INTERFACE FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN VOLTAGE DOMAINS
First Claim
1. An isolation circuit comprising:
- a first conducting substrate that is electrically connected to a reference voltage of the first voltage domain;
a second conducting substrate that is electrically connected to a reference voltage of the second voltage domain;
a first capacitive structure that is located on the first conducting substrate and in a first voltage domain, the first capacitive structure includingfirst input and output capacitor plates that share a first intermediate capacitor plate to function as two series capacitors;
a first dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide a first breakdown voltage by providing physical separation between the first intermediate capacitor plate and each of the first input and output capacitor plates, anda second dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide substantially the same breakdown voltage as the first breakdown voltage, and a physical separation provided between the first conducting substrate and the first intermediate capacitor plate;
a second capacitive structure in a second voltage domain and that is located on the second conducting substrate and including,second input and output capacitor plates that share a second intermediate capacitor plate to function as two series capacitors;
a third dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide a second breakdown voltage of the second capacitive structure by providing physical separation between the second intermediate plate and each of the second input and output plates, anda fourth dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide substantially the same breakdown voltage as the second breakdown voltage and to provide physical separation provided between the second conducting substrate and the second intermediate plate; and
a current path between the first output capacitor plate and the second input capacitor plate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In one or more embodiments, circuitry is provided for isolation and communication of signals between circuits operating in different voltage domains using capacitive coupling. The capacitive coupling is provided by one or more capacitive structures having a breakdown voltage that is defined by way of the various components and their spacing. The capacitive structures each include three capacitive plates arranged to have two plates located in an upper layer and one plate located in a lower layer. A communication signal can be transmitted via the capacitive coupling created between the lower plate and each of the upper plates, respectively.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An isolation circuit comprising:
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a first conducting substrate that is electrically connected to a reference voltage of the first voltage domain; a second conducting substrate that is electrically connected to a reference voltage of the second voltage domain; a first capacitive structure that is located on the first conducting substrate and in a first voltage domain, the first capacitive structure including first input and output capacitor plates that share a first intermediate capacitor plate to function as two series capacitors; a first dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide a first breakdown voltage by providing physical separation between the first intermediate capacitor plate and each of the first input and output capacitor plates, and a second dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide substantially the same breakdown voltage as the first breakdown voltage, and a physical separation provided between the first conducting substrate and the first intermediate capacitor plate; a second capacitive structure in a second voltage domain and that is located on the second conducting substrate and including, second input and output capacitor plates that share a second intermediate capacitor plate to function as two series capacitors; a third dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide a second breakdown voltage of the second capacitive structure by providing physical separation between the second intermediate plate and each of the second input and output plates, and a fourth dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide substantially the same breakdown voltage as the second breakdown voltage and to provide physical separation provided between the second conducting substrate and the second intermediate plate; and a current path between the first output capacitor plate and the second input capacitor plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A device comprising:
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a transmitter circuit that is in a first voltage domain and that is configured and arranged to transmit communication signals; a receiver circuit that is in a second voltage domain, and that has an input that is configured and arranged to receive the communication signals in the second voltage domain; and an isolation circuit configured and arranged to provide capacitive isolation for the communication signals between the first and second voltage domains, the isolation circuit including a first capacitive structure located on a first substrate in a first voltage domain and including a first capacitive plate configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the transmitter circuit and in the first voltage domain, a second capacitive plate that is configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the first capacitive plate at a first floating node of the isolation circuit, a third capacitive plate that is configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the second capacitive plate at a second floating node of the isolation circuit, a first dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide first breakdown voltages of the first capacitive structure by providing an electrical and physical separation between the second capacitive plate and each of the first and third capacitive plates, the physical separation having a first distance, and a second dielectric layer providing an electrical and physical separation between the first substrate and the second capacitive plate to provide substantially the same breakdown voltages as the first breakdown voltages; a conductor providing a current path from an input connected to the third capacitive plate to an output; and a second capacitive structure located on a second substrate in a second voltage domain and including, a fourth capacitive plate connected to the conductor at the output of the current path and configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the third capacitive plate by way of the current path; a fifth capacitive plate configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the fourth capacitive plate at a fourth floating node of the isolation circuit, a sixth capacitive plate configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the fifth capacitive plate and to provide the communication signals to the input of the receiver, a third dielectric layer defining second breakdown voltages of the second capacitive structure by providing an electrical and physical separation between the fifth capacitive plate and each of the fourth and sixth capacitive plates, the physical separation having a second distance, and a fourth dielectric layer providing an electrical and physical separation between the second substrate and the fifth capacitive plate to provide substantially the same breakdown voltages as the second breakdown voltages. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method comprising:
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transmitting communication signals from a transmitter circuit located on a first substrate that is in a first voltage domain; providing capacitive isolation for the communication signals between the first voltage domain and a second voltage domain by communicating the transmitted communication signals through an isolation circuit by capacitively coupling the communication signals from the first voltage domain to an unreferenced domain using a first capacitive structure located on the first substrate and including a first capacitive plate configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the transmitter circuit and in the first voltage domain, a second capacitive plate that is configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the first capacitive plate at a first floating node of the isolation circuit, a third capacitive plate that is configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the second capacitive plate at a second floating node of the isolation circuit, a first dielectric layer configured and arranged to provide first breakdown voltages of the first capacitive structure by providing an electrical and physical separation between the second capacitive plate and each of the first and third capacitive plates, the physical separation having a first distance, and a second dielectric layer providing an electrical and physical separation between the first substrate and the second capacitive plate to provide substantially the same breakdown voltages as the first breakdown voltages; capacitively coupling using the communication signals from the unreferenced voltage domain to the second voltage domain using a second capacitive structure located on the second substrate in the second voltage domain and including a second capacitive structure located on the second substrate and including, a fourth capacitive plate configured and arranged to receive the communication signals at a third floating node of the isolation circuit from a conductor that provides a current path between the third and fourth capacitive plates, a fifth capacitive plate configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the fourth capacitive plate at a fourth floating node of the isolation circuit, a sixth capacitive plate configured and arranged to receive the communication signals from the fifth capacitive plate and to provide the communication signals to the input of the receiver, a third dielectric layer defining second breakdown voltages of the second capacitive structure by providing an electrical and physical separation between the fifth capacitive plate and each of the fourth and sixth capacitive plates, the physical separation having a second distance, and a fourth dielectric layer providing an electrical and physical separation between the second substrate and the fifth capacitive plate to provide substantially the same breakdown voltages as the second breakdown voltages; and receiving the communication signals from the second capacitive structure at an input of a receiver circuit that is in the second voltage domain. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification