Psemi Corporation

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation

Mark Moffat

Andrew Robert Christie

Duncan Pilgrim

Scott Parish

Quinn Kneller

Ronald Eugene Reedy

Simon Charles Denny

David Andrew Kilshaw

Nigel David Brooke

Paul Denny

Peter Bacon

Vikas Sharma

Circuits and methods for providing at least a startup voltage for reversed-operation unidirectional power converters or bi-modal power converters sufficient to power at least an auxiliary circuit of such power converters while the normal supply voltage to at least the auxiliary circuit is insufficient to enable operation of the auxiliary circuit. Embodiments of the invention utilize an initial startup charge pump circuit to create a suitable startup voltage while the normal supply voltage to the auxiliary circuit is less than a specified voltage V. Embodiments of the present invention also provide additional benefits, including small size since the initial startup charge pump circuit omits the use of an inductor, and high efficiency since the initial startup charge pump circuit may be disabled when the normal supply voltage to the auxiliary circuit is equal to or greater than V.

Reversed-operation power converter startup circuit and method

An extension of conventional IC fabrication processes to include some of the concepts of flip-chip assemblies while producing a final 'non-flip chip' circuit structure suitable for conventional packaging or for direct usage by customers. Multiple IC dies are fabricated on a semiconductor wafer in a conventional fashion, solder bumped or the like, and singulated. The singulated dies, which may be of different sizes and functionality, are then flip-chip assembled onto a single tile substrate of thin-film material which has been patterned with vias, peripheral connection pads, and one or more ground planes. Once dies are flip-chip mounted to the thin-film tile, all of the dies on the entire tile may be probed using automated testing equipment. Sets of dies of different functionality may be tested as a system or subsystem. Once test probing is complete, the dies (or sets of dies) and tile are singulated into die/tile assemblies.

Electrically testable integrated circuit packaging

A DC-DC converter includes an insulating substrate; a magnetic core embedded in the insulating substrate, the magnetic core having non-zero x, y and z dimensions of less than or equal to about 5.4 mm by about 5.4 mm by about 1.8 mm; separate primary and secondary transformer windings surrounding first and second regions of the magnetic core; and a control circuit including: an oscillator; a drive circuit coupled to the oscillator; and one or more switches coupled to the drive circuit; the drive circuit providing a switching signal to the one or more switches and energizing the one or more switches to provide a drive voltage to the primary transformer winding. The one or more switches are Field Effect Transistors implemented in a Silicon-on-Insulator configuration or as a Silicon-on-Sapphire configuration.

52 cubic millimeter transformer for DC-DC converter device

An improved electronic oscillator circuit suitable for use in an isolating DC-to-DC converter circuit, and an improved isolating DC-to-DC converter circuit. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit coupled to a transformer includes an oscillator and an output driver. The integrated circuit is preferably fabricated using a silicon-on-insulator technology. The oscillator outputs an alternating pulse signal defined by electrical characteristics of components other than the transformer. The alternating pulse signal is coupled to the output driver, the alternating output of which is coupled to corresponding legs of the primary winding of the transformer. The secondary winding of the transformer provides an electromagnetically coupled isolated output which may be rectified and filtered to produce a DC output voltage. Additional functionality, such as current protection circuitry for the improved circuits, may be readily added to the integrated circuit at little or no increase in cost.

Current protected integrated transformer driver for isolating a DC-DC convertor

An extension of conventional IC fabrication processes to include some of the concepts of flip-chip assemblies while producing a final 'non-flip chip' circuit structure suitable for conventional packaging or for direct usage by customers. Multiple IC dies are fabricated on a semiconductor wafer in a conventional fashion, solder bumped, and singulated. The singulated dies are then flip-chip assembled onto a single tile substrate of thin-film material which has been patterned with vias, peripheral connection pads, and one or more ground planes. Once dies are flip-chip mounted to the thin-film tile, all of the dies on the entire tile may be probed using automated testing equipment. Once test probing is complete, the dies and tile are singulated into die/tile assemblies.

Electrically testable microwave integrated circuit packaging

Programmable multi-reflective phase shifters which provide reduced root-mean-square phase error, can be optimized for a desired frequency band, can compensate for process variations arising during manufacture, and can help offset system level performance shortfalls. Embodiments include a hybrid coupler (e.g., a Lange hybrid coupler) in combination with a multi-reflective reactance-based terminating circuit with a number of different configurations that permit various modes of operation, including a thermometric mode, a phase overlap mode with interstitial phase shift states, an extended range phase shift mode, and a 'tweak bit' mode. A number of programmable or selectable RF phase shifters can be series or parallel connected to provide a desired gamut of phase shift.

Growing community of inventors

Mortimer, United Kingdom

Mark Moffat