The present invention provides a common-mode transient suppression protection circuit for a digital isolator, including a modulation circuit, a demodulation circuit and an isolation capacitor connected between the modulation circuit and the demodulation circuit. The modulation circuit includes a modulation circuit front-end and a drive circuit, which are connected in sequence, and a clamping module is arranged in the drive circuit. The protection circuit further includes a linear voltage regulator structure connected with the drive circuit, and a power supply clamp is arranged in the linear voltage regulator structure. By providing the linear voltage regulator structure having the power supply clamp and the drive circuit having the clamping module in the protection circuit, low-voltage devices in the drive circuit can be protected from being damaged by high-voltage signals generated by common-mode transient interference.

Memory including an array of memory cells might include an input buffer having calibration circuitry, a first input, a second input, and an output; and calibration logic having an input selectively connected to the output of the input buffer and comprising an output connected to the calibration circuitry, wherein the calibration logic is configured to cause the memory to determine whether the input buffer exhibits offset while a particular voltage level is applied to the first and second inputs of the input buffer, and, in response to determining that the selected input buffer exhibits offset, apply an adjustment to the calibration circuitry while the particular voltage level is applied to the first and second inputs until a logic level of the output of the selected input buffer transitions.

A semiconductor apparatus includes a control circuit and a level shifter. The control circuit is configured to output a power control signal for activating a data input/output circuit operated by a first voltage when the first voltage is higher than a first set voltage and a second voltage is higher a second set voltage. The level shifter configured to receive the power control signal and lower operating voltages of devices including a plurality of transistors with a thin gate insulating layer based on the power control signal.

In some embodiments, a method may include receiving an input signal at an input stage of a circuit and amplifying the input signal using an amplifier of the circuit to produce a level-shifted output signal. The method may further include selectively controlling switches of an active load coupled to the input stage based on the level-shifted output signal to turn off current flow between transitions in the input signal.

A method of protecting a serializer/deserializer (SERDES) differential input/output (I/O) circuit includes detecting an electrostatic discharge event. The method also includes selectively disengaging a power supply terminal from a pair of I/O transistors of the SERDES differential I/O circuit in response to the detected electrostatic discharge event. The method further includes selectively disengaging a ground terminal from the pair of I/O transistors of the SERDES differential I/O circuit in response to the detected electrostatic discharge event.

Various implementations described herein may refer to level shifter circuitry using current mirrors. For instance, in one implementation, a level shifter circuit may include a latch circuit configured to receive an input signal, where the latch circuit includes a plurality of transistors configured to generate an output signal based on the input signal. The level shifter circuit may also include a first current mirror circuit coupled to the latch circuit. The level shifter circuit may further include a second current mirror circuit coupled to the latch circuit, where the first current mirror circuit and the second current mirror circuit are configured to drive the output signal from a transient state voltage level to a steady state voltage level.

A level shifter circuit with improved time response and a control method thereof are disclosed herein. The level shifter circuit includes the output stage circuit of a level shifter and a booster circuit. The output stage circuit of the level shifter includes a first pass switch configured to transfer a voltage level of the first power supply of the level shifter to an output node, and a second pass switch connected between a second power supply and the first pass switch. The booster circuit accelerates the switching operation of the level shifter by accelerating a time response during the turning on or off operation of the first pass switch using charge sharing between a first capacitor and the parasitic capacitance of the control node of the first pass switch, which occurs via a first switch.

In an embodiment, a buffer circuit may includes a current source circuit, a self-bias generation circuit, a signal input circuit, and a first current sink circuit. The current source circuit may apply current to a first node and a second node in response to a self-bias voltage. The self-bias generation circuit may generate the self-bias voltage which has a voltage level between voltage levels of the first and second nodes. The signal input circuit may control the voltage levels of the first node and the second node in response to a first input signal and a second input signal. The first current sink circuit may control an amount of current flowing from the signal input circuit to a ground terminal in response to an enable signal and the self-bias voltage.

An apparatus comprising a first voltage domain circuit including a first circuit component configured to provide a first digital output signal; a second voltage domain circuit comprising a second circuit component; a level shifter arrangement configured to receive the first digital output signal and generate a second digital output signal based thereon with an increased voltage level of the high state, and provide said second digital output signal to the second circuit component; wherein the level shifter arrangement comprises at least one stage, the at least one stage comprising an arrangement of one or more diode-connected PMOS transistors, coupled to a CMOS inverter arrangement; the CMOS inverter arrangement of a first of the at least one stages configured to receive the first digital output signal and the CMOS inverter arrangement of a final stage of the at least one stages configured to output said second digital output signal.

A transmitter circuit including a pre-driver circuit configured to receive a logic signal from a logic circuit and to generate a first signal driven by a first voltage, the pre-driver circuit including a transistor having a threshold voltage equal to or lower than a threshold voltage of a transistor included in the logic circuit, and a main-driver circuit configured to receive the first signal and generate a second signal driven by a second voltage, the main-driver circuit configured to output the second signal to an input/output pad, the main-driver circuit including a transistor having a threshold voltage which is equal to or lower than the threshold voltage of the transistor included in the logic circuit may be provided.