Abstract: A dynamic hysteresis comparator has a threshold voltage level with dynamic hysteresis for sensing small changes in differential input signals at the input, while controlling a duration that an output voltage state will remain fixed for preventing the output of the comparator from changing state in an unstable fashion or “chattering”. The comparator has a dynamic hysteresis circuit connected to an output of a trigger circuit of the comparator that detects when a decision is made that a first input of the comparator is greater than or lesser than a second input of the comparator causing an output of the comparator to change state. Once the decision causing the change of state of the output is detected, any decisions determining that second input is now lesser than or greater than the first input are prevented from causing the output of the comparator from changing state for a fixed time period.

Abstract: A nonvolatile latch circuit is provided. In the latch circuit, a transistor in which a channel region is formed with an oxide semiconductor, which is a wide band gap semiconductor, is included, and data is stored in a node formed by one terminal of a capacitor and one of a source and a drain of the transistor, and is brought into a floating state when the transistor is turned off. After that, even when charge stored in the node is insufficient at time of restoring the data, charge is supplied by feedback; therefore, time necessary for restoring the data can be shortened and even when the power supply is restarted in the state of storing data, the data can be restored at high speed.

Abstract: A prescaler circuit according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention includes a first flip-flop circuit that detects second output data and outputs the detected data as first output data, and a second flip-flop circuit that detects the first output data and outputs the data as the second output data. The first flip-flop circuit includes a master-side latch circuit that generates intermediate data, a slave-side latch circuit that detects the intermediate data and outputs the data as the first output data, and a control signal switching circuit that selects and outputs the first output data as a control signal in a mode where the frequency is divided by 3, and selects and outputs a predefined fixed signal as a control signal in a mode where the frequency is divided by 4. The master-side latch circuit generates the intermediate data based on the second output data and the control signal.

Abstract: A flop circuit comprises a precharge circuit for precharging a first node in response to an occurrence of a first phase of a timing signal, and a discharge circuit for conditionally discharging the first node in response to an occurrence of a second phase of the timing signal depending upon a data input signal. The flop circuit further comprises a voltage retention circuit, such as a latch, configured to store a retained logic value that depends upon a logic value present at the first node during at least a portion of the second phase of the timing signal, and an output circuit configured to generate an output signal that depends upon the data input signal. The output circuit may be configured to drive the output signal in a first logic state when the first node is discharged regardless of the retained logic value, and may be configured to drive the output signal in a logic state that depends upon the retained logic value when the first node is charged.

Abstract: An ultra low power relaxation CMOS oscillator for low frequency clock generation comprises a current source and a pair of capacitors that are alternatingly charged by the current source and discharged by thyristor-based inverters being used as comparators. No separate bias currents are needed.

Abstract: A latch circuit comprising, a differential input with a non-inverting input (D+) and an inverting input (D?). The latch further comprises a differential output with a non-inverting output (Q+) and an inverting output (Q?). One of the outputs (Q?) is coupled to one of the inputs input (D+) having an opposite polarity. The latch further comprises a control input for receiving a control signal (VcM) for determining a threshold for an input signal (In) such that if the input signal is at larger than the threshold the non-inverting output is in a HIGH logic state and in a LOW state if the input signal is smaller than the threshold.

Abstract: A dynamic flip-flop circuit which outputs an output signal on which a digital data signal is reflected based on a clock, includes: a first control stage configured to output a signal having a level inverted from that of the digital data signal within a period within which the clock has a second level; a second control stage configured to output a signal of a first level within the period within which the clock has the second level and a signal of a level within another period within which the clock has the first level; a third control stage configured to output an output signal of the first level within a period within which the signal outputted from the second control stage has the second level; and a phase adjustment circuit configured to adjust the phase to produce a second clock and supply the second clock to the third control stage.

