Other

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Douglas G Marsh

Frode Larsen

Apparajan Ganesan

Dewayne Alan Spires

Robert H Vaiden

A means of integrating a microphone on the same integrated circuit die as other electronics in the system is disclosed. The structure uses solder bump technology to form a gap between an electrode on the silicon and another electrode. Charge is stored on the capacitor so when pressure from sound waves causes one electrode to flex, the capacitance and therefore the charge changes, causing signal current. The structure allows for area efficiency by allowing placement of active silicon circuitry under the microphone.

Means of integrating a microphone in a standard integrated circuit process

The junction difference used for a band gap voltage reference is designed so that it has the needed temperature coefficient without amplification. This is accomplished by the appropriate choice of the number of junctions and the appropriate current densities. Only one polarity of bipolar transistors is required. The noise terms of each junction add in root mean square, rather than be linear amplification, resulting in a lower noise reference than other designs requiring only a single type of bipolar transistors. By using metal available in standard integrated circuit processes to form a resistor, a low temperature coefficient current source can easily be obtained.

Low noise resistorless band gap reference

A means of high speed switching of a current source is accomplished by switching the source of the output current source transistor while employing circuitry to limit the movement of the source. The primary capacitance is the source diode, and the charge for this comes from a power rail. This results in both a reduction of and a good match of transients coupling to the output. Circuitry is also added to compensate for any current remaining when the current source is switched off.

High speed integrated circuit current switch

A linearized resistor for integrated circuits combines an N-type diffused resistor and a P-type diffused resistor. In one embodiment, the N-type and P-type diffused resistors are connected in series. In another embodiment, the N-type and P-type diffused resistors are connected in parallel. Two or more linearized resistors of the present invention may be used in IC circuits, such as voltage dividers, inverting amplifiers, single-ended operational amplifiers, and single-ended differential operational amplifiers. Linearized resistors of the present invention can be designed to have voltage coefficients smaller than conventional IC resistors having a single diffused resistor. As such, linearized resistors of the present invention can be designed to provide more uniform resistance over their operating voltage range than conventional IC resistors. As a result, linearized resistors of the present invention can be used in differential circuits that are more effective in reducing odd and even harmonics than are conventional differential circuits.

Linearization of resistance

A reference voltage source has at least one transistor having a base, emitter and collector electrode operating in an active state that has an inherent voltage drop between its base and emitter electrodes to generate a low noise core voltage which is applied to the input of an amplifier to set the amplifier operating point, and thereby the amplifier output, which is the reference voltage. The reference voltage is temperature compensated by providing the amplifier with a feedback loop, or by altering the core voltage applied to the amplifier, or by altering the gain of the amplifier. Several transistors can be connected in series and their base to emitter voltage drops added to change the core voltage value.

Partially temperature compensated low noise voltage reference

A method and structure for automatically calibrating various paths within multi-channel analog integrated circuits is disclose. The invention calls for digital signal processing circuitry to correct for absolute gain differences in the multiple channels. A first reference channel is precision trimmed at manufacture and used by the digital processing circuitry as a reference for channel gain calibration. When the circuit is powered for use, the other channels are calibrated based on the trimmed and calibrated reference. The need for providing the circuitry to precision trim all other channels but one is avoided by this invention.

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Bethlehem, PA, United States of America

Douglas G Marsh