Enhanced linearity, low switching perturbation resistor string matrices
First Claim
1. A resistor string comprising:
- a plurality of resistive elements connected in series on a substrate, the plurality of resistive elements being arranged in an array of columns and rows, the array having a physical middle defined by a plurality of rows above and an equal plurality of rows below the physical middle of the array, each pair of rows comprising a row above the physical middle of the array and the row equally spaced below the physical middle of the array being electrically connected together without another row of resistive elements being electrically connected there between to define an electrical order of rows.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Enhanced linearity, low switching perturbation resistor string matrices. The resistor strings are arranged in an array of a plurality of rows of resistive elements and electrically arranged with rows equally spaced above and below the physical centerline of the array being coupled together in an opposite sense. Preferably also physically adjacent rows are equally spaced from the center of the electrical order of rows. This connection prevents accumulation of errors due to vertical and horizontal resistance gradients over the array. Also node selection by controlling node select transistors coupled to column select lines to select one node in each row, and also controlling row select transistors to select the row of the desired node minimizes settling time after a tap change by inducing equal and opposite voltage changes at points close together along the resistor string, whether in the array of the present invention or in the snake configuration.
34 Citations
40 Claims
-
1. A resistor string comprising:
a plurality of resistive elements connected in series on a substrate, the plurality of resistive elements being arranged in an array of columns and rows, the array having a physical middle defined by a plurality of rows above and an equal plurality of rows below the physical middle of the array, each pair of rows comprising a row above the physical middle of the array and the row equally spaced below the physical middle of the array being electrically connected together without another row of resistive elements being electrically connected there between to define an electrical order of rows. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
12. A resistor string comprising:
-
a plurality of resistive elements connected in series on a substrate, the plurality of resistive elements being arranged in an array of columns and rows, the array having a physical middle defined by a plurality of rows above and an equal plurality of rows below the physical middle of the array, each pair of rows comprising a row above and a row equally spaced below the physical middle of the array being electrically connected together without another row of resistive elements being electrically connected there between, and connected so that conduction across the array in one row is in the opposite direction from the conduction across the array in the other row of each respective pair of rows; and
,a plurality of node select transistors, each having a control terminal controlling the conduction through the respective node select transistor between first and second transistor terminals, each node select transistor having its first terminal coupled to a respective node along the resistor string, the control terminal of the node select transistors in each column being coupled to a respective column select line, and the second terminal of each node select transistor in each row of the array being coupled to a respective row line. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A method of reducing the effect of resistance gradients in an array of serially connected resistive elements on a substrate comprising:
-
arranging the plurality of resistive elements in an array of columns and rows, the array having a physical middle defined by a plurality of rows above and an equal plurality of rows below the physical middle of the array; and
,electrically connecting together each pair of rows comprising a row above the physical middle of the array and the row equally spaced below the physical middle of the array without electrically connecting another row of resistive elements there between. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
providing a plurality of node select transistors, each having a control terminal controlling the conduction through the node select transistor between first and second transistor terminals;
coupling the first terminal of each node select transistor to a respective node in an array of resistive elements;
coupling the control terminal of the node select transistors in each column to a respective column select line; and
,coupling the second terminal of each node select transistor in each row of the array to a respective row line.
-
-
29. The method of claim 28 further comprised of coupling a row select transistor to each row line.
-
30. The method of claim 27 wherein the substrate is a silicon substrate.
-
31. The method of claim 22 wherein the resistors are ohmic resistors.
-
32. A method of reducing the effect of resistance gradients and switching perturbations in an array of serially connected resistive elements on a substrate comprising:
-
arranging the plurality of resistive elements in an array of columns and rows, the array having a physical middle defined by a plurality of rows above and an equal plurality of rows below the physical middle of the array; and
,electrically connecting together each pair of rows comprising a row above and a row equally spaced below the physical middle of the array without electrically connecting another row of resistive elements there between, and connecting the pairs of rows so t hat conduction a cross the array in one row is in the opposite direction from the conduction across the array in the other row of each respective pair of rows;
providing a plurality of node select transistors, each having a control terminal controlling the conduction through the respective node select transistor between first and second transistor terminals;
coupling the first terminal of each node select transistor to a respective node in the array of resistive elements;
coupling the control terminal of the node select transistors in each column a respective column select line; and
,coupling the second terminal of each node select transistor in each row of the array to a respective row line. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
-
Specification