Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Em Microelectronic-marin Sa

Matthijs Pardoen

Patrice Besse

Kevin Scott Buescher

Philippe Lance

Thierry Cassagnes

Valerie Bernon-Enjalbert

Olivier Desjeux

A differential line driver circuit comprising a plurality of driver stages is described. Each driver stage is operably coupled to at least one output of the line driver circuit and arranged to receive at least one control signal and to drive at least one output signal on the at least one output of the line driver circuit in accordance with the at least one control signal received thereby. The line driver circuit further comprises at least one delay component arranged to receive the at least one control signal, and to sequentially propagate the at least one control signal to the driver stages with time delays between the propagation of the at least one control signal to sequentially adjacent driver stages. The delay component is arranged to sequentially propagate the at least one control signal to the driver stages such that such that the at least one control signal is propagated with at least one of: a progressively increasing time delay between sequentially adjacent driver stages; and a progressively decreasing time delay between sequentially adjacent driver stages.

Differential line driver circuit and method therefor

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit for protecting one or more devices in an electronic circuit from an ESD current which enters the electronic circuit through one or more input/output pins, the protection circuit comprising: a voltage clamp circuit connectable to the or each pin, for diverting the ESD current from the or each device; and a current sensor circuit connected between the input/output pins and the voltage clamp circuit and connected to the one or more devices, the current sensor circuit for sensing the ESD current and for switching off the or each device when the sensed current exceeds a threshold value, wherein when a current flows in the current mirror circuits above a threshold value the device is caused to switch off.

Electrostatic discharge protection circuit, equipment and method

A buffer apparatus for a communications bus comprises a driver circuit having an output. An amplifier circuit having an input is coupled to the output of the driver circuit. The driver circuit is arranged to generate, when in use, a drive signal having a waveform that comprises a step therein so as to substantially suppress generation by the amplifier circuit of a portion of an oscillation of an output signal.

Buffer apparatus, integrated circuit and method of reducing a portion of an oscillation of an output signal

The UHF transponder includes protection against electrostatic discharge (ESD) formed by the modulation transistor (T) and additional control means () for said transistor which fulfils two functions: its first response signal modulation function and an additional ESD protection function.

Very high frequency transponder, in particular a UHF transponder, including a protection against electrostatic discharges

The invention includes a power amplifier with an amplifier core including parallel amplifier cells, a replica cell made of one amplifier cell similar to those of the amplifier core, a power controller to select a combination of amplifier cells to activate, a regulator to fix the top voltage of the replica cell to a reference voltage, a voltage generator to provide the voltage reference to the regulator, a current generator to provide a reference current through the replica cell, and a drive unit controlled by the regulator output to drive the combination of amplifier cells, so that each selected combination of activated cells defines a predetermined attenuation level of power amplifier output signal so that it is attenuated in a stepwise manner.

Power amplifier with controlled output power

The passive transponder comprises an antenna () connected to an integrated circuit () the analogue part of which includes a passive voltage rectifier () supplying a rectified voltage (V) and an active multiplier or booster () for said rectified voltage which is formed by a capacitor (C) switched to a relatively low frequency, for example 1 MHz, by means of switches formed by transistors (to) controlled using an oscillator ().

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Pompertuzat, France

Matthijs Pardoen