physical quantity and the performance factor data. The hardware configuration may comprise instruction data to configure the hardware module to execute a dynamic measurement of the physical quantity. The configuration manager may also generate configuration data describing the hardware configuration, wherein the configuration data comprises simulation data comprising input parameters for a simulation of the hardware configuration and hardware configuration data for configuring a hardware module to implement at least a portion of the hardware configuration.

Abstract: Optically isolated micromachined (MEMS) switches and related methods are described. The optically isolated MEMS switches described herein may be used to provide isolation between electronic devices. For example, the optically isolated MEMS switches of the types described herein can enable the use of separate grounds between the receiving electronic device and the control circuitry. Isolation of high-voltage signals and high-voltage power supplies can be achieved by using an optical isolator and a MEMS switch, where the optical isolator controls the state of the MEMS switch. In some embodiments, utilizing optical isolators to provide high voltages, the need for electric high-voltage sources such as high-voltage power supplies and charge pumps may be removed, thus removing the cause of potential damage to the receiving electronic device. In one example, the optical isolator and the MEMS switch may be co-packaged on the same substrate.

Abstract: A signal acquisition or conditioning amplifier can be configured and controlled to use correlated doubling sampling (CDS) of a differential input signal, and a storage capacitor in a capacitive or other feedback network, a low power operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) capable of being powered down between CDS samplings, and which can be operated in a manner that provides good performance characteristics while still providing low or efficient power consumption. The amplifier and other signal processing circuitry can allow power to be scaled down, when less signal measurement throughput is needed, and to be scaled up, when more signal measurement throughput is needed. Such flexibility can help make the present approach useful for a wide range of signal acquisition and measurement applications. Precharging via buffer amplifiers can provide improved signal acquisition circuitry effective input impedance.

Abstract: Amplifier systems for driving a wide range of loads are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an amplifier system includes a voltage output amplifier and a current output amplifier that are electrically coupled in parallel with one another between an input terminal and an output terminal. The amplifier system further includes a control circuit operable to control whether or not the voltage output amplifier and/or current output amplifier drive the output terminal.

Abstract: Amplifier systems for driving a wide range of loads are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an amplifier system includes a voltage output amplifier and a current output amplifier that are electrically coupled in parallel with one another between an input terminal and an output terminal. The amplifier system further includes a control circuit operable to control whether or not the voltage output amplifier and/or current output amplifier drive the output terminal.

Abstract: Amplifier systems for measuring a wide range of current are provided herein. In certain embodiments, an amplifier system includes a controllable sensing circuit, a first amplifier including an output configured to drive a device under test (DUT) through the controllable sensing circuit, and a second amplifier including an input coupled to the controllable sensing circuit and operable to generate a measurement signal indicating an amount of measured current of the DUT. The amplifier system further includes a control circuit operable to control a configuration or mode of the controllable sensing circuit suitable for a particular type of DUT.

Abstract: An electronic circuit comprises a comparator circuit including an input circuit stage and an output circuit stage, and an input stage supply circuit coupled to a circuit supply rail and the input circuit stage. The input stage supply circuit includes a voltage generator circuit and a regulating circuit. The voltage generator circuit includes a replicate circuit of a portion of the input circuit stage to generate a voltage that is less than a voltage of the circuit supply rail and varies with the voltage of the circuit supply rail and device parameters of the replicate circuit. The regulating circuit generates a regulated input stage supply using the generated voltage.

Abstract: A low-noise, low-power reference voltage circuit can include an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) with inputs coupled to a temperature-compensated voltage, such as can be provided by source-coupled first and second field-effect transistors (FETs) having different threshold voltages. A capacitive voltage divider can feed back a portion of a reference voltage output by the OTA to the inputs of the OTA to help establish or maintain the temperature-compensated voltage across the inputs of the OTA. A switching network can be used, such as initialize the capacitive voltage divider or other capacitive feedback circuit, such as during power-down cycles, or when resuming powered-on cycles. A switch can interrupt current to the OTA during the power-down cycles to save power. The cycled voltage reference circuit can provide a reference voltage to an ADC reservoir capacitor. Powering down can occur during analog input signal sampling, during successive approximation routine (SAR) conversion, or both.

Abstract: Many electronic circuits rely on the ratio of one component to other components being well defined. Current flow in component can warm the component causing its electrical properties to change, for example the resistance of a resistor may increase due to self-heating as a result of current flow. The present disclosure provides a way to reduce temperature variation between components so as to reduce electrical mismatch between them or the consequences of such mismatch. This is important as even a change of resistance of, for example, 20-50 ppm in a resistor can result in non-linearity exceeding the least significant bit value of a 16 bit digital to analog converter.

Abstract: Techniques to use reservoir capacitors in ADC to supply most of the charge to bit-trial capacitors as bit-trials are performed. An accurate reference voltage source, e.g., a reference buffer circuit, only needs to supply the difference, e.g., an inaccuracy, in the charge supplied by the reservoir capacitors. Instead of having to resettle for each bit-trial, the accurate reference voltage source has only to deliver the initial charge to the reservoir capacitors during acquisition and once more when the ADC is ready to sample onto the residue amplifier. These techniques can ease the demands on the reference buffer circuit and requirement of external decoupling capacitors, for example.

Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit comprises a first digital-to-analog (DAC) circuit and a second DAC circuit, wherein the first and second DAC circuits include weighted bit capacitors and reservoir capacitors; a sampling circuit configured to sample a differential input voltage onto the weighted bit capacitors and to sample a reference voltage onto the reservoir capacitors; a comparator circuit operatively coupled to outputs of the first and DAC circuits; and logic circuitry configured to: initiate successive bit trials of weighted bit capacitors to convert the input voltage to a digital value by comparing an output of the first DAC circuit and an output of second DAC circuit using the comparator circuit; and apply charge of the reservoir capacitors to the bit capacitors to reduce the comparator differential input voltage and reduce an error between the input common mode offset and the comparator common mode offset.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a voltage reference circuit and a method of providing a voltage reference. The voltage reference circuit uses a switched capacitor arrangement to move charge between capacitors during different phases of operation of the circuit to which the voltage reference is being provided. The circuit being provided with a voltage reference may be an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). A reservoir capacitor is used to supply the reference voltage. During a phase in which no voltage reference is required, charge is shared between the capacitors of the switched capacitor arrangement, in order to boost the charge on the reservoir capacitor. After charge sharing, the reservoir capacitor is topped up with an output from a reference buffer. The reservoir capacitor may then be used again in the next conversion phase.

Abstract: An analog multiplexer may be used for sampling an input voltage that is capable of having a higher voltage level than an upper supply voltage. The analog multiplexer includes a plurality of input switch circuits and a shorting switch circuit. The plurality of input switch circuits include n-type or p-type laterally diffused field effect transistors (NLDFETs or PLDFETs). At least one of the input switch circuits includes a level shifting switch circuit that is able to sample an input voltage that is greater than the upper supply voltage for the multiplexer. A shorting switch circuit, at an output of the multiplexer, includes a capacitively coupled gate drive circuit and is configured to short a first differential output to a second differential output after the input voltage is sampled.

Abstract: During operation of a SAR ADC, several of the MSBs can be preloaded with predetermined bit decisions prior to carrying out bit trials. A system and method can be provided for incrementally preloading the predetermined bit decisions such as to maintain voltages present at comparator inputs within a limited range of acceptable input voltages.