Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Nvidia Corporation

Shifeng Yu

Cong Quoc Khieu

Fabrizio Romano

Ashfaq Shaikh

Brian Lawrence Smith

Ting-Sheng Ku

Ting Ku

Chang Hee Hong

Tapan Pattnayak

Ivana Cappellano, Legal Representative

Ivana Cappellano

A reduced oxide stress cascode stack circuit includes a cascade transistor stack and dynamic bias circuits that supply an output voltage having a magnitude greater than an oxide reliability voltage of their component transistors. The reduced oxide stress cascode stack circuit also includes an offset voltage generator that provides an offset voltage based on a transient extreme of the output voltage, wherein the offset voltage is applied to the cascade transistor stack and the dynamic bias circuits to reduce component transistor voltages commensurate with the oxide reliability voltage. The reduced oxide stress cascode stack circuit further includes a bias voltage supply that modifies a bias voltage value of the cascade transistor stack and dynamic bias circuits by an amount proportional to the offset voltage. A method of reducing oxide stress in a cascode stack circuit is also provided.

Oxide stress reduction for a cascode stack circuit

A system and method for calibrating an integrated circuit. The method includes configuring a first impedance for a first output of the integrated circuit according to a first configuration code and measuring a first voltage at the first output which corresponds to the first configuration code. The method further includes configuring a second impedance for a second output of the integrated circuit according to a second configuration code and measuring a second voltage at the second output which corresponds to the second configuration code. A determination of which of the first voltage and the second voltage is nearest to a predetermined voltage value. Based on the voltage determination, the integrated circuit is configured according a code of said first and second codes that corresponds to the voltage nearest to the predetermined voltage.

System and method for integrated circuit calibration

Embodiments for providing a plurality of bias voltages to input/output circuitry are disclosed.

Input/output buffer for wide supply voltage range

Disclosed is an input/output (IO) device for transmitting an input data bit signal. In one embodiment, the IO device includes an IO device input node for receiving the input data bit signal and an IO device output node. The IO device also includes a driver coupled between the IO device input node and the IO device output node. The driver includes at least one FET that defines a gate oxide voltage limit. The driver receives a supply voltage and the input data bit signal. The driver charges and discharges the IO device output node to the supply voltage and ground, respectively, in response to driver receiving the supply voltage and the input data bit signal. The supply voltage is greater than the gate oxide voltage limit.

Input/output device having linearized output response

Cascode stage input/output device

Disclosed is an input/output (IO) device for transmitting a data bit signal. In one embodiment, the IO device includes an IO device input node for receiving an input data bit signal and an IO device output node. Additionally, the IO device includes a plurality of drivers coupled between the IO device input and output nodes, each having first and second n-channel FETs coupled together, first and second p-channel FETs coupled together. A drain of each driver's second n-channel FET and each driver's first p-channel FET is coupled to the IO device output node, while a gate of each driver's first n-channel FET is coupled to the IO device input node.

Output driver having dynamic impedance control

Disclosed is an input/output (IO) device for transmitting a data bit signal. In one embodiment, the IO device includes an IO device input node for receiving an input data bit signal, an IO device output node, and a common ground node. The IO device also includes a first driver having first and second n-channel FETs coupled together, first and second p-channel FETs coupled together, a plurality of third n-channel or p-channel FETs each having a drain coupled to the IO device input node, and a plurality of first capacitors coupled between the common ground node and respective sources of the plurality of third n-channel or p-channel FETs. The drains of the first p-channel FET and the second n-channel FET are coupled to the IO device output node, while the gate of the first n-channel FET is coupled to the IO device input node.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Shifeng Yu