Electrical Dictionary

GLOSSARY - ALL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS LISTED
ALPHABETICALLY
1-Wire
A single-wire (plus ground) communications protocol.

More info:
1-Wire Memory Products
1-Wire Interface Solutions
1-Wire SW Tools
1-Wire Master
A 1-Wire interface master controller.
10GbE
10-Gigabit Ethernet
3G
Third-generation mobile telephone protocols that support higher data

rates, for non-voice communications such as multimedia and Internet
access.
3GPP
Third Generation Partnership Project, a collaboration of cell phone

technology standards bodies.www.3gpp.org/.
802.11
IEEE standard that specifies medium-access and physical-layer

specifications for 1Mbps and 2Mbps wireless connectivity between
fixed, portable, and moving stations within a local area.
802.11a
The IEEE standard that governs the deployment of 5GHz OFDM

systems. It specifies the implementation of the physical layer for
wireless UNII b.
802.11b
An international IEEE standard for WLAN networks, operating at

2.4GHz and providing a maximum data transfer rate of 11Mbps.
802.11g
A proposed standard that describes a wireless networking method for a

WLAN that operates in the 2.4GHz radio band (ISM: Industrial
Scientific Medical frequency band). It transfers data at up to 54Mbps.
A-Weighting
A-weighting is a standard weighting curve applied to audio

measurements, designed to reflect the response of the human ear.
Sound-pressure levels derived using A-weighting are denoted by "dBA,"
or A-weighted dB levels.
A/D Converter
Analog to digital. Specifically: A/D converter, a circuit that converts

analog signals into a stream of digital data.
Accelerometer
A sensor or transducer for measuring acceleration.
ACPI
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface: An industry-standard

specification (co-developed by Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft,
Phoenix, and Toshiba) for operating-system-directed power

management for laptop, desktop, and server computers. A replacement
for APM.
ACPR
Adjacent (alternate)-channel power ratio
ACR
Accumulated current register
ADM
Add/Drop Multiplexer: A synchronous transmission network (SDH or

Sonet) can carry multiple channels. An Add/Drop Multiplexer is a
device that adds (inserts) or drops (removes) lower-data-rate channel
traffic from the higher-rate aggregated channel.
ADPCM
Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation: A compression technique

that encodes only the difference between sequential samples.
ADS
Analog design system
ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line: A method for moving data over

regular phone lines. An ADSL circuit carries much more data than a
modem can encode on a regular phone connection. ADSL rides on the
regular phone wires coming into the subscriber's premises (twisted pair
copper).
AEC-Q100
A qualification test sequence for integrated circuits developed by the

AIAG automotive organization.
AFE
Analog Front End: The analog portion of a circuit which precedes A/D
conversion.
AGC
Automatic Gain Control: A circuit that modulates an amplifier's gain, in

response to the relative strength of the input signal, in order to maintain
the output power.
Ah
Ampere-hour(s): A measure of battery capacity. A 4Ah battery could, for

instance, deliver 1A for 4 hours, 1/2A for 8 hours, etc.
Air Discharge
A method for testing ESD-protection structures in which the ESD

generator is discharged through an air gap between the generator and the
device under test (DUT).
AIS
Alarm indication system
AISG
The Antenna Interface Standards Group (AISG) creates open

specifications for antenna-line control and monitoring for 3G systems.
Source: AISG website
Aliasing
In A/D conversion, the Nyquist principle states that the sampling rate
must be at least twice the maximum bandwidth of the analog signal. If
the sampling rate is insufficient, then higher-frequency components are
"undersampled" and appear shifted to lower-frequencies. These
frequency-shifted components are called aliases.
The frequencies that shift are sometimes called "folded" frequencies
because a spectral plot looks like it was folded to superimpose the
higher frequency components over the sub-Nyquist portion of the band.

Also see:
Application Note/Tutorial: Filter Basics: Anti-Aliasing
The Basics of Anti-Aliasing: Using Switched-Capacitor Filters
Mathematical Basics of Band-Limited Sampling and Aliasing
Folded-Frequency Calculator
Alternator
An electromechanical device that converts mechanical power into AC

electrical power.
Typically, a magnet spins inside a coil, inducing alternating current in
the windings. The magnet can be a permanent magnet, an iron rotor in
which a magnetic field is induced, or an electromagnet powered by an
externally applied current.
AM
Amplitude Modulation: A modulation method in which the carrier

amplitude changes with the input signal amplitude.
Ambient
Temperature
Temperature of the air surrounding a component.
Ambient
Temperature
Sensor
Temperature sensor used to measure the temperature of the air that

surrounds a component (the ambient temperature).
AMLCD
Active-matrix liquid-crystal display
Amp
1. Ampere
2. Amplifier
Ampacity
The amount of current a conductor can carry without exceeding its

specified temperature, in amperes.
Ampere
Ampere(s), the unit of electrical current. Current is defined as the

amount of charge that flows past a give point, per unit of time.
The symbol I is used for current in equations and A is the abbreviation
for ampere.
Ampere-hour
A measure of charge (or current flow over time).
One ampere-hour (or amp-hour or Ah) is a current of one ampere

flowing for one hour. The amount of charge transferred in that
hour is 3,600 coulombs (ampere-seconds).
A milliampere-hour (mAh or milliamp-hour) is a thousandth of

an amp-hour.
An ampere-second (A-s or amp-second) is an amp supplied for

one second.
A common use of the term is rating energy storage device capacity,

especially rechargeable batteries. For example, a 12-volt, 7Ah
rechargeable battery used in an alarm system will supply an amp at the
rated voltage range for seven hours, 2 amps for 3.5 hours, etc. If my
alarm consumes 250mA, this battery would operate the system for 28
hours.
See:
Battery Considerations for Today's Low-Power, Long-Life Solid

State Devices
Evaluating Accuracy of Coulomb-Counting Fuel-Gauging

Systems
Amplifier
An electrical circuit that produces an output that is a replica of the input.

The output may be scaled or have increased drive, or it may provide
isolation (so changes in output conditions do not affect the input or
other outputs). It may perform other transformations (e.g., filtering or
logarithmic drive).
Amplifier Class
Amplifier circuit types are divided into "classes" which describe

whether the amplifier operates in a linear or switching mode, and any
techniques used to restore linearity of output.
AMPS
Advanced Mobile Phone System: An analog only, 1G standard that

operates in the 800MHz to 900MHz frequency band. It is still widely
used in the United States.
AMR
Automatic Meter Reading: A system installed to read a utility meter

remotely.
Analog
A system in which an electrical value (usually voltage or current, but

sometimes frequency, phase, etc.) represents something in the physical
world. The electrical signal can then be processed, transmitted,
amplified, and finally, transformed back into a physical quality.
For example: A microphone produces a current that is proportional to
sound pressure. Various stages amplify, process, modulate, etc.
Ultimately, a varying voltage is presented to a speaker which converts it
back to sound waves.
By contrast, a digital system handles a signal as a stream of numbers.
Analog Switch
An analog switch (sometimes just called a "switch") is a switching

device capable of switching or routing analog signals (meaning signals
that can have any level within a specified legal range), based on the
level of a digital control signal. Commonly implemented using a
"transmission gate," an analog switch performs a function similar to that
of a relay.
For example, an analog switch can turn an audio signal on or off based
on a MUTE signal; or analog switches could send one of two signals to
a headphone amplifier.
Most commonly implemented using CMOS technology integrated
circuits. Maxim makes hundreds of examples. See the Analog Switch
and Multiplexer Product Line page.
Also see What is a Transmission Gate (Analog Switch)?.
Analog
Temperature
Sensor
Temperature sensor with a continuous analog voltage or current output

that is related, usually linearly, to the measured temperature.
AND
Combining two signals so that the output is on if both signals are

present. This can be accomplished by an AND logic gate (two inputs,
one output which is high if both inputs are).
ANSI
American National Standards Institute
Anti-Aliasing
An anti-aliasing filter is used before A/D conversion. It is a lowpass

filter that removes signal components above the Nyquist frequency,
thereby eliminating their sampled replicas (aliases) in the baseband.
Also see:
APC
Automatic Power Control: Feature in laser drivers (such as the

MAX3669) that uses feedback from the laser to adjust the drive, to keep
the laser's output constant.
APD
Avalanche Photo Diode: A photodiode designed to take advantage of

avalanche multiplication of photocurrent to provide gain. As the
reverse-bias voltage approaches the break-down voltage, hole-electron
pairs created by absorbed photons acquire sufficient energy to create
additional hole-electron pairs when they collide with ions. Thus a
multiplication or signal gain is achieved.
API
Application program interface: A software layer that allows a system to

be programmed via a defined set of commands.
APM
Advanced Power Management: Power management standard for

computers that provides five power states: Ready, Stand-by, Suspended,
Hibernation, Off.
APON
ATM (-based) passive optical network
APQP
Advanced Product Quality Planning. System developed by the AIAG

automotive organization to communicate common product quality
planning and control plan guidelines for suppliers to the automotive
industry.
ASCII
American Standard Codes for Information Interchange
ASIC
Application-specific integrated circuit.

See: Maxim ASIC services.
ATE
Automatic test equipment; automated test equipment. See: "Maxim ATE

Solutions."
ATM
Asynchronous transfer mode
Auto Shutdown
A feature in EIA-232 interface devices which puts the IC into a lowpower shutdown mode when no signal is present on the EIA-232 bus.
Autoshutdown
Plus
A feature in EIA-232 interface devices which puts the IC into a lowpower shutdown mode when no signal is present on the bus or the
transmitter inputs.
Autotransformer
An autotransformer is a transformer that uses a common winding for

both the primary and secondary windings. Essentially an inductor with a
center-tap, an autotransformer is often used in power-supply boostconverter applications to achieve a higher output voltage, while limiting
the peak flyback voltage seen by the power switch.
AWG
1. Arbitrary waveform generator

2. American Wire Gauge: A measure of wire thickness (which also
dictates cross-sectional area, and for a given material, ampacity).
Example: 24 AWG wire has a nominal diameter of 0.0201in or
0.511mm. Also called the Brown and Sharpe Wire Gauge.
Note that steel wire is measured by a different gauge. AWG only applies
to wire used to conduct electricity.
1. Bel: Measurement of a signal's power compared to a reference; also,

measurement of sound pressure. See the more commonly used term,
"decibel," or, "dB."
2. Symbol for magnetic flux density or magnetic field, as in "B-field."
Backup Step-Up
Step-up, switching-regulator power supply with a backup battery

switchover.
Bandwidth
1. Bandwidth (BW) is a range of frequencies, or information, that a

circuit can handle or the range of frequencies that a signal contains or
occupies.
Example: An AM broadcast radio channel in the US has a bandwidth of
10kHz, meaning that it occupies a 10kHz-wide band, such as the
frequencies from 760kHz to 770kHz.
2. The amount of data a digital channel or line can handle, expressed in
bits per second (bps), kilobits per second (kbps), baud, or a similar
measure.
Base Station
A base station (or basestation) is a wireless transceiver at a fixed

location (e.g. atop a telephone pole) which is part of a wireless
communications network, e.g. the cell phone network. Typically, the
base station connects to any cell phones in its area and relays the calls to
the wired network.
A femto base station is a smaller, personal base station which might
cover a home or building and connect via a DSL Internet connection.
Baseline
The electrical signal from a sensor when no measured variable is

present. Often referred to the output at no-load condition.
Bass Boost
Circuitry that boosts the bass response of the amplifier, improving audio
reproduction, especially when using inexpensive headphones.
Battery Backup
A feature of microprocessor supervisory circuits and some power

supplies to switch between a main power source and a battery.
Battery Freshness A feature in microprocessor supervisory circuits which disconnects a

