Pulse generation circuit and method with transmission pre-emphasis

Claim 2

A shaped pulse generation circuit, comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce an electrical output pulse having a pulse shape as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit changing the shape of said output pulse compared to the pulse shape that would be produced in the absence of said feedback circuit and, together with said pulse forming circuit, presenting a constant output impedance.

Claim 3

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 1 , wherein said feedback circuit provides pre-emphasis to said output pulse.

Claim 4

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 2 , wherein said feedback circuit responds to an edge of said output pulse to provide said pre-emphasis as an edge overshoot.

Claim 5

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 3 , wherein said feedback circuit responds to both leading and trailing edges of said output pulse to provide respective overshoots to said edges.

Claim 6

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 3 , wherein said feedback circuit is programmable to control the amount of said pre-emphasis.

Claim 7

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 1 , wherein said pulse forming circuit drives an output transistor to produce said output pulse, and said feedback circuit modifies the output transistor drive.

Claim 8

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 6 , wherein said pulse forming circuit provides a current drive to said output transistor, and said feedback circuit adds a pre-emphasis current to said output transistor current drive.

Claim 9

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 1 , said pulse forming circuit comprising a pin driver for automated test equipment.

Claim 10

A shaped pulse generation circuit, comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce an electrical output pulse having a pulse shape as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit changing the shape of said output pulse compared to the pulse shape that would be produced in the absence of said feedback circuit by providing pre-emphasis to said output pulse, said feedback circuit responding to an edge of said output pulse to provide said pre-emphasis as an edge overshoot, said feedback circuit including a pre-emphasis programming element and, except for said programming element, being integrated together with said pulse forming circuit in a common integrated circuit chip.

Claim 11

A shaped pulse generation circuit, comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce an electrical output pulse having a pulse shape as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit changing the shape of said output pulse compared to the pulse shape that would be produced in the absence of said feedback circuit by providing pre-emphasis to said output pulse, said feedback circuit responding to an edge of said output pulse to provide said pre-emphasis as an edge overshoot, said feedback circuit including a pre-emphasis programming element and, except for said programming element, being integrated together with said pulse forming circuit in a common integrated circuit chip.

Claim 12

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 9 , wherein said programming element is off-chip.

Claim 13

A shaped pulse generation circuit, comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce an electrical output pulse having a pulse shape as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit changing the shape of said output pulse compared to the pulse shape that would be produced in the absence of said feedback circuit, said pulse forming circuit providing a current drive to an output transistor to produce said output pulse, and said feedback circuit modifying the output transistor drive by adding a pre-emphasis current to said output transistor current drive, said feedback circuit comprising an amplifier connected to receive a signal indicative of the output pulse, and an RC circuit connected to cause said amplifier to produce said pre-emphasis current as an edge overshoot for said output pulse.

Claim 14

A shaped pulse generation circuit, comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce an electrical output pulse having a pulse shape as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit changing the shape of said output pulse compared to the pulse shape that would be produced in the absence of said feedback circuit, said pulse forming circuit providing a current drive to an output transistor to produce said output pulse, and said feedback circuit modifying the output transistor drive by adding a pre-emphasis current to said output transistor current drive, said feedback circuit comprising an amplifier connected to receive a signal indicative of the output pulse, and an RC circuit connected to cause said amplifier to produce said pre-emphasis current as an edge overshoot for said output pulse.

Claim 15

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 11 , said amplifier comprising a pair of amplifiers connected to provide positive and negative overshoots for leading and trailing edges, respectively, of said output pulse.

Claim 16

A shaped pulse generation circuit, comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce electrical pulses as an output, and a pre-emphasis circuit connected to pre-emphasize edges of said output pulses by causing them to overshoot, said pre-emphasis circuit together with said pulse forming circuit presenting a constant output impedance.

Claim 17

A shaped pulse generation circuit, comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce electrical pulses as an output, and a pre-emphasis circuit connected to pre-emphasize edges of said output pulses by causing them to overshoot, said pre-emphasis circuit together with said pulse forming circuit presenting a constant output impedance.

Claim 18

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 13 , wherein said pre-emphasis circuit responds to both rising and falling edges of said output pulses to provide respective overshoots to said edges.

