Spread spectrum isolator

• US 7,302,247 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2005
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyworks Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Dupuis, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yun; Eugene
• Application Number:
  US11/089,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20050272378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 455/280, 455/292, 455/67.15, 455/333, 455/338, 455/148, 455/167.1
• US Class Current: 455/280
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05554 being square
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48095 Kinked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49171 Fan-out arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49503 characterised by the die pad
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4952 the additional leads being a bump or a wire
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49575 Assemblies of semiconductor devices on lead frames
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/06 of a plurality of bonding areas
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 of a plurality of wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01004 Beryllium [Be]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 : Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01023 : Vanadium [V]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01027 : Cobalt [Co]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 : Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1204 : Optical Diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 : LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 : Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19042 : being an inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19043 : being a resistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30105 : Capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33523 : with galvanic isolation between input and output of both the power stage and the feedback loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0266 : Arrangements for providing Galvanic isolation, e.g. by means of magnetic or capacitive coupling

Abstract

A circuit package includes first and second units containing functional circuitry. At least one RF isolation link interconnects the first and second units and provides voltage isolation between the first and second units. The RF isolation link provides data between the first unit and the second unit using an RF carrier signal that sweeps between a first frequency and a second frequency.

Claims

1. A circuit package, comprising:

a first die containing functional circuitry;

a second die containing functional circuitry; and

at least one RF isolation link interconnecting the first die and the second die, the RF isolation link providing voltage isolation between the first die and the second die, wherein the RF isolation link further provides digital data between the first die and the second die using an RF carrier signal which is transmitted therebetween when the digital data is at a first logic level and not transmitted when the digital data is at other than the first logic level, the RF carrier signal when the digital data is at the first logic level oscillating at a first frequency responsive to an input control signal at a first generated value and oscillating a second frequency responsive to the input control signal at a second generated value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF isolation link further comprises:

a first transformer on the first die;

a second transformer on the second die;

a transmitter associated with the first transformer for transmitting the RF carrier onto the RF isolation link;

a receiver associated with the second transformer for receiving the RF carrier on the RF isolation link; and

circuitry for generating the RF carrier signal oscillating at either the first or second frequencies.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the circuitry for generating the RF carrier signal further comprises:

a slow ring oscillator;

a divider circuit connected to the slow ring oscillator for generating a control code that represents the input control signal and at least the first or second generated values; and

an LC oscillator circuit responsive to the control code from the divider circuit for generating the RF carrier signal, wherein the control code causes the generation of one of a plurality of frequencies, at least two of which comprise the first and second frequencies.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the circuitry for generating the RF carrier signal further comprises:

an LC oscillator circuit for generating the RF carrier signal responsive to a control code that represents the input control signal and at least the first or second generated values, wherein the control code causes the generation of one of a plurality of frequencies, at least two of which comprise the first and second frequencies; and

a divider circuit connected in a feedback loop with the LC oscillator for generating the control code.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the circuitry for generating the RF carrier signal further comprises:

a slow ring oscillator;

a circuit for randomly generating a control code responsive to an input from the slow ring oscillator that represents the input control signal and at least the first or second generated values; and

an LC oscillator circuit responsive to the randomly generated control code for generating the RF carrier signal, wherein the randomly generated control code causes the generation of one of a plurality of frequencies, at least two of which comprise the first and second frequencies.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the circuit further comprises:

a divider circuit for providing a clock signal;

a shift register for providing a plurality of output bits responsive to the clock signal and a data signal;

logic circuitry for generating the data signal responsive to a first portion of the plurality of output bits; and

wherein the randomly generated control code comprises a second portion of the plurality of output bits.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the shift register farther comprises a de Bruijn counter.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the dies are located on separate chips.

9. A circuit package, comprising:

a first die containing first functional circuitry;

a second die containing second functional circuitry;

a first transformer on the first die connected to the first functional circuitry;

a second transformer on the second die connected to the second functional circuitry;

a transmitter associated with the first transformer for transmitting a stepped RF carrier signal onto an RF isolation link between the first die and the second die;

a receiver associated with the second transformer for receiving the stepped RF carrier signal over the RF isolation link; and

circuitry associated with the first unit for generating the stepped RF carrier signal for transmission responsive to an input data signal at a first logical level wherein the stepped RF carrier signal sweeps between a first frequency and a second frequency and the generated RF carrier signal not transmitted responsive to the input data signal at a second logical level.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the circuitry for generating the stepped RF carrier signal farther comprises:

a slow ring oscillator;

a divider circuit connected to the slow ring oscillator for generating a control code; and

an LC oscillator circuit responsive to the control code from the divider circuit for generating the stepped RF carrier signal, wherein the control code causes the generation of one of a plurality of frequencies from the first frequency to the second frequency.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the circuitry for generating the stepped RF carrier signal further comprises:

a slow ring oscillator;

a circuit for randomly generating a control code responsive to an input from the slow ring oscillator; and

an LC oscillator circuit responsive to the randomly generated control code for generating the stepped RF carrier signal, wherein the randomly generated control code causes the generation of one of a plurality of frequencies from the first frequency to the second frequency.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the circuit further comprises:

a divider circuit for providing a clock signal;

a shift register for providing a plurality of output bits responsive to the clock signal and a data signal;

logic circuitry for generating the data signal responsive to a first portion of the plurality of output bits; and

wherein the randomly generated control code comprises a second portion of the plurality of output bits.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the shift register further comprises a de Bruijn counter.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the dies are located on separate chips.

15. A circuit package, comprising:

a first unit containing functional circuitry;

a second unit containing functional circuitry;

a first transformer on the first unit;

a second transformer on the second unit;

a transmitter associated with the first transformer for transmitting a stepped RF carrier onto an isolation link between the first unit and the second unit;

a receiver associated with the second transformer for receiving the stepped RF carrier over the isolation link;

a slow ring oscillator;

a divider circuit for providing a clock signal;

a shift register for providing a plurality of output bits responsive to the clock signal and a data signal a first portion of the plurality comprising a randomly generated control code;

logic circuitry for generating the data signal responsive to a second portion of the plurality of output bits; and

an RC oscillator circuit responsive to the randomly generated control code for generating the stepped RF carrier signal, wherein the stepped RF carrier signal sweeps between a first frequency and a second frequency and the randomly generated control code causes the generation of one of a plurality of frequencies from the first frequency to the second frequency.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the control code comprises a four-bit control code.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the unit comprises a chip.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the unit comprises a die on a chip.