Envelope detector for high speed applications
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorChiung-Ting Ou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An envelope detecting circuit is provided. The envelope detecting circuit comprises a source degeneration circuit that amplifies an input differential signal, a differential gain stage that supplies a voltage proportional to the amplified signal, a potential hold circuit that holds the voltage supplied from the gain stage, a comparator circuit that compares the voltage held by the potential holding circuit with a reference potential to output a detect signal, and envelope level adjustment and selection unit that responds to the detect signal and outputs a control signal to the source degeneration circuit.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- inputting a first differential signal into a first amplifier, the first amplifier comprising variable source degeneration responsive to a control signal;
- outputting a second differential signal from the first amplifier, a magnitude of the second differential signal being responsive to the variable source degeneration;
- and
- selectively increasing or decreasing the control signal based on a detection signal, the detection signal being indicative of the second differential signal.
A method comprising:
- amplifying an input differential signal to obtain an intermediate differential signal, the intermediate differential signal having a gain with respect to the input differential signal, and the gain being responsive to a control signal;
- determining a detect signal through a comparison of a signal indicative of the intermediate differential signal to a reference signal;
- and
- altering the control signal responsive to the detect signal.
A method comprising:
- receiving a received differential signal at a first amplifier, the first amplifier having a controllable gain;
- converting an intermediate differential signal from the first amplifier into a single-end signal at a second amplifier;
- comparing a signal indicative of the single-end signal to a reference signal at a comparator to obtain a detect signal;
- and
- adjusting the controllable gain responsive to the detect signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.