A pulse current generation circuit (100) for neural stimulation includes an analogue signal receiving device (101) for receiving an analogue signal; an analogue-to-digital converter (102) for converting the analogue signal into a digital control signal; a current signal controller (103) for producing, according to the digital control signal, pulse current parameters for generating bidirectional pulse current signals; and a current generator (104) for generating, according to the pulse current parameters, bidirectional pulse current signals for neural stimulation, and the current generator can generate pulse currents of different precisions according to the pulse current parameters. In addition, the present invention further relates to a charge compensation circuit, a charge compensation method, and an implantable electrical retina stimulator using the pulse current generation circuit or the charge compensation circuit.

A pulse current generation circuit (100) for neural stimulation includes an analogue signal receiving device (101) for receiving an analogue signal; an analogue-to-digital converter (102) for converting the analogue signal into a digital control signal; a current signal controller (103) for producing, according to the digital control signal, pulse current parameters for generating bidirectional pulse current signals; and a current generator (104) for generating, according to the pulse current parameters, bidirectional pulse current signals for neural stimulation, and the current generator can generate pulse currents of different precisions according to the pulse current parameters. In addition, the present invention further relates to a charge compensation circuit, a charge compensation method, and an implantable electrical retina stimulator using the pulse current generation circuit or the charge compensation circuit.

A pulse output device which corrects a pulse signal advanced or delayed from a timing prescribed by a control device and a control system including the pulse output device are provided. A PLC system including a driving device, a CPU unit, and a pulse output unit is provided. The pulse output unit includes a clock generation unit that generates a clock signal, a pulse output unit that generates a pulse signal by dividing a frequency of a clock signal and outputs the pulse signal having the number of pulses and a pulse speed commanded by the CPU unit at a prescribed timing, a pulse counter that counts the number of pulses of the output pulse signal, and a processing unit that corrects the pulse speed of the pulse signal generated by the pulse output unit based on an error in the numbers of pulses.

Systems, methods and apparatus for regulating ion energies in a plasma chamber and avoiding excessive and damaging charge buildup on the substrate surface and within capacitive structures being built on the surface. An exemplary method includes placing a substrate in a plasma chamber, forming a plasma in the plasma chamber, controllably switching power to the substrate so as to apply a periodic voltage function (or a modified periodic voltage function) to the substrate, and modulating, over multiple cycles of the periodic voltage function, the periodic voltage function responsive to a defined distribution of energies of ions at the surface of the substrate so as to effectuate the defined distribution of ion energies on a time-averaged basis, and to maintain surface charge buildup below a threshold.

Systems, methods and apparatus for regulating ion energies in a plasma chamber and avoiding excessive and damaging charge buildup on the substrate surface and within capacitive structures being built on the surface. An exemplary method includes placing a substrate in a plasma chamber, forming a plasma in the plasma chamber, controllably switching power to the substrate so as to apply a periodic voltage function (or a modified periodic voltage function) to the substrate, and modulating, over multiple cycles of the periodic voltage function, the periodic voltage function responsive to a defined distribution of energies of ions at the surface of the substrate so as to effectuate the defined distribution of ion energies on a time-averaged basis, and to maintain surface charge buildup below a threshold.

The present invention relates to an electromagnetic acoustic transducer excitation system comprising a tone burst generator, the tone burst generator comprising: an oscillator device configured to produce a radio frequency signal; an analog switch configured to produce an output based on the radio frequency signal produced by the oscillator device and a control signal; a pre-amplifier configured to amplify the output of the analog switch and produce a tone burst output signal; and a control module configured to produce the control signal for providing to the analog switch.

These various embodiments serve to facilitate interlaced amplitude pulsing using a hard-tube type pulse generator having at least one energy-storage unit each comprising at least one energy-storing capacitor. Generally speaking, this comprises controlling an amount of energy withdrawn from the energy-storage unit and provided to an output load to form productive electric pulses by controlling at least one of: (1) energy replenishment; and (2) non-productive energy withdrawal of the energy-storage unit, to thereby achieve a series of productive interlaced amplitude electric pulses.

These various embodiments serve to facilitate interlaced amplitude pulsing using a hard-tube type pulse generator having at least one energy-storage unit each comprising at least one energy-storing capacitor. Generally speaking, this comprises controlling an amount of energy withdrawn from the energy-storage unit and provided to an output load to form productive electric pulses by controlling at least one of: (1) energy replenishment; and (2) non-productive energy withdrawal of the energy-storage unit, to thereby achieve a series of productive interlaced amplitude electric pulses.

Digital-to-analog converter (master DAC) circuitry is disclosed that is programmable to set a controlled slew rate for pulses that are otherwise defined as having sharp amplitude transitions. For example, when producing a biphasic pulse, the constant amplitude and duration of first and second pulses phases can be defined and provided to the DAC in traditional fashion. Slew rate control signals control a slew rate DAC within the master DAC, which prescribes a slew rate that will appear at sharp transitions of the defined biphasic pulses, i.e., at the beginning of the first phase, at the transition from the first to the second phase, and at the end of the second phase. The slew rate can vary with the duration or frequency of the pulses, with lower slew rates used with longer durations and/or lower frequencies, and with higher slew rates used with shorter durations and/or higher frequencies.

Current generation circuitry for an Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG) is disclosed. The IPG comprises a plurality of PDACs and NDACs for souring currents to electrode nodes. The PDACs and NDACs can be configured as pairs to each provide stimulation in independent timing channels, or the PDACs can be combined and the NDACs can be combined to provide stimulation in a single timing channel. Further, the PDAC or NDAC can provide a plurality of source branch currents each of the same amplitude to the electrodes via a switch matrix, and pulse definition circuitry can be configured to always connect each of the source branch currents to one of the first one or more electrode nodes via the switch matrix.