Amplifier circuit devices and methods
AssigneeArm Limited
InventorsEl Mehdi Boujamaa, Cyrille Nicolas Dray
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a particular implementation, an apparatus including first and second bias circuits and an inner amplifier provides sense amplifier offset cancellation. The inner amplifier includes: first and second current generators configured to replicate respective first and second currents from the first and second bias circuits, first and second transistors configured to transform the first and second currents into voltage samples, and first and second capacitors configured to store the voltage samples. In a sampling phase, a sampling of the first and second currents may be performed in the inner amplifier, and further, in an amplification phase, an amplification of the stored voltage samples may also be performed in the inner amplifier.
Claims20
An amplifier circuit comprising:
- first and second transistors configured to transform respective first and second currents into voltage samples, and
- first and second capacitors configured to store the voltage samples, wherein the amplifier circuit performs a sampling of the stored voltage samples in a sampling phase, and wherein the amplifier circuit performs an amplification of the stored voltage samples in an amplification phase.
A method comprising:
- in a sampling phase:
- receiving, in an amplifier circuit, a first reference current and a bit current;
- converting, at respective first and second transistors, the first reference current into a first voltage sample and the bit current into a second voltage sample;
- and
- storing, at respective first and second capacitors of the inner amplifier circuit, the first and second voltage samples;
- and
- in an amplification phase:
- receiving, in the amplifier circuit, the bit current and a second reference current;
- and
- determining, at a node between a first current generator and the first transistor device, and at a node between a second current generator and the second transistor device, first and second output voltages.
An amplifier circuit comprising:
- first and second current generators configured to generate respective first and second bias currents;
- first and second transistors configured to transform the first and second bias currents into voltage samples;
- and
- first and second capacitors configured to store the voltage samples.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.