Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Giuseppina Sapone

Giuseppe Palmisano

Alberto Cattani

Egidio Ragonese

Giuseppe Calcagno

Alessandro Italia

A circuit is operated by receiving an input reference signal at an input node, determining a scaling ratio based on the input reference signal, generating a digital input signal as a function of the determined scaling ratio, converting the digital input signal into an analog signal that is a scaled replica of the input reference signal, and providing the analog signal at an output node of the circuit and then, after a duration of time, coupling the input reference signal to the output node.

Soft-start circuit for converters, corresponding converter device and method

A circuit includes an input node configured to receive an input reference signal. An output node is configured to provide a replica of the input reference signal with a respective scaling ratio to the input reference signal at the input node. A digital-to-analog converter has a reference input configured to receive the input reference signal from the input node, a digital input configured to receive a digital input signal having a digital signal value, and a digital-to-analog converter output configured to provide an output signal from the digital-to-analog converter resulting from conversion to analog of the digital input signal. The output node of the circuit is configured to sense the output signal from the digital-to-analog converter and to provide the replica of the input reference signal at the output node.

An oscillator is described, comprising at least one transistor having a first terminal connected to a power supply voltage. The oscillator comprises at least one inductive element connected to a second terminal of the transistor and to a bias voltage and at least one capacitive element coupled between a third terminal of the transistor and ground. The oscillator further comprises means to collect the output signal of the oscillator on the second terminal of the transistor. The oscillator is of the millimeter wave type, i.e., both the inductive element and the capacitive element are sized such that the oscillation frequency is between 30 and 300 gigahertz.

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Giuseppina Sapone