Calibrated low-noise current and voltage references and associated methods

• US 20020168942A1
• Filed: 02/22/2002
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Behrens, Richard T., Scott, Jeffrey W., Tuttle, G. Tyson, Vishakhadatta, G. Diwakar, Kerth, Donald A., Srinivasan, Vishnu S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0003 Software-defined radio [SDR] systems, i.e. systems wherein components typically implemented in hardware, e.g. filters or modulators/demodulators, are implented using software, e.g. by involving an AD or DA conversion stage such that at least part of the signal processing is performed in the digital domain digital baseband systems H04L25/00; digital modulation/demodulation H04L27/00; CDMA H04B1/707; TDMA H04B7/2643; image transmission H04N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/28 the receiver comprising at least one semiconductor device having three or more electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/02 Reducing interference from electric apparatus by means located at or near the interfering apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/04 the interference being caused by substantially sinusoidal oscillations, e.g. in a receiver or in a tape-recorder
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2215/064 Reduction of clock or synthesizer reference frequency harmonics

Abstract

A low-noise current reference circuitry includes a voltage source, a current source, and a controller. The voltage source generates a reference voltage. The current source provides a low-noise output current in response to a control signal. The controller provides the control signal based at least in part on the relative magnitudes of the reference voltage and a voltage derived from the output current. A low-noise voltage reference circuitry includes a reference voltage source, a voltage source, and a controller. The reference voltage source generates a reference voltage. The voltage source provides a low-noise output voltage in response to a control signal. The controller provides the control signal based at least in part on the relative magnitudes of the output voltage and the reference voltage.

Claims

1. A low-noise current reference circuitry, comprising:

a reference voltage source configured to generate a reference voltage;

a current source configured to provide a low-noise output current in response to a control signal; and

a controller configured to provide the control signal based at least in part on the relative magnitudes of the reference voltage and a voltage derived from the output current.

2. A low-noise voltage reference circuitry, comprising:

a reference voltage source configured to generate a reference voltage;

a voltage source configured to provide a low-noise output voltage in response to a control signal; and

a controller configured to provide the control signal based at least in part on the relative magnitudes of the output voltage and the reference voltage.

3. A radio-frequency (RF) apparatus, comprising:

a first circuit partition, comprising receiver analog circuitry configured to produce a digital receive signal from an analog radio-frequency signal; and

a second circuit partition, comprising receiver digital circuitry configured to accept the digital receive signal, wherein the first and second circuit partitions are partitioned so that interference effects between the first circuit partition and the second circuit partition tend to be reduced.