The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Jan. 14, 2003

Filed:

Jul. 26, 2001
Applicant:
Inventors:

Richard Nicholson, Andover, GB;

Simon Churchill, Whitchurch, GB;

Hao Tang, San Jose, CA (US);

Assignee:

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L 1/01 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L 1/01 ;
Abstract

Enhanced linearity, low switching perturbation resistor string matrices. The resistor strings are arranged in an array of a plurality of rows of resistive elements and electrically arranged with rows equally spaced above and below the physical centerline of the array being coupled together in an opposite sense. Preferably also physically adjacent rows are equally spaced from the center of the electrical order of rows. This connection prevents accumulation of errors due to vertical and horizontal resistance gradients over the array. Also node selection by controlling node select transistors coupled to column select lines to select one node in each row, and also controlling row select transistors to select the row of the desired node minimizes settling time after a tap change by inducing equal and opposite voltage changes at points close together along the resistor string, whether in the array of the present invention or in the snake configuration.


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