Patent · US Active

Phase interpolator

US9160345B1 · kind B1 · utility

10Cited by
7References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 4, 2014
Grant dateOct 13, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 4, 2034

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K2005/00286
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Apparatus to implement several high performance phase interpolators are disclosed. Some embodiments are directed to a full-wave integrating phase interpolation core comprising two pairs of in-phase and quadrature-phase current DACs arranged in a cascode architecture to drive an integrating capacitor and produce an interpolation voltage waveform. The current DACs are biased, weighted, and controlled by in-phase and quadrature-phase input clocks to yield an interpolation waveform that presents a phase value between the phases of the input clocks. Some embodiments deploying the interpolator core use feedback circuitry and reference voltages to adjust the common mode and amplitude of the interpolation voltage waveform to obtain both optimal performance and operation within the interpolator linear region or output compliance range. Both the single-core and dual-core implementations, as well as other implementations of the interpolator core, exhibit high power supply rejection, highly linear interpolation, a wide frequency range, and low cost duty cycle correction.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.