摘要 |
<p>An integrated circuit (IC) includes a programmable gain amplifier. The programmable gain amplifier comprises a first-stage amplifier configured to operate with at least one relatively high power supply voltage in order to accommodate at the input of the first-stage amplifier a relatively large range of input signals, the first-stage amplifier having a gain setting that is adjustable from a set of predetermined gain settings separated in relatively coarse increments so as to minimize the number of analog switches that must be implemented with high-voltage active devices in order to set each gain setting. The programmable gain amplifier also includes a second-stage amplifier configured to operate with at least one relatively low power supply voltage, lower than the high power supply voltage in order to minimize the required IC area for the second-stage amplifier, wherein the gain of the second-stage amplifier is adjustable from a set of gain settings separated in relatively small increments between the coarse increments in order to achieve a combined predetermined gain resolution. The gain of the programmable gain amplifier is programmable by adjusting the gain of each of the first-stage and second-stage amplifiers.</p> |