A crystal driver integrated circuit configurable for daisy chaining including an amplifier core, an input pin and an output pin, and a controller that operates the amplifier core in any one of multiple operating modes. The operating modes include an oscillator mode for driving an external crystal coupled between the input and output pins to generate an oscillation signal at a target frequency, and an amplifier mode that amplifies an external oscillating signal provided to the input pin to provide an amplified oscillation signal on the output pin. The amplifier core includes a controllable current source that provides a core bias current to an amplifier having a level that is adjusted depending upon the operating mode and desired amplitude. The operating modes may include a bypass mode in which the amplifier core is disabled. The amplifier may be implemented as either an PMOS amplifier or an NMOS amplifier.

An oscillation circuit that causes a vibrator to oscillate includes a bipolar transistor for oscillation, a P-type transistor having a gate to which a collector voltage of the bipolar transistor is input and a source to which a base of the bipolar transistor is connected, a first current source that supplies a current to the bipolar transistor, and a second current source that supplies a current to the P-type transistor.

Embodiments of methods and apparatuses may provide the capability to extend the tuning range of a VCO in a way that does not degrade VCO circuit performance. For example, the parasitic capacitance of semiconductor devices in the VCO circuit may be utilized to extend the tuning range of a VCO without significant degradation of VCO circuit performance. For example, in an embodiment, a method voltage-control of an oscillator may comprise receiving a first signal for control of a frequency of an output signal from the oscillator, deriving a second signal from the first signal, controlling the frequency of the output signal from the oscillator using the first signal, and extending a frequency range of the oscillator using the second signal.

A decoder according to one embodiment of the invention includes a set of lines, a resonator circuit, a set of input leads for receiving input signals, and a set of switches for coupling some of the lines within the set of lines to the resonator circuit in response to the input signals while the other lines within the set of lines are at a first binary voltage. The lines are coupled to a set of pointer circuits. The pointer circuits perform logic functions on the signals on the lines when the resonating signal is at a second binary voltage opposite the first binary voltage to thereby decode the input signals. Because the lines are driven high and low by a resonator circuit, the decoder circuit power consumption is less than it would be if the lines were pulled up and down by a set of pullup and pulldown transistors.

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described for enhanced broadband operation of an active mixer. In an example, an apparatus may include an active mixer that converts between radio frequency (RF) signals and intermediate frequency (IF) signals based at least in part on an alternating current (AC) local oscillator (LO) signal, wherein a direct current (DC) current generated within the active mixer is dependent in part on a bias voltage and the AC LO signal. The apparatus may include a mixer biasing circuit that generates the bias voltage for the active mixer, a magnitude of the bias voltage having an inverse relationship to an amplitude of the AC LO signal.

A transceiver may include a reception (Rx) radio frequency (RF) part configured to process a received signal, a transmission (Tx) RF part configured to process a transmitted signal, and a phase lock loop (PLL) configured to provide a reception frequency to the reception RF part and provide a transmission frequency to the transmission RF part. The PLL may be controlled according to whether the reception RF part or the transmission RF part is on. In addition, a transceiver may include quenching waveform generator (QWGs) to control quenching waveforms of the RF parts corresponding to a plurality of antennas. The quenching waveforms may be generated respectively by VCOs operating at a same frequency. The QWGs may control the VCOs such that the quenching waveforms do not overlap.

A reference oscillator arrangement is provided for a communication apparatus capable of communicating according to a plurality of transport formats. The reference oscillator arrangement comprises a reference oscillator controller; a resonator core comprising a reference resonator and a driving circuit for the reference resonator, wherein the resonator core is arranged to provide an oscillating signal at a frequency of the reference resonator; and a reference oscillator buffer arrangement, connected to the resonator core, comprising an active circuit arranged to provide a reference oscillator output based on the oscillating signal. The reference oscillator controller is arranged to receive information about an applied transport format and control the driving circuit and/or the active circuit based on the information about the applied transport format. An oscillator arrangement, a communication device, methods therefor and a computer program are also disclosed.

A switched capacitor is provided. The switched capacitor includes a pair of parallel component stacks. Each stack is connected to a common top node and a common bottom node. Each stack includes a BJT. Each stack further includes a first resistor in series with the BJT and having a first side connected to a collector of the BJT at an intermediate node in a same one of the stacks and a second side connected to the common top node. Each stack also includes a capacitor having a first side connected to the intermediate node and a second side for providing an impedance. Each stack additionally includes a second resistor having a first side connected to a base of the BJT to prevent base-current surge in the BJT and a second side connected to a switch base control signal that selectively turns the BJT on or off.

A high-power transmitter with a fully-integrated phase Iocking capability is disclosed and characterized. Also provided herein is a THz radiator structure based on a return-path gap coupler, which enables the high-power generation of the disclosed transmitter, and a self-feeding oscillator suitable for TS use with the transmitter.

A voltage setting circuit includes a frequency comparator that compares the oscillation frequencies of a first distributed voltage-controlled oscillator and a second distributed voltage-controlled oscillator and a frequency determination circuit that determines the levels of the oscillation frequencies of the first distributed voltage-controlled oscillator and the second distributed voltage-controlled oscillator. The bias to be supplied to the first distributed voltage-controlled oscillator and the bias to be supplied to the second distributed voltage-controlled oscillator are determined in accordance with a result of the determination. The bias at a time when the levels of the oscillation frequencies are reversed is determined to be the optimum bias, and the optimum bias is supplied to the core circuit.