Maxlinear Asia Singapore Pte Ltd

Microsemi Storage Solutions (u.s.), Inc.

Pmc-sierra Us, Inc.

Stanley Ho

Hormoz Djahanshahi

Srinivasa Rao Madala

Bharath Kumar Singareddy

William Michael Lye

Kumar Baratj Singareddy

Method and systems are provided for voltage-controlling and tuning of oscillators. An oscillator may comprise comprises an oscillator core configured for contributing gain to oscillations generated in the oscillator and a frequency tuning network connected between the oscillator core and a signal source that provides an input signal for creating the oscillations in the oscillator. The frequency tuning network may be configured for tuning frequency of the oscillations, to inhibit amplifying a first capacitance from the oscillator core and to amplify a second capacitance from the frequency tuning network. The frequency of oscillations may be tuned by varying a capacitance, and isolating one or more of noise sources or parasitic capacitances from the tuning network.

Voltage-controlled oscillator and a method for tuning oscillations

A cross-coupled complementary balanced voltage-controlled oscillator and a method for operating same. The oscillator comprises an electro-mechanical resonator, and an oscillator core. The oscillator core comprises capacitvely cross-coupled complementary inverters and a resistor network. The oscillator may comprise a frequency tuning network having inductors for increasing the tuning range. The capacitance inhibit the inverters from latching to a static direct current state. The resistor network forms a high pass filter with the capacitance to inhibit relaxation oscillations. The method comprises enabling the resistor network to form a high pass filter and starting balanced oscillations in the oscillator, the capacitance of the high pass filter for inhibiting latching, and the high pass filter for inhibiting relaxation oscillations. The method may comprise tuning the frequency by varying the capacitance of the oscillator.

Electro-mechanical voltage-controlled oscillator and a method for generating tunable balanced oscillations

A cross-coupled complementary balanced electro-mechanical oscillator and a method for generating balanced oscillations. The oscillator comprises an electro-mechanical resonator connected to an oscillator core. The oscillator core comprises capacitively cross-coupled complementary programmable inverters and a resistor network. The capacitors inhibit the inverters from latching to a non-oscillatory direct-current (DC) state. The resistor network forms a high pass filter with the capacitors to inhibit relaxation oscillations. The inverters are programmable such that their gain can be varied over time to avoid parasitic oscillations. The oscillator may be frequency-tunable. The method comprises starting balanced oscillations in the oscillator with a low gain to inhibit high-frequency parasitic oscillation modes, inhibiting latching to a DC state using a capacitance, and inhibiting relaxation oscillations using a high pass filter, and varying gain over time to improve phase noise performance. The oscillator may comprise a clock source to excite oscillations in the oscillator core at a frequency close to the resonator frequency to inhibit unwanted oscillations.

Variable gain electro-mechanical oscillator and method for starting balanced oscillations

A voltage-controlled oscillator and a method for tuning oscillations. The oscillator comprises a resonator input connected to an oscillator core and a frequency tuning network. The oscillator core and resonator input are isolated from the frequency tuning network by inductors. The method comprises generating oscillations, tuning the frequency of the oscillations by varying a capacitance, and isolating one or more of noise sources or parasitic capacitances from the tuning network.

A cross-coupled complementary balanced voltage-controlled oscillator and a method for operating same. The oscillator comprises an electro-mechanical resonator, and an oscillator core. The oscillator core comprises capacitively cross-coupled complementary inverters and a resistor network. The oscillator may comprise a frequency tuning network having inductors for increasing the tuning range. The capacitance inhibit the inverters from latching to a static direct current state. The resistor network forms a high pass filter with the capacitance to inhibit relaxation oscillations. The method comprises enabling the resistor network to form a high pass filter and starting balanced oscillations in the oscillator, the capacitance of the high pass filter for inhibiting latching, and the high pass filter for inhibiting relaxation oscillations. The method may comprise tuning the frequency by varying the capacitance of the oscillator.

An apparatus comprising a scrambler having a plurality of scrambler inputs and 2N scrambler outputs, and a unary-weighted digital to analog converter (DAC) connected to scrambler to generate an analog output signal based on the 2N scrambler outputs. The scrambler has N unique scrambling stages arranged in order between the scrambler inputs and the scrambler outputs from a first scrambling stage to a last scrambling stage. Each of the N unique scrambling stages has a plurality of stage inputs and outputs, with the stage inputs of the first scrambling stage connected to the scrambler inputs, the stage outputs of each scrambling stage except the last scrambling stage connected to the stage inputs of a next scrambling stage, and the stage outputs of the last scrambling stage connected to the scrambler outputs. Each of the N unique scrambling stages is operable to pass signals at the inputs to the outputs in either an unscrambled or scrambled state under control of a control bit provided by an N-bit entropy signal. When an N+1 bit input signal is applied to the scrambler inputs and the N-bit entropy signal is randomized the analog output signal from the DAC has improved linearity compared to the analog output signal generated from a non-scrambled input, and when a test input signal is applied to the scrambler inputs and the entropy signal is swept through 2N orthogonal values the analog output signal from the DAC indicates whether a fault exists in one of the scrambler and the DAC.

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Richmond, CA, United States of America

Stanley Ho