Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Pasquale Flora

Marco Zamprogno

Maurizio Bongiorni

Andrea Barbieri

Giuditta Roselli

Anna Angela Pomarico

Franco Consiglieri

Raffaele Enrico Furceri

Simone Zezza

Annarita Morea

A bridge driver circuit applies a bias voltage across first and second input nodes of a resistive bridge circuit configured to measure a physical property such as pressure or movement. A sensing circuit senses drive current, bias current and common mode current for the bridge driver and sums the sensed currents to generate a source current. The source current is processed to determine a normalized resistance and temperature of the resistive bridge circuit and from which a temperature dependent sensitivity of the resistive bridge circuit is determined. A voltage output at first and second output nodes of the resistive bridge circuit is processed to determine a value of the physical property. This processing further involves applying a temperature correction in response to the determined temperature dependent sensitivity.

Resistive bridge sensor with temperature compensation

A charge recovery driver is for a pair of loads, and includes first and second output nodes coupled to a pair of loads. During an initial phase, the first output node is grounded and the second output node is tied to the supply voltage. During a first phase, the first output node is coupled to the first tank capacitor and the second output node is coupled to the second tank capacitor. During a second phase, the first and second output nodes are coupled to one another. During a third phase, the second output node is coupled to the first tank capacitor and the first output node is coupled to the second tank capacitor. During a fourth phase, the first output node is coupled to the supply voltage and the second output node is coupled to ground. The third, second, and first phases are then repeated in that order.

Charge recovery driver for MEMS mirror with reduced number of tank capacitors

A method and apparatus for sensing a common mode feedback current are provided. The common mode feedback current may flow through a common mode resistive divider of a piezoresistive bridge. A first current mirror mirrors the common mode feedback current and provides a first mirrored common mode current. A current aggregation stage receives the first mirrored common mode current and determines a bridge current of the piezoresistive bridge based on the first mirrored common mode feedback current. A second current mirror may be used to mirror the first current mirror before determining the bridge current.

Fully differential operational amplifier common mode current sensing feedback

A single-stage differential operational amplifier including an input stage formed by a pair of input transistors having control terminals connected to a respective first and second input, first conduction terminals coupled to a respective first and second output and second conduction terminals coupled to receive a polarization current. An output stage is formed by a pair of output transistors in diode configuration and having control terminals coupled to a relative first conduction terminal and connected to a respective first and second output, and second conduction terminals connected to a reference line. A coupling stage is interposed between the first conduction terminals of the output transistors and the first and second outputs to define the diode configuration of the output transistors and a gain value of the operational amplifier.

Single-stage differential operational amplifier with improved electrical features

A transimpedance amplifier circuit includes a feedback control loop that generates a compensation current at an input of a transimpedance amplifier. The feedback control loop includes a differential integrator with an integration capacitor. A time constant associated with charging the integration capacitor is variable as a function of a pre-charge control signal. During a pre-charge phase, the pre-charge control signal is set to a first value so as to set the time constant associated with charging the integration capacitor to a first time constant value. During an operation phase, the pre-charge control signal is set to a second value so as to increase the time constant associated with charging the integration capacitor to a second time constant value greater than the first time constant value for the pre-charge phase.

Transmipedance amplifier circuit, related integrated circuit, receiver circuit and method of operating a transimpedance amplifier circuit

The present disclosure is directed to a MEMS resonant structure, provided with a substrate of semiconductor material; a mobile mass suspended above the substrate and anchored to the substrate by constraint elements to be free to oscillate at a resonance frequency; and a fixed-electrode structure capacitively coupled to the mobile mass to form a capacitor with a capacitance that varies as a function of the oscillation of the mobile mass; the fixed-electrode structure arranged on a top surface of the substrate, and the constraint elements being configured in such a way that the mobile mass oscillates, in use, in a vertical direction, transverse to the top surface of the substrate, keeping substantially parallel to the top surface.

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Varese, Italy

Pasquale Flora