IP Library Granted Patent US 9,705,503
Granted Patent B2
US 9,705,503 · App. 15/194,416 · Granted Jul 11, 2017

Signal conversion

Inventor: The'Linh Nguyen (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: FINISAR CORPORATION
H03K19/018528H03K3/017H03K5/1565H03K19/01806H03K19/017509H03K19/018514
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,705,503
App. No.
15/194,416
Granted
Jul 11, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A circuit may include an input terminal configured to receive an input signal with a first voltage swing and an output terminal. The circuit may also include a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, and a control circuit. The control circuit may be coupled to the input terminal, a gate terminal of the first transistor, and a gate terminal of the second transistor. The control circuit may be configured to adjust voltages provided to the gate terminals based on the input signal such that the first transistor conducts in response to the input signal being at a first logical level and the second transistor conducts in response to the input signal being at a second logical level to generate an output signal output on the output terminal. The second voltage swing of the output signal may be different from the first voltage swing of the input signal.

Claims (60)

1. A circuit, comprising:

an output terminal;

an input terminal configured to receive an input signal with a first voltage swing;

a transistor circuit including at least one or more transistor elements, the transistor circuit including:

a first terminal coupled to the output terminal;

a second terminal configured to receive a first voltage; and

a third terminal configured to receive a second voltage; and

a control circuit coupled to the input terminal, and configured to provide the first voltage and the second voltage to the transistor circuit and to adjust the first voltage and the second voltage based on the input signal, the first voltage and the second voltage adjusted such that the transistor circuit conducts in response to the input signal being at a first logical level and conducts in response to the input signal being at a second logical level to generate an output signal on the output terminal, wherein a second voltage swing of the output signal is different from the first voltage swing of the input signal, the output signal is a first signal of a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor differential signal, and the input signal is a first signal of a current-mode-logic differential signal.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising

a first transistor of the one or more transistor elements that is configured to conduct in response to the input signal being at the first logical level; and

a second transistor of the one or more transistor elements that is configured to conduct in response to the input signal being at the second logical level.

3. A circuit, comprising:

an output terminal;

an input terminal configured to receive an input signal with a first voltage swing, the input signal adheres to a first signaling standard;

a transistor circuit including at least one or more transistor elements, the transistor circuit including:

a first terminal coupled to the output terminal;

a second terminal configured to receive a first voltage; and

a third terminal configured to receive a second voltage; and

a control circuit coupled to the input terminal, and configured to provide the first voltage and the second voltage to the transistor circuit and to adjust the first voltage and the second voltage based on the input signal, the first voltage and the second voltage adjusted such that the transistor circuit conducts in response to the input signal being at a first logical level and conducts in response to the input signal being at a second logical level to generate an output signal on the output terminal, wherein the output signal adheres to a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor differential signaling standard that is different from the first signaling standard.

4. The circuit of claim 3 , further comprising

a first transistor of the one or more transistor elements that is configured to conduct in response to the input signal being at the first logical level; and

a second transistor of the one or more transistor elements that is configured to conduct in response to the input signal being at the second logical level.

5. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein

the first signaling standard is one of the following signaling standards: current-mode logic, transistor-transistor logic, low-voltage transistor-transistor logic, and emitter-coupled logic.

6. A circuit, comprising:

an output terminal;

an input terminal configured to receive an input signal with a first voltage swing;

a transistor circuit including at least one or more transistor elements, the transistor circuit including:

a first terminal coupled to the output terminal;

a second terminal configured to receive a first voltage; and

a third terminal configured to receive a second voltage; and

a control circuit coupled to the input terminal, and configured to provide the first voltage and the second voltage to the transistor circuit and to adjust the first voltage and the second voltage based on the input signal, the first voltage and the second voltage adjusted such that the transistor circuit conducts in response to the input signal being at a first logical level and conducts in response to the input signal being at a second logical level to generate an output signal on the output terminal, wherein a second voltage swing of the output signal swings in a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor voltage region and is different from the first voltage swing of the input signal and a middle voltage of the first voltage swing is offset from a middle voltage of the second voltage swing.

7. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein

an amplitude of the first voltage swing is greater than an amplitude of the second voltage swing.

8. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein

an amplitude of the second voltage swing is greater than an amplitude of the first voltage swing.

9. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein

the middle voltage of the first voltage swing represents an average voltage between an highest voltage of the first voltage swing and a lowest voltage of the first voltage swing; and

the middle voltage of the second voltage swing represents an average voltage between an highest voltage of the second voltage swing and a lowest voltage of the second voltage swing.

10. The circuit of claim 9 , wherein

the middle voltage of the first voltage swing is higher than the middle voltage of the second voltage swing.

11. The circuit of claim 9 , wherein

the middle voltage of the first voltage swing is lower than the middle voltage of the second voltage swing.

12. The circuit of claim 6 , further comprising

a first transistor of the one or more transistor elements that is configured to conduct in response to the input signal being at the first logical level; and

a second transistor of the one or more transistor elements that is configured to conduct in response to the input signal being at the second logical level.

13. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein

the input signal being at a first voltage level corresponds to the output signal being at a third voltage level; and

the input signal being at a second voltage level corresponds to the output signal being at a fourth voltage level.

14. The circuit of claim 13 , wherein

when the first voltage level represents a logical high, the third voltage level represents a logical high; and

when the second voltage level represents a logical low, the fourth voltage level represents a logical low.

15. The circuit of claim 13 , wherein

when the first voltage level represents a logical high, the third voltage level represents a logical low; and

when the second voltage level represents a logical low, the fourth voltage level represents a logical high.

16. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein

the input signal adheres to a first signaling standard; and

the output signal adheres to a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor differential signaling standard, wherein the first signaling standard is different from the second signaling standard.

17. The circuit of claim 16 , wherein

the first signaling standard is one of the following signaling standards: current-mode logic, transistor-transistor logic, low-voltage transistor-transistor logic, and emitter-coupled logic.

Assignments (5)
PATENT RELEASE AND REASSIGNMENT Recorded Jul 5, 2022
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: II-VI INCORPORATED; MARLOW INDUSTRIES, INC.; EPIWORKS, INC.; LIGHTSMYTH TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; KAILIGHT PHOTONICS, INC.; COADNA PHOTONICS, INC.; OPTIUM CORPORATION; FINISAR CORPORATION; II-VI OPTICAL SYSTEMS, INC.; M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; II-VI PHOTONICS (US), INC.; II-VI DELAWARE, INC.; II-VI OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES, INC.; PHOTOP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 060574/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 1, 2022
From: II-VI INCORPORATED; II-VI DELAWARE, INC.; M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; II-VI PHOTONICS (US), INC.; PHOTOP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; COHERENT, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 060562/0254 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2020
From: FINISAR CORPORATION
To: II-VI DELAWARE, INC.
Reel/Frame 052286/0001 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Sep 25, 2019
From: II-VI INCORPORATED; MARLOW INDUSTRIES, INC.; EPIWORKS, INC.; LIGHTSMYTH TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; KAILIGHT PHOTONICS, INC.; COADNA PHOTONICS, INC.; OPTIUM CORPORATION; FINISAR CORPORATION; II-VI OPTICAL SYSTEMS, INC.; M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; II-VI PHOTONICS (US), INC.; II-VI DELAWARE, INC.; II-VI OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES, INC.; PHOTOP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 050484/0204 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2017
From: NGUYEN, THE'LINH
To: FINISAR CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042680/0548 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 14738472 · Jun 12, 2015
Provisional Application 62018792 · Jun 30, 2014
Related Publication 20160380633A1 · Dec 29, 2016