Seal
backup battery from any down-stream circuitry until VCC is applied the
first time. This keeps a backup battery from discharging until the first
time a board is plugged in and used, and thus preserves the battery life.
Battery Fuel
Gauge
A feature or device that measures the accumulated energy added to and

removed from a battery, allowing accurate estimates of battery charge
level.
Battery Monitor
A feature that monitors the voltage on a battery and indicates when the
battery is low. It is usually implemented using a comparator to compare
the battery voltage to a specified level. May also include functions such
as charging, remaining capacity estimation, safety monitoring, unique
ID, temperature measurement, and nonvolatile (NV) parametric storage.
Battery
Switchover
A circuit that switches between the higher of a main supply and a

backup battery.
BCD
Binary-coded decimal: Representation of a number in which each

decimal digit (0-9) is encoded in binary, with four bits per decimal digit.
BER
Bit Error Rate: A measure of the number of erroneous bits which can be
expected in a specified number of bits in a serial stream.
BERT
Bit Error Rate (BER) Tester: A piece of test equipment which

determines the bit error rate for a device under test (DUT).
Beyond-theRails
Maxim's name for a feature of an IC that can process inputs and provide
output voltages that exceed the supply rails. The feature is achieved
through on-chip integration of necessary supply rails.
BGA
Ball grid array: A packaging technology.
Bidirectional
The device accommodates signals traveling either direction though a

single channel.
Bipolar Inputs
An input which accommodates signals both above and below ground.
Bipolar Junction
Transistor
A Bipolar Junction Transistor, or BJT, is a solid-state device in which

the current flow between two terminals (the collector and the emitter) is
controlled by the amount of current that flows through a third terminal
(the base).
Contrast to the other main transistor type, the FET, in which the ouput
current is controlled by input voltage (rather than by input current).
BIST
Built-in self-test.
Bit Banging
A technique which uses the general-purpose ports of a microcontroller

to emulate a serial interface standard (I2C, SPI, etc).
Bit Error Ratio
The number of erroneous bits divided by the total number of bits

transmitted, received, or processed over some stipulated period.
Blade Server
A blade server is a computer system on a motherboard, which includes

processor(s), memory, a network connection, and sometimes storage.
The blade idea is intended to address the needs of large-scale computing
centers to reduce space requirements for application servers and lower
costs.
Blink Control
Controls the display segment blink rate.
BLM
Ball limiting metal
Bluetooth
A technology that allows voice and data connections between a wide

range of mobile and stationary devices through short-range digital twoway radio. For instance, it specifies how mobile phones, Wireless
Information Devices (WIDs), computers and PDAs interconnect with
each other, with computers, and with office or home phones.
BLVDS
Bus low-voltage differential signal
BOC
Bit-oriented code
Boost Converter
A power supply that steps an input voltage up (boosts it) to a higher,

regulated voltage.
Bootstrap
Often refers to using the output of a step-up converter to drive the main
power FET switch, providing more gate drive than the input can supply
alone. Also refers to using a switched capacitor to boost the voltage of a
node.
BPON
Broadband passive optical network
BPSK
Binary phase-shift keying
BRD
Band-rate divisor
Break-BeforeMake
Break-Before-Make: A switch that is configured to break (open) the first

set of contacts before engaging (closing) the new contacts. This prevents
the momentary connection of the old and new signal paths.
Applies to mechanical systems (e.g. that use relays or manual switches)
and to solid-state analog multiplexers and switches.

BRI
Bit-rate interface
Bridge Battery
A battery intended to provide power to system memory while the main

battery is replaced.
Bridge-Tied Load Used in audio applications, the load (a speaker in this case) is connected
between two audio amplifier outputs (it "bridges" the two output
terminals).
This can double the voltage swing at the speaker, compared to a speaker
that is connected to ground. The ground-tied speaker can have a swing
from zero to the amplifier's supply voltage. A BTL-driven speaker can
see twice this swing because the amplifier can drive either the +
terminal of the speaker or the terminal, effectively doubling the
voltage swing.
Since twice the voltage means four times the power, this is a major
improvement, especially in applications where battery size dictates a
lower supply voltage e.g. automotive or handheld applications.
Brightness
Although the terms "brightness" and "luminance" are often used

interchangeably, they are different. Luminance is the light intensity;
brightness is how it is perceived by the human eye.
Broadband
A transmission medium with enough bandwidth to carry multiple voice,

video, or data channels simultaneously.
This technique is used, for example, to provide fifty CATV channels on
one coaxial cable; or to provide Internet access over cable TV; or to add
DSL to a voice-grade telephone line.
A common technique is frequency-division. Each channel is modulated
to a different frequency band and combined in the transmission medium.
It is demodulated to its original frequency at the receiving end.
Channels are separated by guardbands (empty spaces) to ensure that
each channel will not interfere with its neighboring channels.
Brownout
A condition where the voltage supplied to the system falls below the
specified operating range, but above 0V.
BSC
BSC (Basic Spacing between Centers) is a term that appears on IC

package drawings in reference to dimensions between pins.
"Basic" spacing is nominal and can change with conditions. For
example, the distance between the rows of pins on a DIP (dual inline
package) is BSC because it changes when the auto insertion machine
grabs the part, and again when the part is inserted. The BSC dimension,
in this case, is the dimension of the hole spacing that the part will fit
into, rather than the dimensions of the part itself.
BSLF
Best-straight-line fit
BT
Butterworth (filter)
BTS
Base Transceiver Station: The stationary component of a cellphone

system includes transmit-receive units and one or more antennae. The
combined systems (often including multiple co-located systems and
ganged directional antennae) is called a cell-site, a base station, or a
base transceiver station (BTS).
Buck
A "buck" or "step-down" switch-mode voltage regulator is one in which

the output voltage is lower than its input voltage.
Note: A customer asked the origin of the term and no one seems to
know! A buck regulator is a step-down regulator, as opposed to boost.
We think it's an American term in England it was always "stepdown."
Buck means to resist or reduce (as in "buck the trend"), and hence was
used to denote a step-down. Conveniently, it alliterates with the
opposite, a boost regulator.
See application note 660, "Regulator topologies for battery-powered
systems."
Buck-Boost
A switch-mode voltage regulator in which output voltage can be above

or below the input voltage.
systems."
Burst Dimming
Burst Dimming is a method of controlling the brightness of cold cathode

fluorescent lamps (CCFL) by turning the lamps on and off at a rate
faster than the human eye can detect. The on/off rate is nominally
100Hz to 300Hz. The higher the ratio of on-time to off-time, the
brighter the lamps will be. Because of CCFL response times, on-time to
off-time ratios of less than 1% are not practical.
Burst Mode
1) A temporary high-speed data-transfer mode that can transfer data at

significantly higher rates than would normally be achieved with
nonburst technology.
2) The maximum short-term throughput which a device is capable of
transferring data.
Bus
Data path that connects to a number of devices. A typical example is the

bus a computer's circuit board or backplane. Memory, processor, and
I/O devices may all share the bus to send data from one to another. A
bus acts as a shared highway and is in lieu of the many devoted
connections it would take to hook every device to every other device.
Often misspelled "buss."
BWLS
Bandwidth, Large Signal
BWSS
Bandwidth, Small Signal
1. Capacitance, capacitor
2. Coulomb
3. Color portion of a video signal (see "Y/C" definition)
C/N
Carrier-to-noise
CA
Common anode
CAD
Computer-aided design
CAN
Controller Area Network. The CAN protocol is an international standard

defined by ISO 11898.
Capacitive
Crosstalk
A phenomenon where a signal on one line/trace is capacitively coupled

to an adjacent line/trace.
Capacitor
A capacitor is a passive electronic component that consists of two

conductive plates separated by an insulating dielectric. A voltage
applied to the plates develops an electric field across the dielectric and
causes the plates to accumulate a charge. When the voltage source is
removed, the field and the charge remain until discharged, storing
energy.
Capacitance (or C, measured in farads), dictates the amount of charge
that can be stored at a given voltage (a one-farad capacitor charged to
one volt will hold one Coulomb of charge).
CardBus
32-bit version of the PC card (formerly PCMCIA) standard
CAS
Column-Address-Strobe: The signal that tells the DRAM to accept the

given address as a column-address; used with RAS and a row-address to
select a bit within the DRAM
CAT3
Category 3: Refers to Ethernet cabling that satisfies the criteria for the
EIA/TIA-568 standard's Category 3, which allows data transfers up to
10Mbps.
CAT5
Category 5: Refers to Ethernet cabling that satisfies the criteria for the
EIA/TIA-568 standard's Category 5, which allows data transfers up to
100Mbps.
CATV
Originally "Community Antenna Television," a term which now refers

to any community television system distributed by cable.
CBR
Constant bit rate
CC/CV Charger
Constant Current/Constant Voltage battery charger
CCCv
Constant current/constant voltage
CCD
Charge Coupled Device: One of the two main types of image sensors
used in digital cameras. When a picture is taken, the CCD is struck by
light coming through the camera's lens. Each of the thousands or
millions of tiny pixels that make up the CCD convert this light into
electrons. The accumulated charge at each pixel is measured, then
converted to a digital value. This last step occurs outside the CCD, in an
analog-to-digital converter (ADC).
CCFL
Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lighting: Often used as a backlight for LCD

displays.
CCFT
Cold Cathode Fluorescent Tube: Often used as a backlight for LCD

displays.
CCK
Complementary code keying
CCM
Continuous-conduction mode; crossconnect module
CDC
Clock distribution circuit
CDD
Clock Distribution Device or Clock Distribution Driver
CDMA
Code Division Multiple Access: A digital cellular technology that uses

spread-spectrum techniques. Unlike GSM and other competing systems
that use TDMA, CDMA does not assign a specific frequency to each
user. Instead, every channel uses the full available spectrum. Individual
conversations are encoded with a pseudo-random digital sequence.
CDR
Clock/data recovery. Clock/data recovery is a function or circuit that

extracts a clock signal from an incoming data stream.
CE Control
Chip enable control
CH
Chebyshev (filter)
Ch. to Ch. Skew

