Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and circuits to lowering the signal range of switching or logic circuits below supply range. The circuits may have one or more stages. The supply levels can be set individually for each stage. This may realize amplifiers/attenuators, both digitally and analogically controlled, based on progression and/or modulation in the supply range from stage to stage. A chain of stages can provide the desired power gain by setting the supply progression according to the nature of the incoming signals. The signal levels are lowered by generic device networks comprising voltage sources providing voltages independent of currents flowing through. Decoupling the signal amplitude from DC biasing allows for the signal swing to be lower than threshold voltages of the active devices.

Abstract: An electrically programmable load having an impedance value dependent on a received control word. The electrically programmable load has several parallel load units. Each load unit has one or more load unit element who receive a control word component of the control word and have a load unit element impedance value which depends on a control word component value of the control word component, where the control word component value is one of three or more different biasing values.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses methods and circuits to reduce power consumption of switching circuits comprising two or more units by applying charge sharing/reuse of capacitive loads between the units. The units are stacked in a way that, if an output potential of a unit is to be lowered and an output potential of a neighboring unit is to be lifted, a charge of the unit to be lowered is reused by transferring it to the unit to be lifted depending on input signals of the units. In case of input signals having an arbitrary relationship a storage unit is placed at a junction of two neighboring units to store the charge temporarily until a neighboring unit is to be lifted.

Abstract: An electrically programmable load having an impedance value dependent on a received control word. The electrically programmable load has several parallel load units. Each load unit has one or more load unit element who receive a control word component of the control word and have a load unit element impedance value which depends on a control word component value of the control word component, where the control word component value is one of three or more different biasing values.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and circuits to lowering the signal range of switching or logic circuits below supply range. The circuits may have one or more stages. The supply levels can be set individually for each stage. This may realize amplifiers/attenuators, both digitally and analogically controlled, based on progression and/or modulation in the supply range from stage to stage. A chain of stages can provide the desired power gain by setting the supply progression according to the nature of the incoming signals. The signal levels are lowered by generic device networks comprising voltage sources providing voltages independent of currents flowing through. Decoupling the signal amplitude from DC biasing allows for the signal swing to be lower than threshold voltages of the active devices.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses methods and circuits to reduce power consumption of switching circuits comprising two or more units by applying charge sharing/reuse of capacitive loads between the units. The units are stacked in a way that, if an output potential of a unit is to be lowered and an output potential of a neighboring unit is to be lifted, a charge of the unit to be lowered is reused by transferring it to the unit to be lifted depending on input signals of the units. In case of input signals having an arbitrary relationship a storage unit is placed at a junction of two neighboring units to store the charge temporarily until a neighboring unit is to be lifted.