Abstract: An output buffer having slew-rate control and crossbar current control includes a pull-up PMOS transistor, a pull-down NMOS transistor, a pull-up network coupled to the gate of the pull-up PMOS transistor, and a pull-down network coupled to the gate of the pull-down NMOS transistor.

Abstract: A low voltage logic circuit with asynchronous SET and/or RESET functions is described herein. The low voltage logic circuit may be primarily used in forming low voltage flip-flop circuits, but may also be used to form multiplexers and other logic configurations. The flip-flop circuit described herein improves upon existing low voltage architectures by providing a flip-flop circuit, which can operate at relatively low supply voltages (e.g., less than about 1.8V), with SET and/or RESET capability. In doing so, the improved flip-flop circuit may be used within a phase frequency detector, programmable counter, or frequency divider of a phase locked loop (PLL) or delay locked loop (DLL) device. However, the improved flip-flop circuit may be used with any low voltage circuit or device that may require, use or benefit from a SET or RESET function.

Abstract: A high-speed, current-driven latch is provided. The latch conducts a current and includes an output, a SET circuit and a RESET circuit. The output is variable between a first state and a second state. The SET circuit conducts the current present in the latch at the first state such that the SET circuit is maintained close to a level required to change the output of the transistor from the first to the second level, and the RESET circuit conducts the current at the second level such that the RESET circuit is close to a level required to change the output of the transistor from the second level to the first level.

Abstract: A high-speed, current-driven latch is provided. The latch conducts a current and includes an output, a SET circuit and a RESET circuit. The output is variable between a first state and a second state. The SET circuit conducts the current present in the latch at the first state such that the SET circuit is maintained close to a level required to change the output of the transistor from the first to the second level, and the RESET circuit conducts the current at the second level such that the RESET circuit is close to a level required to change the output of the transistor from the second level to the first level.

Abstract: A pulse-controlled analog flip-flop includes a charge element; a charge storage element connected to the charge element; an element for detecting the voltage across the storage element; and an element for discharging the storage element when the detection element has detected that the voltage across the storage element has reached a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A filter with which it is possible to control the relationship between a pass band and an attenuation band. In this filter, for example, a single-stage trap filter is electrically connected to a three-stage band pass filter via a coupling capacitor. The trap filter has a serial resonance section composed of a resonator and a resonance capacitor. The serial resonance section is connected in parallel to a capacitive reactance element (capacitor), and a serial circuit composed of an inductive reactance element (inductor) and a PIN diode as a switching element. The capacitive reactance element and the inductive reactance element both serve to make an admittance of the trap circuit substantially zero.

Abstract: A device for generating an indicator signal that corresponds to an AC signal amplitude is configured such that the DC current drawn by the device is substantially proportional to the AC signal amplitude. The device is particularly well suited for automatic gain control of low-power communications equipment.

Abstract: A gated scan flop circuit and methods of making the gated scan flop circuit are provided. In one example, the scan flop circuit includes a sub-scan flop circuit that incorporates a multiplexer and a flip flop circuit, and a data terminal D that is connected to the sub-scan flop circuit. Also provided is a first logic gate that is configured to receive a scan input terminal SI and a clock gate terminal G. The first logic gate has a first logic gate output that is connected to the sub-scan flop circuit. A scan enable terminal SE is connected to the sub-scan flip circuit, and a latch circuit is configured to receive the clock gate terminal G, and track its input while the clock terminal CLK is inactive. A second logic gate having a second logic gate output is provided that is configured to receive as inputs the scan enable terminal SE and the latched clock gate terminal G. A third logic gate is configured to receive a clock terminal CLK and the second logic gate output.

Abstract: A varying power supply range, that can exceed the breakdown voltage of switches within a DAC, is used to generate positive and negative generated OFF voltages substantially fixed and less than the breakdown voltage to accommodate a wide range of analog reference voltages and power supply voltages. The digital input signal having digital input levels is received by a TTL/CMOS input receiver and level shifted to logic levels having the positive and negative generate voltage levels. A circuit matches switch resistance and forms positive and negative switch ON voltage levels from the voltage levels of the input positive and negative analog reference levels. Switch drivers properly drive control terminals of the switches with appropriate voltage levels avoiding switch breakdown in response to the digital input signal.