(Ps Max)
Channel-to-channel skew. A signal on one channel has a different phase

than the same signal on another channel (delayed/skewed). This is
measured in picoseconds, max.
Channel
Associated
Signaling
Channel Associated Signaling (CAS): Some communications protocols

include "signaling" functions along with data. Channel Associated
Signaling protocols include signaling in the data channel (as opposed to
a dedicated signaling channel).
Also called Robbed Bit Signaling.
Chans.
Channels
Charge Injection
A parameter pertinent to analog switches. As an analog switch turns on

and off, a small amount of charge can be capacitively coupled (injected)
from the digital control line to the analog signal path.
Charge Pump
A power supply which uses capacitors to store and transfer energy to the
output, often stepping the voltage up or down. Charge is transferred
from one capacitor to another under control of regulator and switching
circuitry.
Maxim offers both regulated and non-regulated charge pumps, as well
as ICs with on-board charge pumps to boost internal voltages.
See application note 2031, "DC-DC Converter Tutorial" and application
note 660, "Regulator topologies for battery-powered systems."
Charge
Termination
Method
Method the battery charger uses to determine when to terminate the

charging cycle.
CHATEAU
CHAnnelized T1 and E1 And Universal HDLC controller
Chip
1. Integrated circuit: A semiconductor device that combines multiple

transistors and other components and interconnects on a single piece of
semiconductor material.
2. Encoding element, in Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum systems.
Chip-Enable
Gating
A feature in microprocessor supervisory circuits which prevents the

writing of erroneous data when power falls outside of spec. When the
main power-supply voltage is below the minimum safe-operating limit,
the feature disconnects the chip-enable signal path from the host
microprocessor or microcontroller.
Chrominance
The color portion portion of a composite video signal. Forms a complete

picture once combined with the luminance component.
CID
Consecutive identical digit(s)
CIM
Cable integrity monitor
CISC
Complex instruction set computer (CISC): Computer hardware designed

to support complex instructions, as opposed to RISC (reduced
instruction set computer) architecture.
Class A
The simplest type of amplifier, class A amplifiers are those in which the
output transistors conduct (i.e. do not fully turn off) irrespective of the
output signal waveform. This type of amplifier is typically associated
with high linearity but low efficiency.
Class AB
Class AB amplifiers combine Class A and Class B to achieve an

amplifier with more efficiency than Class A but with lower distortion
than class B.
This is achieved by biasing both transistors so they conduct when the
signal is close to zero (the point where class B amplifiers introduce nonlinearities). The transistors transition to class B operation for large
excursions.
So, for small signals both transistors are active, acting like a class A
amplifier. For large signal excursions, only one transistor is active for
each half of the waveform, acting like a class B amplifier.
Class B
Class B amplifiers are those in which the output transistors only conduct
during half (180 degrees) of the signal waveform. To amplify the entire
signal two transistors are used, one conducting for positive output
signals and the other conducting for negative outputs.
Class B amplifiers are much more efficient than class A amplifiers, but
have high distortion due to the crossover point when the two transistors
transition from on to off.
Class C
A class C amplifier is a form of switching amplifier in which the

transistors are on for less than a half cycle (less than 180 degrees) -often, much less. For instance, the transistor may be on only during the
top 10% of the signal excursion, delivering just a pulse.
Class C amps are very efficient because the transistors are off most of
the time and when they are on, they are in full conduction. They deliver
high distortion and are often used in RF circuits, where tuning circuits
restore some of the original signal and reduce distortion. They are also
used in low-fidelity applications where the distortion is not important,
such as a siren speaker driver.
Class D
Class D amplifiers are those that output a switching waveform, at a

frequency far higher than the highest audio signal that needs to be
reproduced. The low-pass filtered, average value of this waveform
corresponds to the actual required audio waveform.
Class D amplifiers are highly efficient (often up to 90% or higher) since
the output transistors are either fully turned on or off during operation.
This completely eliminates the use of the linear region of the transistor
which is responsible for the inefficiency of other amplifier types.
Modern Class D amplifiers achieve fidelity comparable to class AB.
Class G
Class G amplifiers are similar to class AB amplifiers except they use

two or more supply voltages. When operating at low signal levels, the
amplifier uses a lower supply voltage. As the signal level increases, the
amplifier automatically picks the appropriate supply voltage.
Class G amplifiers are more efficient than class AB amplifiers since
they use the maximum supply voltage only when required, while a class
AB amplifier always uses the maximum supply voltage.
Class H
Class H amplifiers modulate the supply voltage to the amplifier output

devices so that it is never higher than necessary to support the signal
swing. This reduces dissipation across the output devices connected to
that supply and allows the amplifier to operate with an optimized class
AB efficiency regardless of output power level.
Class H amplifiers are generally more complex than other designs, with
extra control circuitry required to predict and control the supply voltage.
Click-and-Pop
Click-and-pop refers to the unwanted transient signals in the audio band

that are reproduced by the headphone and/or speaker when the audio
device driving it is either:
Click/Pop
powered up (power applied)
powered down (power removed)
brought out of shutdown (power applied previously)
forced into shutdown (power still applied)
A feature that eliminates "clicks" and "pops" unwanted transient
Reduction
noise signals during power-up, shutdown, connection, etc.
Clock and Data

Recovery
The process of extracting and reconstructing clock and data information

from a single-wire/channel, serial data stream.
Clock Jitter
A periodic waveform (especially a clock) is expected to cross certain

thresholds at precisely timed moments. Variations from this ideal are
called jitter.
For more information and illustrations, see:
"Jitter Overview" in HFAN-04.3.0: Jitter Specifications Made

Easy: A Heuristic Discussion of Fibre Channel and Gigabit
Ethernet Methods
An Introduction to Jitter in Communications Systems
Clock Throttling
Reducing the frequency or duty-cycling the clock of an integrated

circuit usually for the purpose of reducing heat generation.
cm
Centimeter: 1/100 of a meter, 0.39 inches.
CMF
Current-mode feedback
CMI
Code matrix insertion
CML
Current-mode logic
CMOS
Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology in which p- and

n-channel MOS transistors are used in tandem.
CMRR
Common Mode Rejection Ratio: The ability of a differential amplifier to

not pass (reject) the portion of the signal common to both the + and inputs.
See the tutorial, Understanding Common-Mode Signals.
CNC
Computer numeric control
CO
Coarse offset
CODEC
Short for compressor/decompressor, a codec is any technology for

compressing and decompressing data. Codecs can be implemented in
software, hardware, or a combination of both.
COG
Chip-on-glass
Coherent
Sampling
Describes the sampling of a periodic signal, where an integer number of

its cycles fits into a predefined sampling window.
COLC
Correction loop capacitor
Color Subcarrier
A modulated carrier, added to a television signal, to carry the color

components.
Examples: In NTSC television, a 3.579545MHz color subcarrier is
quadrature-modulated by two color-difference signals and added to the
luminance signal. The PAL television standard uses a subcarrier
frequency of 4.43362MHz.
See: Video Basics
Common-Mode
Signals
Common-mode signals are identical signal components on both the +

and - inputs of a differential amplifier or instrumentation amplifier. A
common example is in a balanced pair, where a noise voltage is induced
in both conductors. Another example is where a DC component is added
(e.g. due to a difference in ground between the signal source and the
receiver).
In an ideal differential amp, the common-mode element is cancelled out,
since the differential (+ and -) inputs should subtract out the identical
components. A measurement of the actual ability to do this is called the
Common Mode Rejection Ratio, or CMRR.
See the tutorial, Understanding Common-Mode Signals.
Comp. Prop.
Delay
Comparator propagation delay. This is the lag between the input

crossing the comparator threshold, and the output changing states.
compander
Signal processing technique which uses both compression and

expansion to improve dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio.
A signal is passed through a non-linear transformation prior to
transmission. A reverse of this transformation occurs at reception. The
transformation is such that quiet portions are boosted and loud portions
reduced. Noise is reduced because the quiet signals are louder,
compared to the noise in the transmission channel.
Used in digital, PCM, transmissions as well as analog applications.
Dolby is a common example of a compander-based noise reduction
system.
Comparator
A comparator is a device that accepts two analog inputs, compares the

inputs, and produces a binary output that is a function of which input is
higher. If the non-inverting (+) input is greater than the inverting (-)
input, then the output goes high. If the inverting (-) input is greater than
the non-inverting (+) input, then the output goes low.
When described that way, the comparator resembles a 1-bit ADC.
A simple comparator can be achieved using an op amp without negative
feedback. Its high voltage gain enables it to resolve very small
differences in input voltage. But op amps used this way are generally
slower than comparators and lack special features, such as hysteresis
and internal references.
Application Note 886: Selecting the Right Comparatorgoes into more
details on how comparators work, their specifications, common
comparator features, and how to select a comparator that best fits your
needs.
Complete Central Central Office Line: telephone line

Office Line
Interface
CompoNet
CompoNet is a four-wire, industrial, bus with a master-slave

architecture. It is used at the lower network levels to transmit bit or
word information, such as for use in sensors and actuators. Up to 256
slaves are supported on a bus. Data rates of 93.75kbps to 4Mbps and
network lengths up to 1500 meters with repeaters are possible. CIP is
used as the underlying protocol.
Contact Bounce
When a mechanical switch or relay closes, the switch elements will

often bounce, even if only briefly, before making final contact. This is
of consequence if downstream elements are sensitive to the switching
transients. A contact debouncing circuit is often used to remove the
transients.
Contact
Discharge
An ESD test method where the ESD generator makes direct contact with
the device under test (DUT).
Coplanar Line
A line which is in the same plane as another line. Any two intersecting
lines must lie in the same plane, and therefore be coplanar.
Coulomb
Coulomb (abbreviated C) is the standard measure of electrical charge.

