Microtune, Inc.

Cirrus Logic Inc.

Jaideep Prakash

Robert Rudolf Rotzoll

Bruce A Doyle

John P Norsworthy

A precise current cell for a digital-to-analog (D/A) convertor circuit is designed to compensate for manufacturing process variations. The cell uses a cascoded transistor chain to control the output voltage and isolate voltage supply noise. An external (off-chip) bias current is fed into a cascoded biasing string of eight transistors, which are further mirrored to the current cell itself. The biasing scheme accounts for manufacturing process variations in the chip, which leads to very precise current being replicated at the output of the D/A circuit. Current steering and an improved shunt path within the current cell minimizes voltage swings during switching of the current cell. This allows for faster switching of the cell while minimizing noise coupling due to the voltage swings. The current cell also has an associated biasing stage. This biasing stage allows for improved matching within the current cell, resulting in improved accuracy of conversion. Additionally, the biasing circuit minimizes noise coupling from ground potential to the D/A convertor output. A reset circuit is also included. This current cell, associated biasing stage, and reset circuit is suitable for applications requirement precise D/A conversions at high speeds.

Two cascoded transistor chains biasing DAC current cells

A monolithic device is shown having a number of phase locked loops (PLLs) constructed thereon. At least one of the PLLs is constructed as a multiple loop having an output of one PLL loop tied back to the feedback path of the other loop of the pair. In this manner, tight resolution can be obtained in one loop while the bandwidth of that loop is coarse. The bandwidth of the second loop is tight, thereby giving good resolution to the first loop while still avoiding the problems inherent with noise injection locking from other PLLs on the same device.

Multiple monolithic phase locked loops

A system and method for establishing the frequency of a voltage controlled oscillator ('VCO') within narrowly defined frequency bands. The resonant circuit of the VCO uses selectable elements, such as varactor diodes, to establish the operating frequency band. The control voltage of the VCO is varied within a voltage range to adjust the VCO output frequency. A phase detector compares the VCO output to a reference signal. If the phase detector determines that there is an imbalance between the VCO output and the reference signal, then it produces a signal which indicates whether the VCO frequency should be increased or decreased to match the reference signal frequency. If the control voltage is outside of the voltage range, then the system allows the operating frequency band to be changed by varying the number of selectable elements in response to the phase detector signal.

System and method for voltage controlled oscillator automatic band

The system and method for phase lock loop (PLL) gain stabilization uses a digital compensation technique to correct for the large amount of gain variation present in a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) utilizing a varactor diode. AVCO is arranged with additional capacitance in parallel with the vatactor diode of the VCO. By using multiple capacitors, more or less capacitance can be switched into parallel with the vatactor diode. Gain variation is accomplished by switching capacitors into the circuit, and for each combination of capacitors used in the resonant inductance-capacitance (LC) circuit of the VCO, the gain of the phase detector in the PLL is adjusted simultaneously. The phase detector has a charge pump that drives a current into a loop filter having a capacitor with a fixed value. The gain adjustment is accomplished by varying the amount of current available from the charge pump to this filter capacitor. The gain compensation circuit that generates this charge pump current takes the same digital code used to control the capacitors in the VCO as an input and performs a digital-to-analog conversion in current mode. The analog current is then transformed into a second-order polynomial via a current squarer and programmable current scalers to provide a gain compensation signal for the phase detector. The programmable current scalers determine the coefficients of the second order polynomial. Therefore, for any given VCO characteristic with regard to the additional capacitors and the varactor diode, the coefficients of the current scalers can be adjusted to accommodate a more precise PLL gain control.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Jaideep Prakash