Low voltage swing pad driver and receiver
View Patent ↗Low voltage swing pad driver and receiver. A transmitter portion and a receiver portion are implemented within various devices that communicate using low voltage swing pads communicatively coupled via a trace. The transmitter portion of one device generates a current signal that is pushed/pulled to a low voltage swing pad and is then passed across the trace to another low voltage swing pad. The transmitter portion includes a current driver that outputs the current signal to the low voltage swing pads, and the receiver portion includes a trans-impedance amplifier that transforms the received current signal into a voltage signal. The low voltage swing pad driver and receiver generates a relatively low voltage swing when compared to CMOS full-scale voltage swings thereby significantly reducing the possibility of introducing any noise and/or distortion of data that is communicated via the interface.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
an integrated asynchronous digital subscriber line semiconductor chip that includes an analog front-end portion; and wherein:
the analog front-end portion includes a transmitter portion, the transmitter portion being communicatively coupled to a transmitter pad; and
the transmitter portion includes a voltage to current converter that is operable to convert a voltage signal to a current signal and to push/pull the current signal to the transmitter pad, from which the current signal is transmitted via a trace that is coupled to the transmitter pad.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the current signal generated by the voltage to current converter of the transmitter includes a voltage swing less than approximately plus or minus 100 milli-Volts.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the integrated asynchronous digital subscriber line semiconductor chip further includes a scrambler and a digital level converter;
the scrambler receives a digital input signal and then generates a scrambled digital input signal; and
the digital level converter converts a level of the scrambled digital input signal and provides the level convened scrambled digital input signal to the transmitter portion.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein:
a voltage level of the scrambled digital input signal is approximately 1.8 Volts; and
a voltage level of the level converted scrambled digital input signal that is provided to the transmitter portion is approximately 3.3 Volts.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the transmitter pad communicatively couples to another device via the trace.
6. An apparatus, comprising:
an integrated asynchronous digital subscriber line semiconductor chip that includes an analog front-end portion; and wherein:
the analog front-end portion includes a receiver portion, the receiver portion being communicatively coupled to a receiver pad;
the receiver portion includes a current to voltage converter that is operable to receive a current signal from the receiver pad and to transform the received current signal to a voltage signal; and
the current signal is received at the receiver pad via a trace that couples to the receiver pad.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the current signal received by the current to voltage convener of the receiver portion includes a voltage swing less than approximately plus or minus 100 milli-Volts.
8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the receiver portion includes a digital level converter that is operable to convert the voltage signal from a first level to a second level; and
the first level has a voltage of approximately 3.3 Volts and the second level has a voltage of approximately 1.8 Volts.
9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the receiver portion includes a trans-impedance amplifier that is operable to receive the current signal and to transform the received current signal to the voltage signal; and
the voltage signal has a magnitude that is approximately 3.3 Volts.
10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the integrated asynchronous digital subscriber line semiconductor chip further includes a de-scrambler and a digital level converter;
the receiver portion provides the digital signal to the digital level converter;
the digital level converter receives the digital signal and changes a level of the digital signal; and
the de-scrambler receives the voltage level changed digital signal and then generates a de-scrambled digital output signal.
11. An apparatus, comprising:
a transmitter portion;
a transmitter pad that is communicatively coupled to the transmitter portion; and
wherein:
the transmitter portion includes a voltage to current converter that is operable to convert a voltage signal to a current signal and to push/pull the current signal to the transmitter pad, from which the current signal is transmitted via a trace that is coupled to the transmitter pad.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the current signal generated by the voltage to current converter of the transmitter portion includes a voltage swing less than approximately plus or minus 100 milli-Volts.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the semiconductor system further includes a scrambler and a digital level converter;
the scrambler receives a digital input signal and then generates a scrambled digital input signal; and
the digital level convener converts a level of the scrambled digital input signal and provides the level converted scrambled digital input signal to the transmitter portion.
14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the transmitter portion further includes a plurality of switches;
the controlling of the plurality of switches controls the pushing and pulling of the current signal to the transmitter pad.
15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the transmitter pad is communicatively coupled to a receiver pad via the trace.
16. An apparatus, comprising:
a receiver portion;
a receiver pad that is communicatively coupled to the receiver portion; and
wherein:
the receiver portion includes a current to voltage converter that is operable to receive a current signal from the receiver pad and to transform the received current signal to a voltage signal; and
the current signal is received at the receiver pad via a trace that couples to the receiver pad.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the current signal received by the current to voltage converter of the receiver portion includes a voltage swing less than approximately plus or minus 100 milli-Volts.
18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the receiver portion includes a digital level convener that is operable to convert the voltage signal from a first level to a second level; and
the first level has a voltage of approximately 3.3 Volts and the second level has a voltage of approximately 1.8 Volts.
19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the receiver portion includes a trans-impedance amplifier that is operable to receive the current signal and to transform the received current signal to the voltage signal; and
the voltage signal has a magnitude that is approximately 3.3 Volts.
20. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the receiver pad is communicatively coupled to a transmitter pad via the trace.