Named after Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, it is the amount of charge
accumulated on a one-farad capacitor charged to one volt; or the amount
of charge transported by a one ampere current in one second.
CP
Comparable part
CPGA
Ceramic pin grid array, an IC packaging technology.
CRC
Cyclic Redundancy Check: A check value calculated from the data, to

catch most transmission errors. A decoder calculates the CRC for the
received data and compares it to the CRC that the encoder calculated,
which is appended to the data. A mismatch indicates that the data was
corrupted in transit. Depending on the algorithm and number of CRC
bits, come CRCs contain enough redundant information that they can be
used to correct the data.
CRIL
Command register and interface logic
Crossover
In an output stage (or similar amplifying stage which uses one device to
pull the signal up and another to pull the signal down), the region in
which the high-side device is turning on and the low-side device is
turning off, or vice versa.
Crowbar Circuit
A crowbar circuit is a power supply protection circuit that rapidly shortcircuits ("crowbars") the supply line if the voltage and/or current
exceeds defined limits. In practice, the resulting short blows a fuse or
triggers other protection, effectively shutting down the supply.
It is usually achieved by an SCR or other silicon device, or by a
mechanical shorting device.
Probably named for the concept of using a big metal bar to

mechanically provide the short circuit, as might be used done in a highcurrent application; or from the appearance of a crowbar circuit's I-V
curve.
See: Protection and Isolation products.
CRT
A cathode ray tube (CRT) is a display device which uses an electron

beam to energize a phosphorescent coating. The beam is generated at
one end of an evacuated glass tube and controlled by electrostatic and/or
electromagnetic fields to strike the coating at the other end, where light
emitted when electrons strike the phosphor constitute the display.
Cryptanalysis
The art and science of breaking encryption or any form of cryptography.
CS
Chip select
CSP
Chip Scale Package: An IC packaging technology in which solder balls

take the place of pins, making the smallest package available. When
heated, the solder balls alloy to matching pads on the circuit board.
CTIM
Retry timeout capacitor
CTON
Startup timer capacitor
Current Mode
Feedback
An alternative op amp topology usually used in high-speed amplifiers. It

is sensitive to feedback impedance, and cannot be used as an integrator.
Current-Mode
Controller
A DC-DC switching regulator which regulates its output voltage by

varying the peak inductor current on a cycle-by-cycle basis to output a
regulated voltage despite variations in load-current and input-voltage.
Current-Sense
Amplifier
An amplifier that measures current by measuring the voltage drop

across a resistor placed in the current path. The current sense amp
outputs either a voltage or a current that is proportional to the current
through the measured path.
D/A Converter
Digital-to-analog converter (DAC): A data converter, or DAC, that

receives digital data (a stream of numbers) and outputs a voltage or
current proportional to the value of the digital data.
Daisy Chain
A method of propagating signals along a bus in which the devices are

connected in series and the signal passed from one device to the next.
The daisy chain scheme permits assignment of device priorities based
on the electrical position of the device on the bus.
Dallastat
Trademark for Dallas Semiconductor's line of digital rheostats (digital

potentiometers). (Dallas Semiconductor is a subsidiary of Maxim
Integrated.)
Data Acquisition
System
System which acquires data, generally by digitizing analog channels and

storing the data in digital form. These systems can be standalone or
married to a computer and can acquire multiple channels of data.
Data Converter
A/D or D/A converter: An electronic circuit that converts analog signals
to digital, or vice-versa.
An analog signal is a continuously varying voltage or current. Its digital
counterpart is a stream of digital numbers, each representing the
amplitude of the analog signal at a moment in time.
Also see:
dB
A Simple ADC Comparison Matrix
Understanding SAR ADCs
Understanding Flash ADCs
Decibels: A method for specifying the ratio of two signals.

dB = 10 times the log of the ratio of the power of the two signals. This
is equal to 20 times the ratio of their voltages, if the signals are driving
equal impedances.
Decibels are also used to describe a signal level by comparing it to a
reference level. The reference is usually defined as 0dB and the dB
value of the signal is 10 times the log of the signal's power over that of
the reference. A letter is sometimes added to signify the reference. For
instance, dBm is relative to 0 dBm = 1mW.
dBm
A unit that defines a signal level by comparing it to a reference level.

The reference level of 0dBm is defined as 1mW. The signal level in
dBm is 10 times the log of the signal's power over that of the 0dBm
reference.
DBS
Direct Broadcast Satellite: A system which broadcasts directly from

satellite to the subscriber (end user). Prominent examples in the US are
DirecTV and Dish network.
DC
Direct current
DC-DC
Any of the family of switch-mode voltage regulators, these devices use

an inductor to store and transfer energy to the output in discrete packets,
resulting in highly efficient power conversion.
See application note 2031, "DC-DC Converter Tutorial" and application
note 660, "Regulator topologies for battery-powered systems."
DC-DC
Controller
A DC-DC converter (switch-mode power supply) in which the power

switch (usually a power MOSFET) is external to the IC.
DCE
Data communications equipment; interchangeable with DTE
DCM
Discontinuous-conduction mode
DCR
Direct conversion receiver
DCS
Digital Cellular System: Any cellular phone system that uses digital
(e.g. TDMA, GSM, CDMA).
DDI
Digital data input
DDJ
Data-dependent jitter
DDR Memory
Double Data Rate Synchronous DRAM: A clock is used to read data

from a DRAM. DDR memory reads data on both the rising and falling
edge of the clock, achieving a faster data rate. Often used in notebook
computers because it also consumes less power.
DDRD
Data direction register D
DDS
DDS (direct digital synthesis) is a method for digitally generating

analog waveforms, such as sine waves (modulated or not) or arbitrary
waveforms.
In the most straightforward realization, a digitized sample of the
waveform is stored and the values are clocked out to a D/A converter.
Varying the clock rate changes the frequency. Variations in rate and
changes to a gain factor can modulate the signal.
Debounce
Electrical contacts in mechanical pushbutton switches often make and

break contact several times when the button is first pushed. A
debouncing circuit removes the resulting ripple signal, and provides a
clean transition at its output.
More: Switch Bounce and Other Dirty Little Secrets
DECT
Digital European cordless telephone
DeepCover
DeepCover is a registered trademark for three families of embedded

security products that offer advanced physical security to provide the
most secure key storage possible. It includes secure authenticators,
security managers, and secure microcontrollers.
DeepCover Secure Microcontrollers integrate advanced physical
security to offer the highest level of protection against physical
tampering and reverse engineering.
DeepCover Security Managers combine advanced physical security with
on-chip, nonimprinting memory to safeguard sensitive data from the
slightest physical or environmental tampering.
DeepCover Secure Authenticators implement advanced physical
security to provide the ultimate in low-cost IP protection, clone
prevention, and peripheral authentication.
DeepCover is a registered trademark of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
Delta-Sigma
An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) architecture consisting of a 1-bit

ADC and filtering circuitry which over-samples the input signal and
performs noise-shaping to achieve a high-resolution digital output. The
architecture is relatively inexpensive compared to other ADC
architectures.
Sometimes called a "sigma-delta" converter.

Design for
Testability
Design For Testability (or Design for Test, or DFT) refers to design
techniques that make products easier to test. Examples include the
addition of test points, parametric measurement devices, self-test
diagnotics, test modes, and scan design.
Deterministic
Jitter
Reproducible jitter within a given system, under controlled conditions.

Also known as bounded jitter.

Ethernet Methods
DFE
Decision feedback equalization
DFMEA
Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) is a method for

evaluating a design for robustness against potential failures.
DG
Differential gain
Differential
Remote Output
Sensing
Uses a Kelvin connection at a remote location to sense the output

voltage and better control the voltage at that point.
Differential
Signaling
Most electrical signals are single-ended, comprised of a single wire and

ground. Differential signals use two wires which are the inverse of each
other -- when one swings positive, the other swings negative in equal
magnitude. The receiving circuit looks only at the difference between
the two, ignoring any common-mode voltage. This "push-pull"
arrangement reduces the impact of electrical interference because
external noise will affect both wires equally and the common-mode
rejection will ignore the noise.
Examples: RS-422, RS-485, professional audio signal standards
(especially for microphones), the signal lines employed by Ethernet, and
the standard twisted-pair analog telephone (POTS) line.
Also see the tutorial, Understanding Common-Mode Signals.
Digital Log Pot
Digital logarithmic potentiometer.
Digital Pot
Digital potentiometer: A solid-state device that emulates a mechanical

potentiometer, it is usually controlled via a simple interface.
Digital Signal
Processor
A Digital Signal Processor, or DSP, is a special-purpose digital circuit

that acts on digitized signals, such as audio. DSP circuits can replace
traditional analog functions, such as filtering and more complex
functions that are difficult to accomplish in the analog domain.
A Digital Audio Signal Processor is a DSP for audio applications.
DIO
Data input/output
Diode
A two-terminal device that rectifies signals (passes current in only one

direction). Most commonly, a semiconductor consisting of a P-N
junction, but dioides can also be realized using vacuum tube, pointcontact, metal-semiconductor junction (Schottky), and other
technologies.
DIP
DIP (Dual Inline Package) is an integrated circuit package with two

rows of pins.
PDIP (Plastic Dual Inline Package) is a DIP package with a molded
plastic body.
CDIP (Ceramic Dual Inline Package) is a DIP package with a ceramic
body.
Distortion
In systems that handle electrical signals, distortion is a generally

unwanted change in the signal.
Not all signal alterations are considered distortion. For instance, a
uniform delay or a linear attenuation or amplification would generally
not be considered distortion.
Dithering
A common technique to improve digitizing when quantization noise

(quantization error/noise) can no longer be treated as random. A small
amount of random noise is added to the analog input signal. This added
noise causes the digital output to randomly toggle between two adjacent
codes, thereby avoiding thresholding effect.
DIU
Digital interface unit
Diversity
In radio systems, diversity is a method of improving the reliability and

capacity by using multiple communication channels to carry each
signal.
DLC
Double-layer capacitor
DMA
Direct Memory Access: A scheme which reads or writes data directly to

memory, bypassing the processor and the processor bus.
DML
Data Manipulation Language (or Data Management Language): A

language that allows data to be manipulated in a database. In SQL,
commands such as DELETE and INSERT are DML commands.
DMM
Digital Multimeter: Measuring instrument or VOM (e.g. voltage,

resistance, current) with a digital display.
DMR
Digital microwave radio
DMT
Discrete multitone data transmission
DNL
Differential Nonlinearity: A specification that appears in data-converter

datasheets. In an ideal D/A converter, incrementing the digital code by 1
changes the output voltage by an amount that does not vary across the
device's permitted range. Similarly, in an A/D, the digital value ramps
smoothly as the input is linearly swept across its entire range. DNL
measures the deviation from the ideal. An ideal converter has the code
exactly the same size, and a DNL of 0 (zero).
DOCSIS
Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification: A standard for

delivering data over cable TV systems, typically for subscriber Internet
access services.
Down Converters A device which provides frequency conversion to a lower frequency,

e.g. in digital broadcast satellite applications.
DP
Differential phase; also decimal place
DPAK
Discrete packaging
DPD
Digital phase detector
DPDT
Double-pole/double-throw
DPH
Data pointer high
DPL
Data pointer low
DPM
Digital panel meter
DPS
Data pointer select
DPST
Double-pole/single-throw
DPWM
Digitally adjusted pulse-width modulation
DQPSK
Differential quadrature phase-shift keying
Drain
One of the three terminals that comprise a FET. A voltage on the gate
controls the current flow between the source and drain.
DRAM
Dynamic RAM: Random-Access Memory that uses a continuous clock.

Unlike SRAM, when DRAM is no longer clocked, its data is lost.
DRC
Design-rule checking
DRL
Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) are white lights mounted on the front
of an automobile. Mandated in many countries, they automatically
switch on when the key is turned and are intended for daytime use, to
increase the visibility of the automobile. They are typically built with
LEDs.
See: High-Brightness LED Drivers
Drypack
Drypack is a method for packing integrated circuits in a moisture-free

environment. The device is baked and immediately sealed in a vacuumsealed bag.
This process is reserved for package types which are especially
susceptible to moisture intrusion. Maxim devices with MSL (Moisture
Sensitivity Level) of 2 or higher require drypack. A part-number suffix
of -D, +D, or #D at the end of the part number denotes products which
ship with drypack. There is no price adder associated with drypacking
products with MSL 2 or above.

DSL
A mechanism for providing high-speed digital communications (e.g.

