Silicon Laboratories Inc.

Cirrus Logic Inc.

Crystal Semiconductor Corporation

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

Other

Dan Bernard Kasha

G Tyson Tuttle

Axel Thomsen

Wai Laing Lee

Russell Croman

Aslamali A Rafi

Peter Vancorenland

Donald A Kerth

George Tyson Tuttle

Lei Wang

Michael Johnson

Jing Li

Gregory A Hodgson

Abhishek Kammula

Michael R May

Javier Elenes

Alessandro Piovaccari

Scott Willingham

Navin Harwalkar

Wade Robert Gillham

Thomas C Fowler

Richard T Behrens

Scott Thomas Haban

Stefan N Mastovich

Chunyu Xin

Lawrence Der

Tim Stroud

Nebojsa Stanic

John M Khoury

Navdeep S Sooch

Eric J Swanson

Vishnu Shankar Srinivasan

Kartik Nanda

Mark May

Sidney Altman

Jerome T Wenske

Mike R May

Christopher S Gregg

Anthony G Mellissinos

Ahsanul Islam

Allessandro Piovaccari

An isolation capacitor structure reduces the likelihood of breakdown in the passivation layers by physically re-shaping or dividing the top plate of the isolation capacitor into two segments. In that way, the electric field is driven down and away from the passivation surfaces. One embodiment utilizes a series capacitor formed by the top metal plate of the capacitor and an additional 'top hat' plate above the top metal plate that redirects the fields into the main isolation capacitor. Vias may be included between the top hat plate and the top metal plate. Another approach reshapes the top plate to have an integrated top hat structure and achieves similar results of directing charge down and away from the passivation layer surface breakdown paths.

Top hat structure for isolation capacitors

An integrated circuit has an isolation capacitor structure that reduces the risk of breakdown from high electric fields at the edge of the top metal plate of the capacitor. The capacitor structure includes a bottom metal plate above a substrate. A first dielectric layer of a first dielectric material is formed between the bottom metal plate and the top metal plate. The capacitor structure also includes a thin narrow ring formed of a second dielectric material located under a portion of the top metal plate. The second dielectric material has a higher dielectric constant than the first dielectric material. The thin narrow ring follows the shape of the edge of the top metal plate with a portion of the ring underneath the top metal plate and a portion outside the edge of the top metal plate to thereby be located at a place of the maximum electric field.

High dielectric constant material at locations of high fields

A technique for receiving a DC or low frequency input signal using a chopper-stabilized amplifier includes chopping an input signal using a chopper clock signal to generate a chopped input signal. The input signal has a first voltage range and the chopper clock signal has a second voltage range. The chopper clock signal has peak-to-peak voltage over a period of the chopper clock signal. The peak-to-peak voltage is less than the first voltage range and is less than the second voltage range. A frequency of the input signal is at least an order of magnitude less than a frequency of the chopper clock signal. The second voltage range may be greater than or equal to the first voltage range. The technique may include generating a bias signal based on a voltage reference signal and an output signal having the first voltage range.

AC-coupled chopper signal for a high-impedance buffer

In an example, a method includes: in a first mode, causing a first tuner of an entertainment system to receive and process a first RF signal from a first antenna configured for a first band to output a first audio signal of a first radio station and causing a second tuner of the entertainment system to receive a second RF signal from a second antenna configured for the first band to determine signal quality metrics for one or more radio stations of the first band; in a second mode, causing the first tuner to output a first signal representation of the first RF signal and causing the second tuner to receive and process the second RF signal to output a second signal representation of the second RF signal; and causing a phase diversity combining circuit to process the first and second signal representations to output an audio signal of the first radio station, without disruption of output from the entertainment system of a broadcast of the first radio station.

Fully flexible multi-tuner front end architecture for a receiver

A radio receiver and method of operating the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the radio receiver may include a RF receive path configured to convey a first radio signal within a first band to a radio tuning circuit. The RF receive path may be controllable using a first AGC circuit. The radio receiver may also include a loop-through path configured to convey a second radio signal within a second band between an input and an output of the radio receiver. The second band may be different from the first band. The loop-through path may be controllable using a second AGC circuit.

Receiver chip with multiple independent loop-through paths

A radio frequency (RF) receiver front end includes an RF attenuator for receiving an RF input signal and a low noise amplifier (LNA). In one form, the LNA provides a differential output signal and includes a first polarity amplifier and a plurality of second polarity amplifiers. The first polarity amplifier has an input terminal coupled to the output of the RF attenuator, an output terminal for providing a first component of the differential RF output signal, and has a first input impedance. Each of the plurality of second polarity amplifiers has an input terminal coupled to the output of said RF attenuator, and an output terminal. The output terminals of said plurality of second polarity amplifiers are coupled together and form a second component of the differential RF output signal. Each of the plurality of second polarity amplifiers has a second input impedance higher than the first input impedance.

High performance, low cost receiver front end

An apparatus includes an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes a low-noise amplifier having a first complex input impedance. The integrated circuit includes a complex attenuator coupled to an input terminal of the integrated circuit. The complex attenuator has a second complex input impedance and a first complex output impedance. The apparatus may include a matching network coupled to the input terminal of the integrated circuit. The matching network is external to the integrated circuit. The matching network may have a first real input impedance and a second complex output impedance. The second complex output impedance is matched to the second complex input impedance.

Low-noise receiver with complex RF attenuator

A method includes receiving a desired channel indication in a radio tuner, determining a band of operation in which the channel is located, and if the channel is within a first band coupling multiple inductors into a resonant tank, and if the desired channel is within a second band coupling a single inductor into the resonant tank.

Providing multiple inductors for a radio tuner

In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for configuring a single chip radio tuner having a configurable front end, which may be adapted within an integrated circuit (IC). The method may include setting a controller of the tuner with configuration information for a radio in which the tuner is located. Then, control signals responsive to the configuration information can be sent to the configurable front end to configure the tuner.

Integrating components in a radio tuner integrated circuit (IC) for a tracking filter

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving and processing an incoming radio frequency (RF) signal in a receiver. Based on this signal, an environmental noise level can be determined, where this level corresponds to environmental noise present in an environment in which the receiver is located. Then, if the environmental noise level is substantially greater than receiver-generated noise, power consumption of at least one analog front end component of the receiver can be reduced.

Performing power control in a receiver based on environmental noise

An integrated low-IF (low intermediate frequency) terrestrial broadcast receiver and associated method are disclosed that provide an advantageous and cost-efficient solution. The integrated receiver includes a mixer, local oscillator generation circuitry, low-IF conversion circuitry, and DSP circuitry. And the integrated receiver is particularly suited for small, portable devices and the reception of terrestrial audio broadcasts, such as FM and AM terrestrial audio broadcast, in such portable devices.

Integrated low-IF terrestrial audio broadcast receiver and associated method

A transceiver includes a processor, which is adapted to in a transmit mode of the transceiver, form at least part of a transmitter and in a receive mode of the transceiver, form at least part of a receiver. The transceiver may include at least one analog-to-digital converter to provide digital signals to the processor in both the transmit and receive modes of operation; and the transceiver may include at least one digital-to-analog converter to receive digital signals from the processor in the transmit and receive modes of operation. The processor may be fabricated on an integrated circuit with at least one of the analog-to-digital converters and/or with at least one of the digital-to-analog converters.

Transceiver having multiple signal processing modes of operation

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Dan Bernard Kasha