Voltage regulator for a serializer/deserializer communication application
View Patent ↗The voltage regulator device has a wide band amplifier having an input reference voltage, Vref and an input feedback voltage, Vfbk. The device has a source follower coupled to the wide band amplifier, the source follower coupled to an output of the wide band amplifier. The device has a VDD source, a regulator output, and a current source coupled to the source follower and the VDD source. The device has a low frequency path comprising a first transistor. The first transistor has a first gate, a first source, and a first drain. The first source is coupled to the VDD source. The first gate is coupled to a slow node, and the first drain is coupled to the regulator output. The low frequency path comprises a RC network, which has a capacitor, a resistor, and the slow node configured between the resistor and the capacitor. The device has a high frequency path comprising a second transistor. The second transistor has a second gate, a second source, and a second drain. The second source is coupled to the VDD source. The second gate is coupled to a fast node, and the second drain is coupled to the regulator output.
1. A transmitter apparatus comprising:
an incoming receiver device configured to receive a plurality of data streams, each of the data streams having a first data rate and characterized in a first format, the incoming receiver configured to transfer a second data stream having a second format;
a serializer device coupled the incoming receiver device, the serializer device processes the second data stream to output a third data stream in a third format;
a line driver comprising a power input, the line driver coupled to the serializer device to output a four data stream in a fourth format;
a voltage regulator device coupled to supply power to the power input of the line driver, the voltage regulator device comprising:
a wide band amplifier having an input reference voltage, Vref and an input feedback voltage, Vfbk;
a source follower coupled to the wide band amplifier, the source follower coupled to an output of the wide band amplifier;
a VDD source;
a regulator output;
a current source coupled to the source follower and the VDD source;
a low frequency path comprising a first transistor, the first transistor having a first gate, a first source, and a first drain, the first source coupled to the VDD source, the first gate coupled to a slow node, and the first drain coupled to the regulator output, the low frequency path comprising RC network, the RC network comprising a capacitor, a resistor, and the slow node configured between the resistor and the capacitor; and
a high frequency path comprising a second transistor, the second transistor having a second gate, a second source, and a second drain, the second source coupled to the VDD source, the second gate coupled to a fast node, and the second drain coupled to the regulator output.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first format is a 100 Gigabit per second Ethernet format.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the supplied power is characterized by a current and a voltage, the current ranging from 20 milli-Amps to 50 milli-Amps, and the voltage characterized by 0.9 volt to 1.05 volt.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the voltage is programmable by adjusting a magnitude of the reference voltage.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the line driver comprising a differential output comprising TXP and TXN.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a feedback circuit coupled to the regulator output.
7. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a feedback circuit coupled to the regulator output.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a feedback circuit coupled to the regulator output, the feedback circuit comprising a first resistor coupled between the regulator output and a feedback node and a second resistor coupled between the feedback node and a ground potential.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the high frequency path is coupled to a ground potential.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the low frequency path is coupled to a ground potential.
11. A voltage regulator device configured for a line driver application, the device comprising:
a wide band amplifier having an input reference voltage, Vref and an input feedback voltage, Vfbk;
a source follower coupled to the wide band amplifier, the source follower coupled to an output of the wide band amplifier;
a VDD source;
a regulator output;
a current source coupled to the source follower and the VDD source;
a low frequency path comprising a first transistor, the first transistor having a first gate, a first source, and a first drain, the first source coupled to the VDD source, the first gate coupled to a slow node, and the first drain coupled to the regulator output; and
a high frequency path comprising a second transistor, the second transistor having a second gate, a second source, and a second drain, the second source coupled to the VDD source, the second gate coupled to a fast node, and the second drain coupled to the regulator output.
12. The device of claim 11 wherein the supplied power is characterized by a current and a voltage, the current ranging from 20 milli-Amps to 50 milli-Amps, and the voltage characterized by 0.9 volt to 1.05 volt.
13. The device of claim 12 wherein the voltage is programmable by adjusting a magnitude of the reference voltage.
14. The device of claim 11 further comprising a feedback circuit coupled to the regulator output.
15. The device of claim 11 further comprising a feedback circuit coupled to the regulator output, the feedback circuit comprising a first resistor coupled between the regulator output and a feedback node and a second resistor coupled between the feedback node and a ground potential.
16. The device of claim 11 wherein the high frequency path is characterized by a frequency range from about 500 Megahertz to 10 Gigahertz.
17. The device of claim 11 wherein the low frequency path is characterized by a frequency range from about DC to 500 Megahertz; the low frequency path comprising RC network, the RC network comprising a capacitor, a resistor, and the slow node configured between the resistor and the capacitor.
18. The device of claim 11 wherein the high frequency path is coupled to a ground potential; and the low frequency path is coupled to a ground potential.
19. The device of claim 11 wherein the source follower comprising a three terminal device characterized pMOS device.
20. A voltage regulator device comprising:
a wide band amplifier having an input reference voltage, Vref and an input feedback voltage, Vfbk;
a source follower coupled to the wide band amplifier, the source follower coupled to an output of the wide band amplifier;
a VDD source;
a regulator output;
a current source coupled to the source follower and the VDD source;
a low frequency path comprising a first transistor, the first transistor having a first gate, a first source, and a first drain, the first source coupled to the VDD source, the first gate coupled to a slow node, and the first drain coupled to the regulator output, the low frequency path comprising RC network, the RC network comprising a capacitor, a resistor, and the slow node configured between the resistor and the capacitor; and
a high frequency path comprising a second transistor, the second transistor having a second gate, a second source, and a second drain, the second source coupled to the VDD source, the second gate coupled to a fast node, and the second drain coupled to the regulator output; and
whereupon the resistor is configured to isolate a first load capacitance of a first three terminal device;
whereupon the source follower is configured to isolate a second load capacitance of a second three terminal device.