Internet access) over a standard phone line.
DSLAM
Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer: a device which takes a

number of ADSL subscriber lines and concentrates these to a single
ATM line.
DSSP
Digital-sensor signal processor
DSSS
Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum: A transmission technology used in

WLAN (wireless LAN) transmissions where a data signal at the sending
station is combined with a higher data-rate bit sequence, or chipping
code, that divides the user data according to a spreading ratio.
See: "An Introduction to Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum
Communications".
DTB
Digital terrestrial broadcasting
DTE
Data terminal equipment; interchangeable with DCE
DTMF
Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) is a signaling method

developed by Bell Labs for sending telephone dialing information over
the same analog, voice-quality phones lines that carry voice.
Each digit is encoded as the sum of two sine wave bursts, of different
frequencies. The two-tone method was chosen because it can be reliably
distinguished from voice and normal phone conversations are highly
unlikely to falsely trigger the DTMF receiver.
DTMF was the basis for "TouchTone" (a former trademark of AT&T),
the pushbutton system that replaced mechanical rotary dial telephones.
Dual Mode
Two modes of operation. Examples: In power circuits, the IC can

deliver either a fixed 5V or an adjustable 1.3V to 16V source. In cellular
phones, the IC operates in FM or CDMA mode, AMPS or TDMA mode,
etc.
(Maxim Integrated trademarked term.)
Dual Phase
Controller
Switching regulator that employs dual-phase technique to reduce output

noise and boost output current capability.
Dual-Band
Dual-band refers to the capability of GSM network infrastructure and

handsets to operate across two frequency bands.
Dual-Modulus
Prescaler
A Dual-Modulus Prescaler (DMP) is an important circuit block used in

frequency synthesizers to divide the high-frequency signal from the
voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) to a low-frequency signal by a
predetermined divide ratio, either (N+1) or N, which is controlled by a
swallow counter.
This low-frequency signal is then further divided by the main counter to
the desired channel-spacing frequency which is then fed to the phase

detector to form the closed feedback loop in frequency synthesizers.
DVB
Digital Video Broadcast is a name for digital TV.
DVM
Digital voltmeter
DWDM
Dense Wave Division Multiplexing: The technology by which the

frequencies of light carried on a single optical fiber are subdivided into
discrete wavelengths, allowing for the greater transmission of data.
DXC
Digital cross-connect
Dynamic Range
The range, in dB, between the noise floor of a device and its defined
maximum output level.
E1
Wide-area, digital transmission scheme, used predominantly in Europe,

that carries data at a rate of 2.048Mbps. E1 lines can be leased for
private use from common carriers.
E2
A line that carries four multiplexed E1 signals with a data rate of

8.448Mbps.
E3
Wide-area, digital transmission scheme used predominantly in Europe

that carries data at a rate of 34.368Mbps. E3 lines can be leased for
private use from common carriers.
EAM
Electro-Absorption Modulators: Chip-level modulation devices often

integrated into hybrid transponder devices, alongside lasers.
ECB
Electrically controlled birefringence
ECL
Emitter-coupled logic
ECM
Electret capacitor microphone
EconoReset
The simplest form of microprocessor supervisory circuit, it monitors the

power supply for the microprocessor and provides only a power-on reset
function.
EconOscillator
Low-cost, surface-mount, CMOS oscillator family from Maxim.

EconOscillators replace crystal-based oscillators. They need no external
crystals or timing components.
See: EconOscillator product index for additional descriptions, features,
etc.
EconOscillator is a trademark of Maxim Integrated
EDFA
Erbium-doped fiber-optical amplifier
EDGE
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution: An enhanced modulation

technique designed to increase network capacity and data rates in GSM
networks. EDGE should provide data rates up to 384Kbps.
EEPROM
Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory
EFT
Electrical fast transient
EIA
Electronic Industries Alliance: Among other things, the EIA sponsors

electrical and electronic standards.
EIA-JEDEC
Electronic Industries Association/Joint Electron Device Engineering

Council
Embedded
System
A system in which the computer (generally a microcontroller or

microprocessor) is included as an integral part of the system.
Often, the computer is relatively invisible to the user, without obvious
applications, files, or operating systems. Examples of products with
invisible embedded systems are the controller that runs a microwave
oven or the engine control system of a modern automobile.
EMC
Electromagnetic Compatibility: The ability of electronic equipment to

be a "good electromagnetic neighbor": It neither causes, nor is
susceptible to, electromagnetic interference (within the limits of
applicable standards).
EMI
Electromagnetic Interference: Unwanted noise from electromagnetic

radiation.
See: EMI Reduction Solutions page.
End Point
Behavior of the device at the limit of temperature or voltage.
ENDEC
Encoder/Decoder
Energy
Harvesting
Energy harvesting (also known as power harvesting or energy

scavenging) is the process in which energy is captured from a system's
environment and converted into usable electric power. Energy
harvesting allows electronics to operate where there's no conventional
power source, eliminating the need to run wires or make frequent visits
to replace batteries.
An energy harvesting system generally includes circuitry to charge an
energy storage cell, and manage the power, providing regulation and
protection.
Energy source examples include light (captured by photovoltaic cells),
vibration or pressure (captured by a piezoelectric element), temperature
differentials (captured by a thermo-electric generator) radio energy
(captured by an antenna); and even biochemically produced energy
(such as cells that extract energy from blood sugar).
More: Application note 5259, "Energy Harvesting Systems Power the
Powerless"
ENOB
Effective Number of Bits: An indication of the quality of an analog-todigital converter (ADC). The measurement is related to the test
frequency and the signal-to-noise ratio.
EPON
Ethernet (-based) passive optical network
EPROM
Erasable programmable read-only memory
ERC
Extinction ratio control
ESBGA
Enhanced Super Ball-Grid Array (trademark of Amkor/Anam)
ESD
Electrostatic Discharge: Release of stored static electricity. Most

commonly: The potentially damaging discharge of many thousands of
volts that occurs when an electronic device is touched by a charged
body.
See the following application notes that describe how ESD is generated,
how it damages electronic systems, human body and machine models
for testing, IEC compliance levels, and design approaches.
App note: Maxim Leads the Way in ESD Protection
App note: ESD Protection for I/O Ports
App note: Switch Bounce and Other Dirty Little Secrets
ESD Protection
Devices added to input and output pins on an IC to protect the internal

circuitry from the damaging effect of electrostatic discharge.
See: ESD Overview.
ESF
Extended Superframe: A DS1 framing format in which 24 DS0 times

lots, plus a coded framing bit are organized into a frame which is
repeated 24 times to form a superframe.
ESL
Effective/Equivalent Series Inductance is the parasitic inductance in a

capacitor or resistor.
ESP
Extended stack pointer
ESR
Effective Series Resistance (or Equivalent Series Resistance or ESR) is

the resistive component of a capacitor's equivalent circuit.
A capacitor can be modeled as an ideal capacitor in series with a resistor
and an inductor. The resistor's value is the ESR.
Ethernet
A family of network protocols based on asynchronous frames. The

Ethernet framing structure provides a flexible payload container with
basic addressing and error detection mechanisms.
EV
1. Electric Vehicle.
2. Evaluation, as in "EV Kit."
Evaluation Kit
Evaluation Kit (EV Kit, Development Kit): A printed circuit board with
an integrated circuit and support components to produce a working
circuit for evaluation and development. Most Evaluation Kits are fully
assembled and tested.
EVKIT: Part number suffix used for Maxim Evaluation Kits.
Dallas Semiconductor, now owned by Maxim, used the term
"development kit."
See the list of Maxim Evaluation Kits and EVKit software.
EVM
Error Vector Magnitude: A measure of the difference between the (ideal)

waveform and the measured waveform. The difference is called the
error vector, usually referred to with regard to M-ary I/Q modulation
schemes like QPSK, and shown on an I/Q "constellation" plot of the
demodulated symbols. Also see: "Phase Noise and TD-SCDMA UE
Receiver,"www.maximintegrated.com/an1824
EVSE
EVSE is an abbreviation for Electric Vehicle Service Equipment,

referring to a charging station.
See: Application Note 5348: G3-PLC Technology Finally Makes
Charging an Electric Vehicle Smart
EVSYS
Evaluation System: Evaluation kits that also include an interface board

for connecting to a personal computer and Windows-based EVKit
software.
EVSYS: Suffix used for Maxim Evaluation System part numbers.
Exposed Pad
Offered in some packages to improve thermal dissipation or lower the

impedance of the ground connection. Normally not electrically isolated,
it typically needs to be connected to a ground or power plane, depending
on the device.
1. Farad(s): Unit of capacitance.

2. f in lower case is the standard abbreviation for femto, a metric prefix
for 10 to the -15.
3. Fahrenheit temperature scale.
fA
Femtoampere(s): 10 to the -15 Ampere; a millionth a nanoampere.
Fail-Safe
A technique used in RS-485 interface transceivers which forces the

output to a predefined state in the event of a line short or open circuit.
Fan Controller Linear
An integrated circuit that varies the speed and airflow of a cooling fan
using a variable voltage in response to temperature or system
commands.
Fan Controller PWM
An integrated circuit that varies the speed and airflow of a cooling fan
using a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) voltage in response to
temperature or system commands.
Fault Blanking
A function that ignores a fault for a predetermined period. This is done

to eliminate nuisance fault indication.
Fault Tolerant
Will tolerate excessive voltage during a fault condition.
FB
Feedback
FCD
Fan count divisor
FCR
Fan conversion rate
FDD
Frequency-division duplex
FDDI
Fiber Distributed Data Interface: A standard for transmitting data on

optical fiber cables at a rate of around 100,000,000 bits-per-second (10
times as fast as 10 Base-T Ethernet; about twice as fast as T-3).
FDL
Facility data link: Embedded communications channel in ESF DS1

framing. Used to convey both bit-oriented and message-oriented signals.
FDM
A method for carrying multiple channels of information on one channel

by dividing the available bandwidth among the channels.
FE
Functional equivalent (in component cross-reference data); also field

engineer; also framing error
FEC
Forward Error Correction: A technique for detecting and correcting

errors from imperfect transmission by adding a small number of extra
bits. FEC allows optical transmission over longer distances by
correcting errors that can happen as the signal-to-noise ratio decreases
with distance.
Femto Base
Station
A femto base station (also called an Access Point Base Station,

femtocell, femtobasestation or femto basestation) is an in-home base
station. Like a standard base station, it connects cell phone voice and
data to the cell phone network, but it serves a smaller area (the home).
A femto base station benefits the service provider because it offloads
cell tower traffic. Subscribers benefit from superior signal strength, due
to the proximity of the unit -- especially where a cellular signal is weak
or not available.
Femto base stations augment the normal network and replicates the
usual telecommunications infrastructure. Connection to the cell phone
network is provided by VoIP over the Internet.
More on femto base stations and information on Maxim's femto base
station chipsets.
FET
Field-Effect Transistor: A transistor in which the voltage on one

