Distributed threshold adjustment for high speed receivers

A system comprising:

• a receiver configured to receive a pair of differential analog input signals;
• a multistage amplifier configured to amplify the analog input signals by an amount of gain;
• a plurality of distributed threshold adjusters (DTAs) interspersed between the stages of the multistage amplifier, and configured to adjust the DC voltages of the differential analog input signals to facilitate a decision by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and
• wherein each of the distributed threshold adjusters includes:
• a plurality of current sources configured to produce an adjustment current signal whose amperage is configured to be increased or decreased by fixed steps in order to adjust the DC voltage of the input signal, and
• a control unit configured to selectively turn on or off the individual current sources of the plurality of current sources to select the amperage of the adjustment current signal;
• and
• the ADC configured to convert the amplified analog input signals to a digital output signal.

A method comprising:

• receiving a pair of differential analog input signals;
• applying a plurality of gains to the differential analog input signals via a multistage amplifier;
• and
• in between at least a portion of stages of the multistage amplifier, adjusting a DC voltage of the differential input signals by applying an adjustment current signal to the differential input signals that are the inputs of the respective stages of the multistage amplifier.