Distributed threshold adjustment for high speed receivers
AssigneeBroadcom Corporation
InventorsAfshin Momtaz, Namik K. Kocaman, Bharath Raghavan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to one general aspect, an apparatus may include a terminal configured to receive an analog input signal. In various embodiments, the apparatus may also include a multistage amplifier configured to amplify the analog input signal by an amount of gain. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a distributed threshold adjuster interspersed between the stages of the multistage amplifier configured to adjust the DC voltage of the analog input signal to facilitate a decision by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). In one embodiment, the apparatus may include the ADC configured to convert the amplified analog input signal to a digital output signal.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- an amplifier, including at least two amplifier stages, configured to amplify an analog input signal by an amount of gain;
- and
- a distributed threshold adjuster interspersed between two or more of the stages of the amplifier, and configured to adjust a direct current (DC) voltage of the analog input signal.
A method comprising:
- amplifying, via a multi-stage amplifier, an analog input signal by an amount of gain;
- and
- adjusting, via a distributed threshold adjuster interspersed, at least in part, between two or more of the stages of the amplifier, a direct current (DC) voltage of the analog input signal.
An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of threshold adjusters, distributed between at least two of the stages of a multistage amplifier, configured to adjust a direct current (DC) voltage of an analog input signal;
- wherein the plurality of threshold adjusters includes:
- a first portion of threshold adjusters configured to produce a coarse granularity of DC voltage adjustment, and
- at least a second portion of threshold adjusters configured to produce a finer level granularity of DC voltage adjustment than the first portion of threshold adjusters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.