terminal (the gate) creates a field that allows or disallows conduction
between the other two terminals (the source and drain).
There are three varieties: The JFET (Junction Field-Effect Transistor);
the MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor);
and the MESFET (Metal-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor).
The FET is one of two major kinds of transistor, the other being the
Bipolar Junction Transistor.
FFT
A Fourier transform (FT) converts a signal from the time domain (signal
strength as a function of time) to the frequency domain (signal strength
as a function of frequency). It shows the signal's spectral content,
divided into discrete bins (frequency bands).
The Fast Fourier Transform is a common algorithm for Fourier

transforms. It is more efficient (faster) than the DFT, Discrete Fourier
Transform.
FG
Fan gain
FHSS
Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum: A transmission technology in

which the data signal is modulated by a narrowband carrier signal which
changes frequency ("hops") over a wide band of frequencies. The
hopping seems random but is prescribed by an algorithm known to the
receiving system.
Fibre Channel
A highly-reliable, gigabit interconnect technology that allows

concurrent communications among workstations, mainframes, servers,
data storage systems, and other peripherals using SCSI and IP protocols.
It provides interconnect systems for multiple topologies that can scale to
a total system bandwidth on the order of a terabit per second. (The
standardized spelling is "fibre channel" but often misspelled as "fiber
channel.")
FIFO
First-In First Out: A type of memory that stores data serially, where the
first bit read is the first bit that was stored.
FireWire
Apple Computer trademarked name for the IEEE 1394 serial interface
standard: A high-speed interface between computers and peripherals
such as external disk drives, cameras, and camcorders. Also referred to
by Sony trademarked name, "I-Link."
FIT
Failures in time: See FIT

calculator:/tools/calculators/index.cfm/path/qa/calc_id/qafits
Flash ADCs
An analog-to-digital converter that uses a series of comparators with

different threshold voltages to convert an analog signal to a digital
output.
FlexSound
FlexSound describes a set of digital audio signal processing blocks used

in Maxim's products to provide or enhance audio functions such as
compression, limiting, or equalization.
FlexSound processor is a fully programmable digital audio signal
processing system that includes a programmable DSP core, hard-wired
digital macros, and an associated memory architecture.
FlexSound is a registered trademark of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
Floating
1. A signal line is said to be "floating" if it is not connected to any

voltage supply, ground, or ground-referenced signal source.
Examples:
o
An open-drain, high-impedance (hi-z) output when in the

off (hi-z) mode
In microcomputer systems, a data or address bus may, at

times, be undriven (floating). This is permissible because
control signals indicate when data is valid, so users of the
bus know when the signal can be ignored.
2. One form of non-volatile memory device is achieved via floating

gates. The gate of a MOSFET has no connection, allowing
charge to remain indefinitely. The gate charge is changed using
Fowler-Nordheim tunneling or hot-carrier injection. EPROM,
EEPROM, and flash memory are examples.
FM
Frequency Modulation: A modulation method in which the carrier

frequency changes with the input signal amplitude.
FOC
Fields oriented control
Foldback Current A circuit which reduces the current limit once the device enters currentLimit
limited operation. Commonly seen on RS-422/RS-485 drivers and some
power circuits.
Force-Sense
Measurement technique in which a voltage (or current) is forced at a

remote point in a circuit; then the resulting current (or voltage) is
measured (sensed).
Forward
Converter
A power-supply switching circuit that transfers energy to the

transformer secondary when the switching transistor is on.
FOX
Fast-on oscillator
FPBW
Full-power bandwidth
FPGA
Field Programmable Gate Array: A family of general-purpose logic

devices that can be configured by the end user to perform many,
different, complex logic functions. It is often used for prototyping logic
hardware.
Frame Relay
A high-speed, packet-switched data communications service similar to

X.25. Frame relay is a leading contender for LAN-to-LAN interconnect
services, and is well suited to the burst-intensive demands of LAN
environments.
Framer
A device used to align/synchronize to an embedded framing pattern in a

serial bit stream. Once synchronized and data fields are properly
aligned, overhead bits for alarms, performance monitoring, embedded
signaling, etc. may be extracted and processed.
Frequency Bin
The frequency range and resolution on the frequency axis of a spectrum

graph depends on the sampling rate and the size of the data record (the
number of acquisition points). The number of frequency points or lines
or bands in the power spectrum is NRECORD/2, where NRECORD is the number
of signal points captured in the time domain.
The first frequency line in the power spectrum always represents DC
(frequency=0). The last frequency line can be found at fSAMPLE/2 fSAMPLE/NRECORD. Frequency lines are spaced at even intervals of
fSAMPLE/NRECORD. They are commonly referred to as frequency bins or FFT

bins. Bins can also be computed with reference to a data converter's
sampling period:
Bin = fSAMPLE/NRECORD = 1/(NRECORD tSAMPLE)
Example: We apply a sampling frequency of 82MHz and take 8192
records. The frequency bin is 10kHz.
Frequency
Diversity
In radio systems, Frequency Diversity spreads a signal across multiple

channels by transmitting multiple versions of the signal on different
frequencies.
Frequency
Synthesizer
A frequency synthesizer is an electronic circuit that uses an oscillator to

generate a preprogrammed set of stable frequencies with minimal phase
noise. Primary applications include wireless/RF devices such as radios,
set top boxes, and GPS.
FS
Full scale; frame sync
FSC
Fan-speed control
FSK
Frequency Shift Keying: A method of transmitting digital data by

shifting the frequency of a carrier signal to represent binary 1s and 0s.
FSO
Full-span output
FSOTC
Full-span output temperature coefficient
FSR
Full-scale range
FTC
Fan tachometer count
FTCL
Fan tachometer count limit
FTTB
Fiber-to-the-business
FTTH
Fiber-to-the-home: A method for broadband data (voice, Internet,

multimedia, etc.) delivery to the home via optical fiber.
Contrast with FTTN (fiber-to-the-node) which uses fiber up to a node
outside the home and uses copper to bring the data into the home.
FTTN
FTTN is "Fiber-to-the-node."
There are two technologies for delivering broadband: Fiber-to-the-node
(FTTN) uses fiber to bring data to a node and uses copper to bring the
data into the home. Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) brings fiber all the way
into the home.
Full Duplex
A channel providing simultaneous transmission in both directions.
Gram(s)
GaAs
Gallium arsenide: A semiconductor material used for optoelectronic

products such as LEDs, and for high-speed electronic devices.
GaAs MESFET
A Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Metal-Semiconductor Field-Effect-
Transistor (MESFET) is a transistor built with gallium arsenide

semiconductor material. The conducting channel is built using a metalsemiconductor (Schottky) junction.
GaAsFET
Gallium arsenide field-effect transistor
GaAsP
Gallium Arsenide Phosphide (or, Gallium Arsenic Phosphide): A

semiconductor material used for optoelectronics, including LEDs and
photodiodes.
Gain
The amount of amplification accomplished by an amplifier circuit. For

instance, a gain of 2 would mean the output is scaled to twice the
amplitude of the input.
Gain Error
The gain error of a data converter indicates how well the slope of an
actual transfer function matches the slope of the ideal transfer function.
Gain error is usually expressed in LSB or as a percent of full-scale
range. Gain error can be calibrated out with hardware or in software.
Gain error is the full-scale error minus the offset error.
See: Application Note 641: ADC and DAC Glossary
Galvanic
Isolation
Galvanic isolation is a design technique that separates electrical circuits

to eliminate stray currents. Signals can pass between galvanically
isolated circuits, but stray currents, such as differences in ground
potential or currents induced by AC power, are blocked.
See: Maxim's isolated RS-485/RS-422 transceivers.
Gamma
Correction
The application of a function that transforms brightness or luminance

values. Gamma functions are usually nonlinear but monotonic and
designed to affect the highlights (whitest values), midtones (grayscale),
and shadows (dark areas) separately.
Most commonly applied to make a light-emitting device, such as a
display, match the human eye's brightness curve. In other terms: A
gamma correction function can be used to alter the luminance (light
intensity) of a display such that its brightness (the human-perceived
values) looks correct.
Gate
1. The controlling terminal of a FET. A voltage on the gate controls the

current flow between the source and drain.
2. A basic logic element (e.g. AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR,
etc.).
GbE
Gigabit Ethernet
GBIC
Gigabit Interface Converter: A removable transceiver module permitting

Fibre-Channel and Gigabit-Ethernet physical-layer transport.
GBW
Gain bandwidth
Generator
An electromechanical device that converts mechanical power into
electrical power.
GFSK
Gaussian frequency-shift keying: A type of FSK modulation which uses

a Gaussian filter to shape the pulses before they are modulated. This
reduces the spectral bandwidth and out-of-band spectrum, to meet
adjacent-channel power rejection requirements.
Bluetooth uses GFSK.
GHz
Gigahertz
Gigabit
1 billion bits-per-second.
Glitch
General term used to describe an undesirable, momentary pulse or

unexpected input or output.
Glitch Immunity
A term used in microprocessor supervisory circuit datasheets to describe

the maximum magnitude and duration of a negative-going VCC supplyvoltage pulse without causing the reset output to assert.
GLONASS
The Russian Global Navigation Satellite System
GMSK
Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK) is a form of frequency shift

keying (FSK) used in GSM systems. The tone frequencies are separated
by exactly half the bit rate. It has high spectral efficiency.
GMSL
Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link. This is a Maxim-specific category

name for a range of products that serialize, deserialize, and buffer highspeed digital data streams for communications over short distances.
GPIB
General Purpose Interface Bus: A standard bus for controlling electronic

instruments with a computer. Also called IEEE-488 bus because it is
defined by ANSI/IEEE Standards 488-1978, and 488.2-1987. Also
called HP-IB, a trademarked term of Hewlett-Packard, which invented
the protocol.
GPIO
General Purpose I/O: A flexible parallel interface that allows a variety of

custom connections.
GPON
Gigabit passive optical network
GPRS
General Packet Radio Service: A radio technology for GSM networks

that adds packet-switching protocols and shorter set-up time for ISP
connections; it offers the possibility to charge by amount of data sent
rather than connect time.
GPS
Global Positioning System: A satellite- based navigation system in

which two or more signals, received from satellites, are used to
determine the receiver's position on the globe.
GSM
Global System for Mobile Communications: A land, mobile, panEuropean, digital, cellular radio-communications system.
GSM900
GSM network operating in the 900MHz band, as used by BT Cellnet

and Vodafone in the UK, and by more than one hundred countries
around the world.
GUI
Graphical user interface
Henry(ries): The unit of inductance.
H-Bridge
A circuit diagram which resembles the letter "H." The load is the
horizontal line, connected between two pairs of intersecting lines. It is
very common in DC motor-drive applications where switches are used
in the "vertical" branches of the "H" to control the direction of current
flow, and thus the rotational direction of the motor.
Half-Duplex
Data transmission over a circuit capable of transmitting in either

direction, but not simultaneously.
Half-Flash
An ADC architecture which uses a bank of comparators first to digitize

