Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation

Justin Seng

Ion E Opris

Jonathan Adam Kleks

Marwan Ashkar

Shungneng Lee

Shanthi Pavan

Michelle Lee

Apparatus and methods for interfacing with a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensor are provided. In an example, an apparatus can interface circuit including an integrator circuit, a sample switch circuit, a saturation detector and a controller. The saturation detector can be configured to receive a signal indicative of an integration of charge of the sensor, to compare the signal indicative of the integration of charge to an integrator saturation threshold and to modulate a divide parameter using the comparison of the signal indicative of the integration of charge and the integrator saturation threshold. The controller can be configured to receive a clock signal and to control the sample switch circuit based on a phase of the clock signal and the divide parameter.

Apparatus and method for extending analog front end sense range of a high-Q MEMS sensor

This document discusses, among other things, a temperature and power supply calibration system configured to compensate for temperature and supply voltage variation in MEMS or other circuits using representations of positive and negative supply voltages and first and second base-emitter voltages, wherein the second base-emitter voltage is a scaled representation of the first base-emitter voltage.

Temperature and power supply calibration

An apparatus comprises a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensor including a first capacitive element and a second capacitive element and an integrated circuit (IC). The IC includes a switch network circuit and a capacitance measurement circuit. The switch network circuit is configured to electrically decouple the first capacitive element of the MEMS sensor from a first input of the IC and electrically couple the second capacitive element to a second input of the IC. The capacitance measurement circuit can be configured to measure capacitance of the second capacitive element of the MEMS sensor during application of a first electrical signal to the decoupled first capacitive element.

Self test of MEMS accelerometer with ASICS integrated capacitors

Apparatus and methods for analog-to-digital converters are provided. In an example, a sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter (ADC) can include a modulator configured to receive an analog signal and a decimation filter configured to provide a digital representation of the analog signal using an output of the modulator. In certain examples, the modulator can includes an integrator and a comparator od quantizer coupled to an output of the integrator. The comparator, in certain examples, can be configured to receive a second signal from the output of the integrator and to receive a plurality of dither signals, the dither signals can be configured to prevent limit cycles of the sigma-delta ADC.

Uniform distribution dithering in sigma-delta A/D converters

An apparatus includes a MEMS gyroscope sensor including a first sensing capacitor and a second sensing capacitor and an IC. The IC includes a switch circuit configured to electrically decouple the first sensing capacitor from a first input of the IC and electrically couple the second sensing capacitor to a second input of the IC, and a capacitance measurement circuit configured to measure capacitance of the second sensing capacitor of the MEMS gyroscope sensor during application of a first electrical signal to the decoupled first capacitive element.

Self test of MEMS gyroscope with ASICs integrated capacitors

An apparatus includes a capacitance-to-voltage converter circuit configured to be electrically coupled to a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensor circuit. The capacitance-to-voltage converter circuit includes a differential chopping circuit path configured to receive a differential MEMS sensor output signal and invert a polarity of the differential chopping circuit path, and a differential sigma-delta analog to digital converter (ADC) circuit configured to sample the differential MEMS sensor output signal and provide a digital signal representative of a change in capacitance of the MEMS sensor.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Justin Seng