Segmented attenuator with glitch reduction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9397635-B2
Application number	US-201314084439-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2013
Priority date	Nov 19, 2013
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

A method and circuit for significantly reducing the switching transients of a digital step attenuator (DSA) by employing a segmented architecture that combines thermometer and binary coded stages. This approach reduces the number of attenuator stages switching at the same time and thus minimizes any glitch amplitude. Embodiments of a segmented DSA may be realized with “pi” and “bridged-T” attenuators, as well as with simple tuned L-pad attenuators combined in a resistor ladder network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A segmented digital step attenuator circuit, including:
(a) at least one first segment comprising a plurality of individual thermometer encoded L-pad type bypassable attenuator circuits; and
(b) at least one second segment comprising a plurality of individual binary encoded L-pad type bypassable attenuator circuits coupled in series with the at least one first segment of individual thermometer encoded L-pad type bypassable attenuator circuits;
wherein ap…

Assignees

• Peregrine Semiconductor Corp

Inventors

• Costa Damian

Classifications

• H03H11/245 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic