A method of preparing an integrated circuit device design including analyzing a preliminary device layout to identify a vertical abutment between a first cell and a second cell, the locations of, and spacing between, internal metal cuts within the first and second cells, indexing the second cell relative to the first cell by N CPP to define one or more intermediate device layouts to define a modified device layout with improved internal metal cut spacing in order to suppress BGE and LE.

The present invention relates to a novel and inventive compound device structure for a low noise current amplifier or trans-impedance amplifier. The trans-impedance amplifier includes an amplifier portion, which converts current input into voltage using a complimentary pair of novel n-type and p-type current-injection field-effect transistors (NiFET and PiFET), and a bias generation portion using another complimentary pair of NiFET and PiFET. Trans-impedance of NiFET and PiFET and its gain may be configured and programmed by a ratio of width (W) over length (L) of source channel over the width (W) over length (L) of drain channel (W/L of source channel/W/L of drain channel).

A transmission device according to the disclosure includes a driver section that is able to transmit a data signal by using three or more predetermined number of voltage states and set voltages in each of the voltage states; and a control section that sets an emphasis voltage that is based on a transition among the predetermined number of the voltage states, and thereby causes the driver section to perform emphasis.

Methods and devices for wired charging and communication with a wearable device are described. In one embodiment, a symmetrical contact interface comprises a first contact pad and a second contact pad, and particular wired circuitry is coupled to the first and second contact pads to enable charging as well as receive and transmit communications via the contact pads as part of various device states.

A post-driver with low voltage operation and electrostatic discharge protection is provided. A post-driver structure includes a drive unit including a pull-up driver and a pull-down driver, a pad connected to an external resistance, and an output node connected between the pull-up driver and the pull-down driver. The output node is configured to connect to a comparator for impedance calibration of the drive unit. The post-driver structure also includes an operational amplifier connected to a first transistor and the pad in a closed loop configuration. The operational amplifier is further connected to a second transistor to form a current mirror circuit between the operational amplifier and the drive unit. The current mirror circuit replicates a voltage at the pad with a voltage at the output node for the impedance calibration.

Methods and systems are described for an output driver composed of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices, the output driver having a line driver control stage configured to selectively output a reference voltage or a first supply voltage at the control stage output node in response to a data signal, and a line driver output circuit configured to generate an output signal on a multi-wire bus, wherein the CMOS devices of the line driver output circuit are calibrated to have an on-resistance matched to a termination impedance via first and second supply voltages provided to the line driver control stage and the line driver output circuit, respectively.

An off-chip driver (OCD), including a pull-up driver and a pull-down driver, is provided. The pull-up driver and the pull-down driver are coupled to an output pad. One of the pull-up driver and the pull-down driver includes a main driving circuit, an auxiliary driving circuit, a connection circuit, and a common impedance. The main driving circuit is used to perform an output driving operation on the output pad, and the auxiliary driving circuit is used to selectively perform the output driving operation on the output pad. A first terminal of the common impedance is coupled to a driving terminal of the main driving circuit and a driving terminal of the auxiliary driving circuit through the connection circuit. A second terminal of the common impedance is coupled to the output pad.

The present invention relates to a novel and inventive compound device structure for a low noise current amplifier or trans-impedance amplifier. The trans-impedance amplifier includes an amplifier portion, which converts current input into voltage using a complimentary pair of novel n-type and p-type current field-effect transistors (NiFET and PiFET) and a bias generation portion using another complimentary pair of NiFET and PiFET. Trans-impedance of NiFET and PiFET and its gain may be configured and programmed by a ratio of width (W) over length (L) of source channel over the width (W) over length (L) of drain channel (W/L of source channel/W/L of drain channel).

An example electronic device includes a first switch and a second switch that are each coupled to an overvoltage detection and protection circuit. The first switch is configured to connect a first sideband use (SBU) terminal of a Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB-C) controller to a SBU crossbar switch of the USB-C controller. The second switch is configured to connect a second SBU terminal of the USB-C controller to the SBU crossbar switch. The overvoltage detection and protection circuit is configured to deactivate the first switch or the second switch when a voltage exceeding a predetermined threshold is detected on a terminal of the first switch or the second switch.

An electronic device includes a first electronic circuitry portion configured to connect a V.sub.CONN supply terminal of a Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB-C) controller to a first configuration channel (CC) terminal of a plurality of CC terminals of the USB-C controller. The first CC terminal of the USB-C controller is to be directly connected to a first CC terminal of a plurality of CC terminals of a USB-C receptacle. The electronic device further includes a second electronic circuitry portion electrically coupled to the first electronic circuitry portion and configured to detect a voltage across the first CC terminal of the USB-C controller and the V.sub.CONN supply terminal. The second electronic circuitry portion is to decouple the V.sub.CONN supply terminal from the first CC terminal of the USB-C controller when the voltage is greater than a predetermined threshold.