Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and apparatus for an amplifier integrated circuit. The amplifier integrated circuit may provide a low gain bandwidth product to amplify at a higher speed and a high gain bandwidth product to amplify at a lower speed. The amplifier integrated circuit may achieve the low and high gain bandwidth product by generating a first current and a second current through a plurality of sets of series-connected transistors and operating a plurality of switches.

The exemplified disclosure presents a highly power efficient amplifier (e.g., front-end inverter and/or amplifier) that achieves significant current reuse (e.g., 6-time for a 3-stack embodiments) by stacking inverters and splitting the capacitor feedback network. In some embodiments, the exemplified technology facilitates N-time current reuse to substantially reduced power consumption. It is observed that the exemplified disclosure facilitates significant current-reuse operation that significantly boost gain gm while providing low noise performance without increasing power usage. In addition, the exemplified technology is implemented such that current reuse and number of transistor has a generally linear relationship and using fewer transistors as compared to known circuits of similar topology.

In a semiconductor device having a variable gain amplifier, a setting error of a gain associated with a crosstalk noise is reduced. A switch block included in the variable gain amplifier includes a plurality of switch transistors Mp1, Mp2, MN1, and Mn2, and can variably set the parallel number of the switches used for coupling by selecting a forward coupling state for coupling the common wirings CSP, CSN to output wirings OUTP, OUTN, respectively, or a cross coupling state for coupling to OUTN, OUTP, respectively. Output wirings OUTN, OUTP form an output wiring pair by extending in a X direction while crossing each other through an underlying wiring layer ML[x-1]. At least one of the common wirings CSP, CSN is located next to the output wiring pair in a Y direction.

An LNA having a plurality of paths, each of which can be controlled independently to achieve a gain mode. Each path includes at least an input FET and an output FET coupled in series. A gate of the output FET is controlled to set the gain of the LNA. Signals to be amplified are applied to the gate of the input FET. Additional stacked FETs are provided in series between the input FET and the output FET.

An apparatus includes a first half-cell, a second half cell and a multiplexer. The first half-cell may comprise a first input stage configured to present a first input signal to a first auto-zero stage. The second half-cell may comprise a second input stage configured to present a second input signal to a second auto-zero stage. The multiplexer may receive a first output from the first auto-zero stage, receive a second output from the second auto-zero stage and present one of the first output and the second output. The first half-cell and the second half-cell may implement a capacitive coupling. The capacitive coupling may provide a rail-to-rail common-mode input range. The first half-cell and the second half-cell may prevent a mismatch between data signals and clock signals. The first half-cell and the second half-cell may each be configured to implement a calibration when idle.

An apparatus includes an amplifier and a gain control circuit. The amplifier may be configured to provide multiple gain steps. The gain control circuit may be configured to provide fast and precise changes between the multiple gain steps of the amplifier. The gain control circuit may be further configured to change an impedance of the amplifier to switch between the gain steps. The gain control circuit may be further configured to compensate for changes in frequency response related to changing the impedance. The gain control circuit may be further configured to inject a complementary charge to an input of the amplifier to correct a bias voltage deviation and a transient caused by the gain control circuit.

A power amplifier with supply switching is provided. The power amplifier detects a magnitude of an outgoing broadband communication signal and determines whether the magnitude exceeds a predetermined voltage threshold. The power amplifier applies a first gain to the outgoing broadband communication signal using a first voltage supply rail when it is determined that the magnitude exceeds the predetermined voltage threshold and a second gain using a second voltage supply rail that is smaller than the first voltage supply rail when it is determined that the magnitude does not exceed the predetermined voltage threshold. The power amplifier produces an output signal from the outgoing broadband communication signal with the applied first gain or the applied second gain, wherein a current of the outgoing broadband communication signal is switched between the first voltage supply rail and the second voltage supply rail in response to the magnitude being detected.

Variable-phase amplifier circuits and devices. In some embodiments, an amplifier can include a variable-gain stage having a plurality of switchable amplification branches, with each being capable of being activated, such that a combination of one or more activated amplification branches provides respective gain level and phase shift. The plurality of switchable amplification branches can be configured such that the phase shift provided by each combination of one or more activated amplification branches compensates for a phase shift associated with the amplifier operating with the respective gain level of the variable-gain stage.

Wideband signal buffers that can be employed for mmWave (millimeter wave) communication are disclosed. One example signal buffer comprises a variable gain amplifier (VGA) that receives two control words and outputs a feedback signal, wherein both an amplitude and a phase of the feedback signal are based on the two control words and on a bias voltage; and a matching network comprising a first inductor that outputs the bias voltage, a second inductor, and a third inductor that receives the feedback signal from the VGA, and wherein the first, second, and third inductors are magnetically coupled to each other, wherein the signal buffer is configured to receive a RF (Radio Frequency) input and to generate a RF output from the RF input based on a transfer function of the signal buffer, wherein the transfer function is based at least in part on the feedback signal.

A circuit includes a first transistor having a first control input and first and current terminals. The circuit also includes a second transistor having a second control input and third and fourth current terminals. The third current terminal couples to the first current terminal at a first node. An output stage has a first input, a second input, and an output stage output. The first input couples to the fourth current terminal, and the second input couples to the second current terminal. A resistor has first and second resistor terminals. The first resistor terminal couples to the output stage output, and the second resistor terminal couples to the second control input. A third transistor has a third control input, a fifth current terminal, and a sixth current terminal. The fifth current terminal couples to the first resistor terminal, and the sixth current terminal couples to the second resistor terminal.