US 10,461,749 B1 · Ground intermediation for inter-domain buffer stages

Abstract

Techniques are described for ground-intermediating buffering that can effectively use the reference grounds of the circuit domains on either side of a buffer stage to generate one or more intermediated grounds for one or more signal buffers. For example, one of the reference grounds has a first amount of ground noise, the other of the reference grounds has a second amount of ground noise that is greater than or less than the first amount, and the intermediated grounds are generated to have respective amounts of ground noise that are between the first and second amounts. The ground intermediating buffer can perform signal buffering with respect to the intermediated ground(s), thereby reducing ground noise coupling across the circuit domains through both the signal and ground paths of the buffer stage.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An integrated circuit system comprising:

a ground intermediating buffer subsystem comprising:
a ground intermediator circuit coupled between a first circuit ground of a first circuit domain and a second circuit ground of a second circuit domain to generate an intermediated ground, such that operation of the first circuit domain produces a first quantity of ground noise on the first circuit ground, operation of the second circuit domain produces a second quantity of ground noise on the second circuit ground, and the intermediated ground is generated to have a third quantity of ground noise between the first quantity of ground noise and the second quantity of ground noise;
and
a signal buffer circuit referenced to the intermediated ground and having a buffer output generated responsive to a buffer input, the buffer input coupled with a signal output node of the first circuit domain, and the buffer output coupled with a signal input node of the second circuit domain.

1 more element

A ground intermediating buffer comprising:

means for generating an intermediated ground responsive to a first circuit ground of a first circuit domain and a second circuit ground of a second circuit domain, wherein operation of the first circuit domain produces a first quantity of ground noise on the first circuit ground and operation of the second circuit domain produces a second quantity of ground noise on the second circuit ground, and the intermediated ground is generated to have a third quantity of ground noise that is between the first quantity of ground noise and the second quantity of ground noise;
and
means for relaying a radiofrequency signal comprising:
means for receiving the radiofrequency signal from the first circuit domain;
means for buffering the radiofrequency signal referenced to the intermediated ground to output a buffered signal corresponding to the radiofrequency signal;
and
means for transmitting the buffered signal to the second circuit domain.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Ground intermediation for inter-domain buffer stages

Life of this patent

Ground intermediation for inter-domain buffer stages

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20