Claim 19

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 13 , wherein said pre-emphasis circuit is programmable to adjust the amount of said pre-emphasis.

Claim 20

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 13 , wherein said pulse forming circuit drives an output transistor to produce said output pulses, and said pre-emphasis circuit pre-emphasizes a drive signal to said output transistor.

Claim 21

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 13 , said pulse forming circuit comprising a pin driver for automated test equipment.

Claim 22

A shaped pulse generation circuit, comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce electrical pulses as an output, and a pre-emphasis circuit connected to pre-emphasize edges of said output pulses by causing them to overshoot, wherein said pre-emphasis circuit includes a pre-emphasis programming element and, except for said programming element, is integrated together with said pulse forming circuit in a common integrated circuit chip.

Claim 23

A shaped pulse generation circuit, comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce electrical pulses as an output, and a pre-emphasis circuit connected to pre-emphasize edges of said output pulses by causing them to overshoot, wherein said pre-emphasis circuit includes a pre-emphasis programming element and, except for said programming element, is integrated together with said pulse forming circuit in a common integrated circuit chip.

Claim 24

The shaped pulse generation circuit of claim 18 , wherein said programming element is off-chip.

Claim 27

The method of claim 20 , wherein said pre-emphasized pulse is generated by generating initial pulse edges with said desired shape, and operating upon said edges to produce said pre-emphasized pulse.

Claim 28

The method of claim 21 , wherein said initial pulse edges are operated upon by sensing them, generating in response to the initial pulse edges thus sensed, and adding said to the sensed edges.

Claim 29

The method of claim 22 , wherein both leading and trailing edges of said initial pulse are sensed, and overshoots of opposite sign are generated and added to respective ones of said edges.

Claim 30

The method of claim 22 , wherein said initial pulse edges are generated by controlling the current drives of output transistors to produce an output voltage, sensing said output voltage, generating overshoot currents in response to the sensed output voltage, and adding said overshoot currents to the transistor drives to impart said desired pulse shape to said output voltage.

Claim 31

The method of claim 20 , wherein said pre-emphasized pulse is generated by an automated test equipment pin driver and transmitted through said transmission system to a device under test.

Claim 32

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generation circuit that is connectable to apply a pulse to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce an electrical pulse as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit establishing said output pulse with a pulse shape that is pre-emphasized to compensate for the distortion of said transmission system, so that said pulses have a desired non-pre-emphasized shape when delivered from said transmission system.

Claim 33

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generation circuit that is connectable to apply a pulse to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce an electrical pulse as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit establishing said output pulse with a pulse shape that is pre-emphasized to compensate for the distortion of said transmission system, so that said pulses have a desired non-pre-emphasized shape when delivered from said transmission system.

Claim 34

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 26 , wherein said feedback circuit responds to an edge of said output pulse to provide said pre-emphasis as an edge overshoot.

Claim 35

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 26 , wherein said feedback circuit responds to both leading and trailing edges of said output pulse to provide respective overshoots to said edges.

Claim 36

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 26 , wherein said pulse forming circuit drives an output transistor to produce said output pulse, and said feedback circuit modifies a drive signal to said output transistor.

Claim 37

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 29 , wherein said pulse forming circuit provides a current drive to said output transistor, and said feedback circuit adds a pre-emphasis current to said output transistor current drive.

Claim 38

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 26 , said pulse forming circuit comprising a pin driver for automated test equipment, and said transmission system transmitting said pulse to a device under test.

Claim 39

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 26 , said pulse generating circuit presenting a constant output impedance.

Claim 40

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generation circuit that is connectable to apply a pulse to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce an electrical pulse as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit establishing said output pulse with a desired pulse shape that is pre-distorted to compensate for the distortion of said transmission system, wherein said feedback circuit includes a pre-emphasis programming element, responds to an edge of said output pulse to provide pre-emphasis to said output pulse as an edge overshoot and, except for said pre-emphasis programming element, is integrated together with said pulse forming circuit in a common integrated circuit chip.

