An analog-to-digital converter includes a comparator configured to compare an input signal with a reference signal and to output a comparison signal indicating a corresponding comparison result, a control logic configured to output a control signal for adjusting the reference signal based on the comparison signal, and a reference signal adjusting circuit configured to adjust the reference signal based on the control signal. The comparator includes a first pre-amplifier configured to amplify a difference between the input signal and the reference signal using a first transistor having a first size, a second pre-amplifier configured to amplify the difference between the input signal and the reference signal using a second transistor having a second size different from the first size, and a latch configured to generate the comparison signal using at least one of an output of the first and second pre-amplifiers. The first and second pre-amplifiers share the latch.

An electronic device includes: a first equalizing circuit configured to receive a data signal and output a first equalizing signal based on the data signal; a pulse generator configured to generate a first pulse signal and a second pulse signal in response to a rising edge and a falling edge of the data signal, respectively; a second equalizing circuit configured to output a second equalizing signal based on the first pulse signal and the second pulse signal that have been inverted; and an output terminal configured to output an output signal in which the first equalizing signal and the second equalizing signal have been summed.

According to one embodiment, an electronic circuit includes a first delay element, a second delay element, a first hold circuit and a quantization circuit. The first delay element obtains a first signal by delaying a first pulse signal. The second delay element obtains a second signal by delaying the first signal. The first hold circuit holds a first voltage of an input signal corresponding to the first signal. The second hold circuit holds a second voltage of the input signal corresponding to the second signal. The quantization circuit obtains a third signal and a fourth signal each with different rising times based on a second pulse signal, to quantize the first voltage based on the third signal, and to quantize the second voltage based on the fourth signal.

Comparator circuitry for use in a comparator to capture differences between magnitudes of a pair of comparator input signals in a series of capture operations defined by a reset signal, the circuitry comprising: latch circuitry, comprising a pair of latch input transistors which form corresponding parts of first and second current paths of the latch circuitry respectively, which current paths extend in parallel between high and low voltage sources, a pair of latch output nodes at corresponding positions along the first and second current paths of the latch circuitry respectively, and timing circuitry; and gain-stage circuitry, comprising a pair of cross-coupled gain-stage output transistors connected along respective first and second current paths of the gain-stage circuitry which extend in parallel between high and low voltage sources, and a pair of diode-connected gain-stage output transistors connected in parallel with the pair of cross-coupled gain-stage output transistors, respectively.

The present disclosure provides a high-speed and low-noise dynamic comparator, which includes: an input unit, including an input NMOS transistor and an input PMOS transistor; a latch unit, including a latching NMOS transistor and a latching PMOS transistor, where the latching NMOS transistor and the latching PMOS transistor are connected to form a latch structure; a pull-up unit, including a pull-up PMOS transistor connected to the input NMOS transistor; and a substrate bootstrap voltage generation circuit, generating a substrate bootstrap voltage. In the present disclosure, a substrate bootstrap technology of MOS transistors is used, thereby reducing on resistances of the MOS transistors and improving the comparator speed; threshold voltages of the input transistors of the comparator are reduced, transconductance of the input transistors is increased, thereby reducing equivalent input noise of the comparator, and as a common-mode voltage of the comparator changes, a comparison delay changes relatively little.

Circuits and methods for reducing and cancelling out kickback noise are disclosed. In one example, a circuit for a comparator is disclosed. The circuit includes: a first transistor group, a second transistor group, and a first switch. The first transistor group comprises a first transistor having a drain coupled to a first node, and a second transistor having a source coupled to the first node. Gates of the first transistor and the second transistor are coupled together to a first input of the comparator. The second transistor group comprises a third transistor having a drain coupled to a second node, and a fourth transistor having a source coupled to the second node. Gates of the third transistor and the fourth transistor are coupled together to a second input of the comparator. The first switch is connected to and between the first node and the second node.

A comparator includes a pair of back-to-back negative-AND (NAND) gates and a delay circuit coupled to the pair of back-to-back NAND gates. The delay circuit is configured to modulate a triggering clock signal by an input voltage to generate a delayed clock signal with a delay that is based on the input voltage. Each of the pair of back-to-back NAND gates is configured to receive the delayed clock signal and generate a comparator output signal based on the delayed clock signal.

A method for startup of a crystal oscillator (XO) with aid of external clock injection, associated XO and a monitoring circuit therein are provided. The XO includes an XO core circuit, an external oscillator, and an injection switch, where a quality factor of the external oscillator is lower than a quality factor of the XO core circuit. The method includes: utilizing the external oscillator to generate an injected signal; turning on the injection switch to make energy of the injected signal be injected into the XO core circuit, where an amplitude modulation (AM) signal is generated according to combination of the injected signal and an intrinsic oscillation signal from the XO core circuit; and controlling the external oscillator to selectively change an injection frequency of the injected signal according to the AM signal. More particularly, the injection switch is not turned off until the startup process is completed.

A comparing device includes a first current generating circuit arranged to selectively generate a first current and a second current different from the first current, according to a first control signal. The comparing device also includes a comparing circuit having a common node coupled to the first current generating circuit for comparing a first input signal and a second input signal to generate an output signal according to the first current, the second current, and a second control signal. The second control signal and the first control signal are in-phase with each other.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a semiconductor integrated circuit including a first line, a second line, a third line, a fourth line, a latch circuit, a first offset adjustment circuit, and a second offset adjustment circuit. The second line forms a differential pair with the first line. The fourth line forms a differential pair with the third line. The latch circuit has a first input node, a second input node, a first output node, and a second output node. The first input node is electrically connected to the first line. The second input node is electrically connected to the second line. The first output node is electrically connected to the third line. The second output node is electrically connected to the fourth line. The first offset adjustment circuit is electrically connected between the first line and the third line. The second offset adjustment circuit has a circuit configuration equivalent to the first offset adjustment circuit. The second offset adjustment circuit is electrically connected between the second line and the fourth line.