Amplifier Circuits and Methods of Amplifying an Input Signal
AssigneeSilicon Laboratories Inc.
InventorsAxel Thomsen, Gang Yuan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of operating an amplifier circuit having a pre-charge phase and a sample/conversion phase includes, during a pre-charge phase, charging first and second capacitors to first and second bias voltages. The first capacitor is coupled to a first input of an amplifier circuit, which has a second input and an output. The second capacitor is coupled to the second input. During a sample/conversion phase, the first input of the amplifier circuit is coupled to an input signal through the first capacitor to level-shift the input signal according to the first bias voltage and the output of the amplifier is coupled to the second input through the second capacitor to level shift a feedback signal according to the second bias voltage.
Claims20
A method of operating an amplifier circuit having a pre-charge phase and a sample/conversion phase, the method comprising:
- during a pre-charge phase:
- charging a first capacitor to a first bias voltage, the first capacitor coupled to a first input of an amplifier circuit having a second input and an output;
- charging a second capacitor to a second bias voltage, the second capacitor coupled to the second input;
- and
- during a sample/conversion phase:
- coupling the first input of the amplifier circuit to an input signal through the first capacitor to level-shift the input signal according to the first bias voltage;
- and
- coupling the output of the amplifier to the second input through the second capacitor to level shift a feedback signal according to the second bias voltage.
A circuit comprising:
- an amplifier circuit including a first input, a second input, and an output;
- a first capacitor configured to be coupled in series between a first input signal and the first input;
- a first feedback capacitor configured to be coupled in series between the output and the second input;
- a plurality of switches coupled to the first capacitor and to the first feedback capacitor;
- a controller configured to control the plurality of switches to pre-charge the first capacitor and the first feedback capacitor to first and second bias voltages, respectively, during a pre-charge phase, the controller configured to control the plurality of switches to couple the first input signal to the first input of the amplifier circuit and to couple the output to the second input during a sample phase.
A circuit comprising:
- an amplifier circuit including having a first input, a second input, a first output, a second output, a first feedback input and a second feedback input;
- a first capacitor coupled to the first input;
- a second capacitor coupled to the second input;
- a first feedback capacitor coupled to the first feedback input;
- a second feedback capacitor coupled to the second feedback input;
- and
- a plurality of switches coupled to the first and second capacitors and to the first and second feedback capacitors;
- and
- a control circuit coupled to the plurality of switches and configured to control the plurality of switches to pre-charge the first and second capacitors to a first bias voltage and the first and second feedback capacitors to a second bias voltage during a pre-charge phase, the control circuit to control the plurality of switches to couple first and second input signals to the first and second inputs and first and second feedback signals to the first and second feedback inputs, respectively, during a sample phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.