the upper half bits, then uses a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to
subtract that voltage from the input, and then digitizes what remains of
the input signal to get the lower half bits. Also see application note 748,
"The ABCs of ADCs."
Handover
Switching an on-going call to a different channel or cell in a wireless

cellular network. Also known as "handoff."
Harmonic
Distortion
The presence of frequencies in the output of a device that are not present
in the input signal, and are multiples of components of the input signal.
Clipping is a common cause but other nonlinearities can also introduce
harmonics.
HART
Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART) communication is a

commonly used mode of transmission for digital signals that are
superimposed on the analog signal of a 420mA current loop.
The HART protocol is based on the phase continuous frequency shift
keying (FSK) technique. Bit 0 is modulated to a 2200Hz sinusoidal
signal, and bit 1 is modulated to a 1200Hz sinusoidal signal with a baud
rate of 1200bps. These two frequencies can easily be superimposed on
the analog current-loop signal, which is in the range of DC to 10Hz,
without affecting either signal. This unique nature of the HART protocol
enables simultaneous analog and digital communication on the same
wire.
HAST
Highly accelerated stress test; highly accelerated steam and temperature
HB LED
High-Brightness LEDs are any of a new generation of LEDs bright

enough for illumination applications such as automotive interior,
exterior, and display; room and architectural illumination; task and
general lighting; projection display; display backlights; and signage.
See: High-Brightness LED Drivers and Solutions
HBT
Heterojunction bipolar transistor
HD
Harmonic distortion
HDLC
High Level Data Link Control: An ITU-TSS link layer protocol standard
for point-to-point and multi-point communications.
HDSL
High bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line: The oldest of the DSL

technologies, it continues to be used by telephone companies deploying
T1 lines at 1.5Mbps and requires two twisted pairs.
HDTV
High-definition television: an all-digital system for transmitting a TV

signal with far greater resolution than the analog standards (PAL,
NTSC, and SECAM). A high-definition television set can display
several resolutions, (up to two million pixels versus a common
television set's 360,000). HDTV offers other advantages such as greatly
improved color encoding and the loss-free reproduction inherent in
digital technologies.
Heat Sink
Mechanical device that is thermally-connected to a heat-producing

electronic component, designed to conduct heat away from the device.
Most heat sinks are aluminum and employ fins to increase surface area
and encourage the transfer of heat to the ambient environment.
HEMT
High-electron-mobility transistor
HF
High frequency
HGLL
High gain, low linearity
Hi-Z
Hi-Z (or High-Z or high impedance) refers to an output signal state in

which the signal is not being driven. The signal is left open, so that
another output pin (e.g. elsewhere on a bus) can drive the signal or the
signal level can be determined by a passive device (typically, a pull-up
resistor).
High-Side
An element connected between the supply and the load. High-side

current sensing applications measure current by looking at the voltage
drop across a resistor placed between the supply and the load.
Home RF
Trademarked name for Home Radio Frequency, a networking

technology which uses antennae and transmitters to provide wireless
home networking via transmitted radio signals.
HomePlug
HomePlug (Powerline) is an industry-standard method for transmitting

data via the power lines. It can transmit audio, video, control signals,
etc. HomePlug is a trademark of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance;
Powerline is the generic term for the method.
See our Powerline product page.
PLC is an acronym for Powerline Communications.
Hot-Swap
A power supply line controller which allows circuit boards or other

devices to be removed and replaced while the system remains powered
up. Hotswap devices typically protect against overvoltage,
undervoltage, and inrush current that can cause faults, errors, and
hardware damage.
HR
High reliability
HSDPA
High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is a 3G radio interface
standard in the HSPA family for wireless and cellular handsets or

datacards that increase the datarate and improve the traffic handling of
existing UMTS standards.
HSPA
High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is a collection of radio interface

standards for wireless and cellular handsets or datacards that increase
the datarate and improve the traffic handling of existing UMTS
standards.
HSSI
High-Speed Serial Interface: A short-distance communications standard

for data rates from 2Mbps to 52Mbps.
HSUPA
High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) is a 3G radio interface

standard in the HSPA family for wireless and cellular handsets or
datacards that increase the datarate and improve the traffic handling of
existing UMTS standards.
HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language: Coding language used to create web

pages.
HTS
High-temperature semiconductor
HTTP
Hyper Text Transport/transfer Protocol
Human Body
Model
An ESD test method where the ESD generator consists of a 100pF

capacitor and a 1.5kohm series resistor.
See the following application notes that describe how ESD is generated,
how it damages electronic systems, human body and machine models
for testing, IEC compliance levels, and design approaches.
App note: Maxim Leads the Way in ESD Protection
App note: ESD Protection for I/O Ports
HVAC
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning: Industry term for the

systems and technology responsible for the heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning in buildings. HVAC systems regulate comfort (temperature
and humidity), energy efficiency, and air quality.
See: Maxim Solutions for HVAC designers.
Hz
Hertz: A measure of frequency. An older term is cycles per second, or

cps.
IC
IC (pronounced "I-squared-C" and typeset as IC but often typed as

I2C) is short for "inter-IC bus." IC is a two-wire, low-speed, serial data
connection IC bus used to run signals between integrated circuits,
generally on the same board.
SMBus is electrically similarsee Comparing the IC Bus to the
SMBus.
For more information, do a site search for IC to find other IC articles
and products.
IS
Inter-IC Sound (IS) is an electrical bus interface standard used for

connecting digital audio devices. The IS bus separates clock and data
signals, resulting in a very low-jitter connection. The bus consists of
three lines: a clock line, a word-select line, and a multiplexed-data line.
I/O
Input/output
I/Q
1. I/Q modulation is a method for combining two channels of

information into one signal so that they can be separated at a later stage.
Two quadrature carriers, 90 degrees out of phase, are modulated, then
combined.
Abbreviated from "in-phase/quadrature-phase" which refers to the two
carrier signals' phase relationship.
2. IQ (Q should be subscripted but sometimes printed as "IQ" without
subscripting): Quiescent current: The current consumed when a circuit
is in a quiet state, driving no load and if appropriate, with its inputs not
cycling.
3. Intelligence quotient, a measure in which electrical engineers
invariably excel.
IBO
Input Back-Off: In a power amplifier, a measure of how far you must

reduce the input power in order to receive the desired output linearity
and power. Stated differently, the ratio between the input power that
delivers maximum power to the input power that delivers the desired
linearity.
IC
1. Integrated circuit: A semiconductor device that combines multiple

transistors and other components and interconnects on a single piece of
semiconductor material.
2. Internally Connected
ICA
Integrated circuit accumulator
ICR
Internal calibration register
Ideality Factor
A constant adjustment factor used to correct for discrepancies between

an ideal PN junction equation and a measured device.
Idle Mode
A method for improving the efficiency of switching regulators by

skipping pulses when the circuit is lightly loaded.
This variation in PWM (pulse-width modulation) combines the
efficiency at low loads afforded by PFM (Pulse-Frequency Modulation)
with PWM's efficiency and low-noise characteristics at higher loads. At
light loads the circuit skips pulses as necessary (acting like a PFM
circuit). At higher loads it acts like PWM. The net result is the
maximum efficiency over the widest possible load range.
Learn more: "DC-DC Converter Tutorial" (see the paragraphs around
Figure 14).
IEC
1. IEC stands for the International Electrotechnical Commission: An

"organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all
electrical, electronic and related technologies."
2. Commonly used to refer to one of the 13 power connectors described
by specification IEC 60320. Most commonly refers to the C13 and C14
connectors used by most computers and many AC-powered electronic
devices to connect the AC power.
3. Integrated electronic component.
IEEE
From www.ieee.org: "The IEEE (Eye-triple-E) is a non-profit, technical

professional association of more than 360,000 individual members in
approximately 175 countries. The full name is the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers, Inc., although the organization is most
popularly known and referred to by the letters I-E-E-E." IEEE also
sponsors many electrical and electronic standards.
IERC
International Electronic Research Corp
IF
Intermediate Frequency: Radio communications systems modulate a

carrier frequency with a baseband signal in order to achieve radio
transmission. In many cases, the carrier is not modulated directly.
Instead, a lower IF signal is modulated and processed. At a later circuit
stage, the IF signal is converted up to the transmission frequency band.
IFM
ISDN file manager
IFT
Intermediate-frequency transform
IIP3
Third Order Input Intercept Point: The point at which the power in the
third-order product and the fundamental tone intersect, when the
amplifier is assumed to be linear. IIP3 is a very useful parameter to
predict low-level intermodulation effects.
IMA
Inverse Multiplexing over ATM, an MGX card module that supports T3

or E3 inverse multiplexing on up to eight T1 or E1 lines.
Image Frequency Receivers typically convert RF signals to a lower Intermediate

Frequency (IF) for demodulation. In addition to the IF, a second signal,
called the "image frequency" is often generated and filtered out.
Image Rejection
The measure of a receiver's ability to reject signals at its image

frequency. It is normally expressed as the ratio, in dB, of the receiver's
sensitivity at the desired frequency versus the sensitivity at the image
frequency.
IMD
Intermodulation Distortion (IMD): When two signals mix in non-linear

circuits or devices, new frequency components are created that are not
in the original signal. The resulting signal error is called intermodulation
distortion, or IMD.
Impedance
Impedance, represented by the symbol Z, is a measure of the opposition

to electrical flow. It is measured in ohms.
For DC systems, impedance and resistance are the same, defined as the
voltage across an element divided by the current (R = V/I).