Abstract: The latch circuit having an input stage supplied with an input signal and, when activated, producing an output signal responsive to the input signal, and an latching stage coupled to the input stage and, when activated, holding a level of the output signal, the input stage including a pair of bipolar transistors Q1, Q2 coupled in a differential form, the latching stage including a pair of insulated gate field effect transistors M1, M2 coupled in a differential form.

Abstract: A latch circuit comprises a series arrangement of a clock-controlled three-state driver and a clock-controlled latch between a data input and a data output. A bipolar transistor between the driver and the latch has a base connected to driver output, an emitter connected to the latch, and a collector connected to Vcc. A clock controlled and data input controlled discharge path connects the emitter to ground. A clock-controlled feedback path connects the data output to the base of the bipolar transistor. This configuration combines the driving capabilities of BiCMOS circuitry and the transition-independent set-up times of a conventional CMOS latch.

Abstract: A data value is passed from a bus (50) to a receiver (40) without a propagation delay. A data latch (10) stores the data value while the data value is being generated by the bus (50). The data latch (10) then holds the data value and provides the data value to the receiver (40) after the data value is no longer present on the bus (50). The data latch (10) has a data storage circuit (11), a diode clamping circuit (12), and a current sourcing circuit (13). The data value is stored by the data storage circuit (11) by a feed-back loop circuit.

Abstract: In order to provide a high speed, stable and low voltage swing logic gate highly applicable to a low-cost BiCMOS process, a BiCMOS logic circuit of the disclosed invention has a pair of MOS transistors, the gates of which are supplied with complementary logic input signals, and the sources of which are coupled together and are supplied with a constant current. The constant current source used may include a bipolar transistor controlled by a reference voltage. Additionally, the constant current source may be a current mirror. The BiCMOS logic circuit of the disclosed invention has a complementary logic output signal. The voltage swing of the complementary logic output signal are determined by the reference voltage and resistance ratio of resistors in the circuit, so that the output voltage swing is independent of power supply fluctuation or temperature change.

Abstract: A time delay filter includes at least one field-effect transistor of the MOS type and at least one bipolar transistor having their respective base and gate terminals connected together. The bipolar transistor is coupled to an input terminal through a drive transistor, and the field-effect transistor is coupled to an output terminal. The charge time for the gate capacitance of the field-effect transistor, using the low base current of the bipolar transistor, enables high-frequency noise to be filtered out of input digital signals.

Abstract: An integrated circuit memory (114) has a power supply independent address buffer (50) that comprises an inverter (60), a bipolar transistor (67), and a P-channel transistor (68). The inverter (60) has an output terminal coupled to a base of the bipolar transistor (67). The P-channel transistor (63) is for injecting a current at the output terminal of the inverter in response to a reference voltage. The reference voltage varies proportionally to variations of a power supply voltage in order to compensate for gate-to-source voltage changes of a P-channel transistor (61) of the inverter (60) that occurs as a result of a changing power supply voltage. For address buffer (50), a range of address transition times as a function of power supply voltage is decreased, thus improving an address set-up and hold time of the integrated circuit memory (114).

Abstract: A digital system including a synchronizer circuit which significantly reduces the occurrence of metastability conditions during data transfer between a first digital subsystem and a second digital subsystem is disclosed. The synchronizer circuit includes a master synchronizer cell and a slave synchronizer cell for handling data transfer from the first subsystem to the second subsystem. Each synchronizer cell includes a signal node, a discharge node, a first discharge patch and a second discharge path, both coupled between the signal node and the discharge node, and a control element coupled to the first discharge path and the second discharge path. The control element selectively activates the first discharge path and the second discharge path in response to an input signal.