The present disclosure relates to a 5th generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate than a 4th generation (4G) communication system such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE). The present disclosure provides a device for variable signal attenuation equipped in a stack-up structure inside an RFIC. The device for signal attenuation comprises: a first transmission line positioned on a first layer inside the RFIC; a second transmission line positioned on a second layer, which is adjacent to the first layer, and electromagnetically coupled to the first transmission line; and a control unit. The first transmission line comprises an impedance control unit on one side. The control unit can variably control the impedance control unit.

The present disclosure relates to a 5th generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate than a 4th generation (4G) communication system such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE). The present disclosure provides a device for variable signal attenuation equipped in a stack-up structure inside an RFIC. The device for signal attenuation comprises: a first transmission line positioned on a first layer inside the RFIC; a second transmission line positioned on a second layer, which is adjacent to the first layer, and electromagnetically coupled to the first transmission line; and a control unit. The first transmission line comprises an impedance control unit on one side. The control unit can variably control the impedance control unit.

A current balance circuit for a power management device having a first current channel and a second current channel, having: a first current sense circuit configured to detect a current flowing through the first current channel, and to provide a first current sense signal indicative of the current flowing through the first current channel; wherein the current balance circuit draws current from the second current channel to the first current channel based on the first current sense signal.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an N-path filter implemented using a generalized impedance converter (GIC) circuit. The GIC circuit is configured such that the N-path filter has a desired frequency response, which may include a wide passband with steeper rejection than a conventional N-path filter with only a single pole in each filter path. Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an N-path filter having a frequency response with multiple concurrent passbands. In certain aspects, the N-path filter with multiple passbands is implemented using the GIC circuit. In other aspects, the N-path filter may include a bandpass response circuit where an inductance of the bandpass response circuit may be implemented using gyrators.

An age compensation method and apparatus for an integrated circuit (IC). An IC may be configured to operate at an initial operating voltage at the beginning of its operational life. Various circuits may be used to detect aging of the IC, and indications of aging may be stored to determine the aging of the IC. The information indicative of the determined aging of the IC may be compared to an aging threshold. If the information indicates that the aging is greater than or equal to the determined aging threshold, the operating voltage of the IC may be increased. This process may be repeated over the life of the IC, increasing the operating voltage as the IC ages. Raising the operating voltage in response to aging may compensate for various age related degradation mechanisms that can occur over the operational life of the IC.

An acoustic impedance inverter is provided. In an embodiment, the acoustic impedance inverter can be coupled to an acoustic filter to provide needed impedance inversion at, for example, a series resonance frequency of the acoustic filter. In contrast to a conventional impedance inverter, which typically involves negatively coupled transformers, the acoustic impedance inverter utilizes a pair of acoustically coupled interdigital transducers (IDTs) to provide the needed impedance inversion at a tunable frequency. As a result, the acoustic impedance inverter can be implemented with a lower insertion loss and on a smaller footprint compared to the conventional impedance inventor.

An acoustic impedance inverter is provided. In an embodiment, the acoustic impedance inverter can be coupled to an acoustic filter to provide needed impedance inversion at, for example, a series resonance frequency of the acoustic filter. In contrast to a conventional impedance inverter, which typically involves negatively coupled transformers, the acoustic impedance inverter utilizes a pair of acoustically coupled interdigital transducers (IDTs) to provide the needed impedance inversion at a tunable frequency. As a result, the acoustic impedance inverter can be implemented with a lower insertion loss and on a smaller footprint compared to the conventional impedance inventor.

An integrated circuit may include one or more circuits coupled to capacitance multiplier circuitry. The capacitance multiplier circuitry may include a capacitor, fixed and tunable resistances, and a transconductance circuit. The tunable resistance can be adjusted to control the overall capacitance of the capacitance multiplier circuitry. The transconductance circuit may include a transistor having a drain terminal coupled to a first electrical component and a source terminal coupled to a second electrical component. The first electrical component may be a diode-connected transistor, a direct shorting wire, a resistor, an inductor, or a current source. The second electrical component may be a current source, a direct shorting wire, a resistor, an inductor, or another diode-connected device. Configured in this way, the capacitance multiplier circuitry can provide a large adjustable amount of capacitance without a voltage drop and without consuming a large amount of power.