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Author Articles

  • In-Circuit Offset Adjustment Debuts With New Op Amp

    By Tets Maniwa, January 20, 2003

    A new high-slew-rate dual precision CMOS operational amplifier can change the input offset while in circuit. Developed by Advanced Linear Devices Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., the ALD2724E and ALD2724 offer an alternative to junction FET (JFET) input op...

  • High-Precision Reference Cinches Error-Budget Belt

    By Tets Maniwa, January 20, 2003

    To address the growing need for ever tighter error budgets in mixed-signal systems, Maxim Integrated Products of Sunnyvale, Calif., has introduced a family of low-temperature-drift voltage references. The MAX6133 series tightens the error budget by...

  • “Amp In A Mike ” Replaces FET

    By Tets Maniwa, January 20, 2003

    The single FET in an electret microphone's housing may soon become an endangered species. National Semicon-ductor Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., has two amplifiers that replace the junction FET (JFET) in current electret mikes. A high-gain...

  • Analog/Mixed-Signal: Overview

    By Tets Maniwa, January 06, 2003

    Last year was supposed to ring in the "Recovery" after the worst year in semiconductor history, yet everyone is still holding their breath for the economy to revive. Most analysts have reported that semiconductor sales grew a meager 1% in 2002, but...

  • Analog/Mixed-Signal: Analog-To-Digital Converters

    By Tets Maniwa, January 06, 2003

    The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) segment is closely aligned with the overall drive to perform as much signal processing in the digital domain. The drivers and trends are similar to the pressures that affect the logic areas. Converters are moving...

  • Analog/Mixed-Signal: Digital-To-Analog Converters

    By Tets Maniwa, January 06, 2003

    Like their analog-to-digital converter (ADC) counterparts, digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are moving toward higher speeds and resolutions at a lower operating power. The primary drivers are higher speed, greater resolution, and lower power....

  • Analog/Mixed-Signal: Amplifiers

    By Tets Maniwa, January 06, 2003

    As basic building blocks, the equally ubiquitous amplifier and comparator can be designed into a host of circuits. The wide range of amplifier functions and large number of variants within each category indicate the high degree of specialization in...

  • Analog/Mixed-Signal: More

    By Tets Maniwa, January 06, 2003

    Amplifiers and data converters dominate the analog and mixed-signal markets, but lots of other functions are crucial within this industry segment. Space constraints prevent addressing all of them, so we'll focus on two of the fastest growing areas: RF...

  • Programmable Logic: To HDL Or Not To HDL?

    By Tets Maniwa, December 23, 2002

    Strategies for EDA tool usage will change course as gate levels, and ultimately costs, rise in programmable logic designs. For designs below 25,000 gates, the basic tools from logic vendors and many standard design tools are available for very little...

  • If Performance And Cost Are Key, Why Overdo The Integration?

    By Tets Maniwa, November 25, 2002

    The advent of the 90-nm CMOS processes enables a boatload of logic and memory within a single IC, measured in tens of millions of gates. The first-order thinking is that it's always possible to add a little more circuitry into the mix and eventually...

  • BiCom-III Process Triples Speed, Halves Noise

    By Tets Maniwa, October 28, 2002

    Dubbed BiCOM-III, TI's recently announced silicon-germanium (SiGe) complementary bipolar-CMOS manufacturing process integrates both NPN- and PNP-type bi-polar transistors. The result of this first-ever integration is speeds up to three times faster...

  • 100-kHz Op Amps Need Very Little Quiescent Current

    By Tets Maniwa, October 28, 2002

    A family of operational amplifiers featuring a gain-bandwidth product of 100 kHz typically requires an ultra-low quiescent current of 600 nA and a maximum quiescent current of just 1 µA. Microchip Technology's MCP614-XA family consists...

  • Low-Noise Differential Amplifiers Include 10-MHz Low-Pass Filter

    By Tets Maniwa, October 28, 2002

    The LT6600-10 combines a high-speed differential amplifier and a 10-MHz low-pass filter. Gain is programmed with two resistors for a gain range of −12 to 12 dB. It also provides the necessary level shifting to set the device's output common-mode...

  • Superfast Op Amps Break 2-GHz Bandwidth Barrier

    By Tets Maniwa, October 28, 2002

    Until now, very high-speed Operational Amplifiers (OP AMPS) have offered a top bandwidth of about a gigahertz. The addition of silicon germanium (SiGe) to a high-speed bipolar-CMOS process results in a family of fixed-gain, voltage-feedback op amps...

  • Successive-Approximation Register ADCs Sample To 800 ksamples/s

    By Tets Maniwa, October 14, 2002

    Three additions to the PulSAR family of successive-approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) offer sampling rates of 800 ksamples/s (AD7674), 100 ksamples/s (AD7678), and 570 ksamples/s (AD7679). These monolithic 18-bit SAR ADCs...

  • Blue Laser Driver Handles High-Capacity Blu-Ray Disc DVD Standard

    By Tets Maniwa, October 14, 2002

    The EL6900C is the world's first laser driver designed specifically for the new Blu-Ray Disc industry-standard disc-recording format. The complete laser diode driver includes a two-channel sample and hold that can be programmed for four...

  • Programmable Analog Functions Are Going Mainstream

    By Tets Maniwa, October 14, 2002

    We have always had programmable analog circuits. Any circuit that makes outputs change as a function of inputs is in some way programmable. Examples include gain change as a function of voltage or current (automatic gain control, or AGC) and frequency...

  • Shrinking Geometries Bring The Vanishing, Ideal Transistor

    By Tets Maniwa, September 30, 2002

    The latest Spice transistor models contain provisions for modeling the complex junction characteristics. They can even extend the simulations to include RF performance. In many ways, the CMOS transistor is moving toward the performance of an ideal...

  • High-Output Precision Temperature Sensor Delivers High Noise Immunity

    By Tets Maniwa, September 30, 2002

    The MAX6612 precision analog output temperature sensor features a large change in output voltage with temperature change—19.53 mV/°C—for greater noise immunity than conventional temperature sensors. More importantly, this high delta...

  • Programmable Analog Arrays Enable Dynamic Changes Within Modules

    By Tets Maniwa, September 02, 2002

    The AN220E04, also known as the Anadigmvortex, is the first of a family of second-generation field-programmable analog arrays (FPAAs). It's based on fully differential switched-capacitor technology coupled to a digitally controlled analog switch...