Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes a substrate having a semiconducting surface, a first array of devices on and in the semiconducting surface including first and second coacting current conducting nodes, a plurality of layers disposed on the substrate and including at a electrically conductive layers and dielectric layer, and a plurality of bump pads on or in the top surface of the dielectric layers. In the IC, the electrically conductive layers define electrical traces, where a first portion of the electrical traces contact a first portion of the bump pads exclusively to a portion of the first coacting current conducting nodes, where a second portion of the electrical traces contact a second portion of the bump pads exclusively to a portion of the second coacting current conducting nodes, and where the electrical traces are electrically isolated from one another by the dielectric layers.

Abstract: An apparatus for driving a pulse width modulation reference signal includes: (a) A converting unit receiving an input signal at an input locus and presenting an output current at an output locus. The input signal varies at a first frequency. The output current is substantially related with the first frequency. (b) A capacitive element coupled with the output locus for charging by the output current. The pulse width modulation reference signal is related with voltage across the capacitive element.

Abstract: An apparatus for driving a pulse width modulation reference signal includes: (a) A converting unit receiving an input signal at an input locus and presenting an output current at an output locus. The input signal varies at a first frequency. The output current is substantially related with the first frequency. (b) A capacitive element coupled with the output locus for charging by the output current. The pulse width modulation reference signal is related with voltage across the capacitive element.

Abstract: A synthetic ripple regulator including a synthetic ripple voltage generator that generates a synthetic ripple voltage indicative of the ripple current through an output inductor. The regulator uses the synthetically generated ripple voltage to control toggling of a hysteretic comparator for developing the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal that controls switching of the regulator. In a non-limiting implementation, a transconductance amplifier monitors the phase node voltage of the inductor and supplies an inductor voltage-representative current to a ripple capacitor, which produces the synthetic ripple voltage. Using the replicated inductor current for ripple regulation results in low output ripple, input voltage feed forward, and simplified compensation.

Abstract: A code-controlled voltage divider (20) is disclosed. The voltage divider (20) includes an upper portion with a resistor (22) and a dummy switching transistors (23), which is biased to be in an on-state. A lower portion of the voltage divider (20) includes multiple parallel legs, each including a resistor (24) and a corresponding switching transistor (26) that has its gate receiving one bit of a digital control word. A decoder (30) may be provided within the voltage divider (20) to generate the digital control word from an incoming code word, for example from a central processing unit (10). The lower portion resistors (24) of the voltage divider (20) are binary-weighted, and the sizes of the corresponding switching transistors (26) are binary-weighted so that the portion of the series resistance of each parallel leg that is due to the on-resistance of the switching transistor (26) is substantially constant over all of the parallel legs.

Abstract: A synthetic ripple regulator including a synthetic ripple voltage generator that generates a synthetic ripple voltage indicative of the ripple current through an output inductor. The regulator uses the synthetically generated ripple voltage to control toggling of a hysteretic comparator for developing the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal that controls switching of the regulator. In a non-limiting implementation, a transconductance amplifier monitors the phase node voltage of the inductor and supplies an inductor voltage-representative current to a ripple capacitor, which produces the synthetic ripple voltage. Using the replicated inductor current for ripple regulation results in low output ripple, input voltage feed forward, and simplified compensation.

Abstract: A synthetic ripple regulator for a DC—DC converter generates an auxiliary voltage waveform that effectively replicates the waveform ripple current through an output inductor, and uses the auxiliary voltage waveform to control toggling of a hysteretic comparator. In a non-limiting implementation, a transconductance amplifier monitors the voltage across the inductor, and supplies an inductor voltage-representative current to a ripple waveform capacitor, so as to produce the auxiliary voltage waveform. Using the replicated inductor current for ripple regulation results in low output ripple, input voltage feed forward, and simplified compensation.

Abstract: A synthetic ripple regulator for a DC-DC converter generates an auxiliary voltage waveform that effectively replicates the waveform ripple current through an output inductor, and uses the auxiliary voltage waveform to control toggling of a hysteretic comparator. In a non-limiting implementation, a transconductance amplifier monitors the voltage across the inductor, and supplies an inductor voltage-representative current to a ripple waveform capacitor, so as to produce the auxiliary voltage waveform. Using the replicated inductor current for ripple regulation results in low output ripple, input voltage feed forward, and simplified compensation.