Claim 41

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generation circuit that is connectable to apply a pulse to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce an electrical pulse as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit establishing said output pulse with a desired pulse shape that is pre-distorted to compensate for the distortion of said transmission system, wherein said feedback circuit includes a pre-emphasis programming element, responds to an edge of said output pulse to provide pre-emphasis to said output pulse as an edge overshoot and, except for said pre-emphasis programming element, is integrated together with said pulse forming circuit in a common integrated circuit chip.

Claim 42

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 33 , wherein said programming element is off-chip.

Claim 43

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generation circuit that is connectable to apply a pulse to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit circuit arranged to produce an electrical pulse as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit establishing said output pulse with a desired pulses shape that is pre-distorted to compensate for the distortion of said transmission system, said pulse forming circuit providing current drive to an output transistor to produce said output pulse, and said feedback circuit modifying a drive signal to said output transistor by adding a pre-emphasis current to said output transistor current drive, said feedback circuit comprising an amplifier connected to receive a signal indicative of the output pulse, and an RC circuit connected to cause said amplifier to produce said pre-emphasis current as an edge overshoot for said output pulse.

Claim 44

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generation circuit that is connectable to apply a pulse to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit circuit arranged to produce an electrical pulse as an output, and an active feedback circuit connected to provide an active feedback path between said output and said pulse forming circuit, said feedback circuit establishing said output pulse with a desired pulses shape that is pre-distorted to compensate for the distortion of said transmission system, said pulse forming circuit providing current drive to an output transistor to produce said output pulse, and said feedback circuit modifying a drive signal to said output transistor by adding a pre-emphasis current to said output transistor current drive, said feedback circuit comprising an amplifier connected to receive a signal indicative of the output pulse, and an RC circuit connected to cause said amplifier to produce said pre-emphasis current as an edge overshoot for said output pulse.

Claim 45

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 35 , said amplifier comprising a pair of amplifiers connected to provide positive and negative overshoots for leading and trailing edges, respectively, of said output pulse.

Claim 46

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generating circuit that is connectable to apply pulses to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce electrical pulses as an output, and a pre-emphasis circuit connected to pre-emphasize edges of said output pulses by causing them to overshoot sufficiently to compensate for said distortion, so that said pulses have a desired non-pre-emphasized shape when delivered from said transmission system.

Claim 47

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generating circuit that is connectable to apply pulses to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce electrical pulses as an output, and a pre-emphasis circuit connected to pre-emphasize edges of said output pulses by causing them to overshoot sufficiently to compensate for said distortion, so that said pulses have a desired non-pre-emphasized shape when delivered from said transmission system.

Claim 48

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 37 , wherein said pre-emphasis circuit responds to both rising and falling edges of said output pulses to provide respective overshoots to said edges.

Claim 49

The shaped pulse delivery system of claims 37 , wherein said pulse forming circuit drives an output transistor to produce said output pulses, and said pre-emphasis circuit pre-emphasizes the output transistor drive.

Claim 50

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 37 , said pulse forming circuit comprising a pin driver for automated test equipment, and said transmission system transmitting said pulse to a device under test.

Claim 51

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 37 , said pulse generating circuit presenting a constant output impedance.

Claim 52

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generating circuit that is connectable to apply pulses to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce electrical pulses as an output, and a pre-emphasis circuit connected to pre-emphasize edges of said output pulses by causing them to overshoot sufficiently to compensate for said distortion, so that said pulses have a desired non-pre-emphasized shape when delivered from said transmission system, wherein said pre-emphasis circuit includes a pre-emphasis programming element and, except for said programming element, is integrated together with said pulse forming circuit in a common integrated circuit chip.

Claim 53

A shaped pulse delivery system, comprising: an electrical signal transmission system that imparts a distortion to signals which it transmits, and a shaped electrical pulse generating circuit that is connectable to apply pulses to said signal transmission system, said pulse generation circuit comprising: a pulse forming circuit arranged to produce electrical pulses as an output, and a pre-emphasis circuit connected to pre-emphasize edges of said output pulses by causing them to overshoot sufficiently to compensate for said distortion, so that said pulses have a desired non-pre-emphasized shape when delivered from said transmission system, wherein said pre-emphasis circuit includes a pre-emphasis programming element and, except for said programming element, is integrated together with said pulse forming circuit in a common integrated circuit chip.

Claim 54

The shaped pulse delivery system of claim 42 , wherein said programming element is off-chip.