MULTIPLE DIE INDUSTRIAL PROCESS CONTROL TRANSMITTER

摘要

A two-wire industrial process control transmitter includes a sensor (14), at least two integrated circuits (70, 72), and a level shift circuit (48). The first integrated circuit (70) contains the analog measurement circuit that includes a sensor detection circuit (16) and the analog portion (44) of a digital-to-analog convertor. The second integrated circuit (72) contains the digital system circuit that includes a modem (78) and the digital portion (46) of the analog-to-digital convertor. The first and second Ics may be powered at different voltage levels (Vdda, Vddd) to maximize the power of the analog circuit and improve resolution. Alternatively, the Ics may be powered at the same voltage level (Vddd), but the digital circuits are divided among several stacked dies (120, 122) to minimize the voltage for each digital circuit. In either case, the level shifting circuit (48) shifts the voltage level between the analog and digital circuits.