In AC systems, the "reactance" enters the equation due to the frequencydependent contributions of capacitance and inductance. Impedance in an
AC system is still measured in ohms and represented by the equation Z
= V/I, but V and I are frequency-dependent.
IMVP
Intel Mobile Voltage Positioning: A technology in which the processor

voltage (VCC) is dynamically adjusted, based on the processor activity,
to reduce processor power. It allows higher processor clock speed at a
given power consumption; or lower consumption at a given clock
frequency.
Inductive
Kickback
The very rapid change in voltage across an inductor when current flow
is interrupted. Snubber diodes are often used to channel this energy in
relays, and other inductive loads. Kickback can be a problem (causing
EMI and component failure); or it can be used in power supply circuits
to develop higher or opposite-polarity voltages from a single supply.
InfiniBand
InfiniBand architecture is an industry standard, channel-based,

switched-fabric, interconnect architecture for servers. InfiniBand
architecture changes the way servers are built, deployed, and managed.
InGaAs
Indium gallium arsenide
Ingress Protection An Ingress Protection (IP) rating indicates how well an enclosure is
protected from penetration by contaminants such as dust or fluids (such
as water). IP ratings are defined in the IEC standard 60529.
See also:
INL
iButton Certifications.
Understanding the IP (Ingress Protection) Ratings of iButton

Data Loggers and Capsule
Integral nonlinearity
Input CMVR (V) Common-mode voltage range (CMVR) or Input Voltage Range (IVR):
For signal processing devices with differential inputs, such as an op
amp, CMVR is the range of common mode signal for which the
amplifier's operation remains linear.
If we let the voltage present on the "-" input equal V1, and the voltage
on the "+" input equal V2, then the common mode voltage is VCM =
(V1+V2)/2.
Some op amps, for instance, will only allow the common mode voltage
of a signal to come within a diode drop or so of the power supply rails.
Many of Maxim's op amps will allow the common mode input voltage
to go all the way to one or both supply rails. Some even allow inputs
beyond the supply rails (Beyond-The-Rails).
Inrush Current
A momentary input current surge, measured during the initial turn-on of
the power supply. This current reduces to a lower steady-state current

once the input capacitors charge. Hotswap controllers or other forms of
protection are often used to limit inrush current, because uncontrolled
inrush can damage components, lower the available supply voltage to
other circuits, and cause system errors.
Int. Ref.
Internal Reference. An on-chip voltage reference.
Integral
Nonlinearity
A measure of a data converter's ability to adhere to an ideal slope in its

transfer function. It can be specified using end-point or best-straight-line
fit. Each of these approaches can yield very different numbers for the
same data converter.
Integrated Heat
Spreader
An Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) is the surface used to make contact

between a heatsink or other thermal solution and a CPU or GPU
processor.
Intellectual
Property
Intellectual Property: Creations of the intellect such as trade knowledge,

technical information, and literary or artistic work, including patents,
copyrights, and trademarks.
Interleave
To organize the data sectors on a computer hard disk, so the read/write

heads can access information faster.
Intermodulation
A process whereby signals mix together in a circuit and nonlinearities in

the circuit create undesired output frequencies that are not present at the
input.
Internet Protocol
Standard method for data transfer used on the Internet. Also known as
IP or TCP/IP.
Inverting
Switching
Regulator
A switch-mode voltage regulator in which output voltage is negative

with respect to its input voltage.
systems."
IO-Link
IO-Link is a 24-volt, three-wire, half-duplex, point-to-point sensor and

actuator communication interface. Remote configuration, diagnostics,
event triggering and process data readout are made possible from a PLC
via a three layer protocol stack. IO-Link can be used for simple binary
sensors and smart sensors.
IP3
Third-order intercept point
IR
Infrared: Light that has a frequency below the visible light spectrum,
used for remote controls, line-of-sight wireless data, and night vision
applications, among others.
IrDA
Infrared Data Association: A group of device manufacturers that

developed a standard for transmitting data via infrared light waves.
IRE
Institute of Radio Engineers; IREs are units of measurement dividing

the area from the bottom of sync to peak white level into 140 equal
units. 140 IRE = 1VP-P
IRO
Input-referred offset
IRS
Interface register set
IRSA
Interface register set address
IRSD
Interface register set data
IS
IN SEL (control bit)
ISA
Industry-standard architecture
ISI
Inter-Symbol Interference: A form of interference that occurs when

echoes of a radio-signal interfere with the original signal. ISI can reduce
the effective data rate of wireless LAN transceivers.
ISM
Industrial, Scientific and Medical: Radio frequency bands made

available for use by communication equipment without license, within
certain maximum emitted power limits. Equipment which uses the ISM
band must tolerate interference from other such equipment. Common
uses include WiFi (802.11a, b, and g) and cordless phones.
ISO
International Standards Organization
ISP
Internet Service Provider: Company that offers connection to the

Internet.
ITU
International Telecommunication Union: An international organization

under the UN that is concerned with telecommunications.
JALT
Jitter attentuator limit trip
JBOD
Just a Bunch of Disks: An array of hard disks without a controller.
JEDEC
Joint Electron Device Engineering Council
JFET
A JFET, or junction field-effect transistor, or JUGFET, is a FET in

which the gate is created by reverse-biased junction (as opposed to the
MOSFET which creates a junction via a field generated by conductive
gate, separated from the gate region by a thin insulator).
For example: A p-channel JFET would consist of a bar of p-type silicon
with the "drain" at one end and the "source" at the other. Between these
two terminals is some n-type material connected to a "gate". A positive
voltage applied to the gate creates a "depletion field" which restricts
current flow between the source and drain.
JITT
Just-in-time tester
Jitter
The slight movement of a transmission signal in time or phase that can

introduce errors and loss of synchronization. More jitter will be
encountered with longer cables, cables with higher attenuation, and
signals at higher data rates. Also, called phase jitter, timing distortion, or
intersymbol interference.

Ethernet Methods
Joule
Joule (abbreviated J): A measurement of energy or work. In mechanical

systems, it's the a force of one newton, moving an object a distance of
one meter.
In electronics, it's the same amount of energy, in electrical units. One
joule is one watt of power, applied for one second (a watt-second); or a
coulomb of electrical charge raised to a potential of one volt.
JPEG
Joint Photography Experts Group; more commonly, files that are

compressed using the JPEG standard.
Junction Diode
Sensor
The use of a PN junction on a silicon die for determining die

temperature.
JVM
Java virtual machine.
1. Kilo: Metric unit representing 1000. E.g.: 1kHz is a 1 kilohertz (1000

Hertz). Note that the k is always lowercase.
In digital systems, "K" or "k" is often used to mean 210, that is, 1024.
This is not well-standardized but it's usually apparent from context. On
the Maxim site, we use upper-case K to mean 1024 and lower-case k to
mean 1000. This standard is applied to new documents but older
documents may use "k".
2. Kelvin: Temperature scale. Zero K is defined as absolute zero.
273.15K is 0 degrees C.
Note that temperatures on the kelvin scale are called kelvins, not
"degrees kelvin." The K symbol is uppercase and used without a degree
symbol. The word "kelvin" in this context is not capitalized.
Kanal+
Kanal+ support allows a VCR to record audio and video signals

captured by both the set top box (STB) and the television, without
changing SCART connections on the back of the TV, STB, and VCR.
See: Application note 4522, "Low-Cost, Dual SCART Solution for SetTop Boxes Also Has Optional Kanal+ Support."
kb
Kilobit(s)
Keep-Out Zone
The area on or near a CPU or GPU processor that the circuit board
layout design can not use, due to thermal management components,
cooling, and mounting constraints.
kg
Kilogram(s)
kHz
Kilohertz
km
Kilometer(s)
kVM
Keyboard Video Mouse: Defacto standard for the three cables used on a
typical cpr: One for the keyboard; one for the monitor (video); one for
the mouse. Also: A KVM switch is a switch box used to connect one
KVM to multiple computers.
kW
Kilowatt (or kilowatts): 1000 watts.
kWh
Kilowatt hour(s)
L-Band
The group of radio frequencies extending from 390MHz to 1550MHz.

The GPS carrier frequencies (1227.6MHz and 1575.42MHz) are in the
L-band.
LAN
Local Area Network: A computer network, usually within one building,

that connects computers, file and mail servers, storage, peripherals, and
other devices in a way that permits data interchange and sharing of
resources. Ethernet and WiFi (802.11) are common examples.
Laser Driver
An IC that supplies modulated current to a laser diode in response to an

input serial-data stream.
LCC
1. Leadless Ceramic Chip Carrier or Leadless Chip Carrier: An IC

package, usually ceramic, that has no leads (pins). It instead uses metal
pads at its outer edge to make contact with the printed circuit board.
Example:Maxim 20-pin LCC diagram (PDF)
2. Leaded Chip Carrier, also called PLCC or Plastic Leaded Chip
Carrier: A square surface mount chip package in plastic with leads (pins)
on all four sides. Example: Maxim 20-pin PLCC diagram (PDF)
LCD
Liquid-crystal display
LDO
Low Drop Out: A linear voltage regulator that will operate even when
the input voltage barely exceeds the desired output voltage.
Leakage
Inductance
Leakage inductance in a transformer is an inductive component that

results from the imperfect magnetic linking of one winding to another.
In an ideal transformer, 100% of the energy is magnetically coupled
from the primary to the secondary windings. Imperfect coupling reduces
the signal induced in the secondary windings. The electrical equivalent
is some self-inductance in series with the primary windings that are
properly coupled. This series inductance is the "leakage inductance."
LED
Light-Emitting Diode: A semiconductor device that emits light (usually

visible or infrared) when forward-biased.
The application note, "Driving LEDs in Battery-Operated Applications:
Controlling Brightness Power Efficiently"has a good explanation of
how LEDs work, especially with regard to current vs. LED brightness
and schemes for matching brightness when driving multiple LEDs.
Level Translator
A device which translates a logic signal from one type to another, for
example, ECL to TTL.
LFSR
Linear Feedback Shift Register: A shift register in which some of its
outputs are connected to the input through some logic gates (typically,
an exclusive-or (XOR). A wide variety of bit patterns can be generated
inexpensively, including pseudo-random sequences. Can be used as a
noise generator.
Some application notes that include an LFSR:
DC-to-DC Converter Combats EMI: Figure 2 shows how a

random noise generator randomly shifts the frequency to reduce
EMI.
Pseudo-Random Number Generation Routine for the MAX765x

Microprocessor
LGHL
Low gain, high linearity
LIN
Local Interconnect Network (LIN): Defined by the LIN-BUS

consortium, a LIN is a low data-rate, single-wire communications
system, used in automotive and heavy vehicle applications.
Line Regulation
The ability of a power-supply voltage regulator to maintain its output

voltage despite variations in its input voltage.
Linear
1. Having the property that the output is proportional to the input. E.g.:
VOUT = k*VIN
where k is a constant.
2. Analog; as in a "linear" circuit (as opposed to digital).
Linear Mode
Uses a linear-pass element (BJT or FET) to control/regulate the

charging voltage/current.
Linear Regulator
A voltage regulator that is placed between a supply and the load and
provides a constant voltage by varying its effective resistance.
systems."
Lithium batteries
Lithium batteries for low-power, high-reliability, long-life applications

such as non-volatile memory and timekeeping (typically in coin-shaped
cells) use a variety of lithium-based chemistries (as differentiated from
lithium-ion).
Maxim NV SRAM and timekeeping products use mostly BR chemistry
(poly-carbonmonofluoride) primary (non-rechargeable) lithium coin
cells. We use CR chemistry (manganese dioxide) primary lithium coin
cells in microcontroller and touch products. Some new products use
"manganese lithium" (ML) chemistry, which is chemically close to the
CR, but is a secondary (rechargeable) lithium coin cell.
Lithium-ion
batteries
Lithium and lithium-ion: A number of battery chemistries are based on

the element lithium, a highly-reactive metallic element. Lithium-based
batteries are common in two applications: Power for portable equipment

such as cell phones, laptops, and MP3 players; and low-power, long-life
applications such as powering memory elements and clocks.
Lithium-ion (Li+, Li-Ion, Lion) cells are generally used as power
sources for portable equipment. They are usually rechargeable. Lithiumion and nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) have displaced nickel-cadmium
(NiCd or nicad) as the dominant rechargeable chemistry for portable
applications. Maxim makes a wide range of battery management
products for all these families, including chargers, fuel gauges, and
smart battery components.
Lithium batteries are typically coin-shaped and are used to power items
such as Maxim's non-volatile static RAM (NV SRAM) and timekeeping
circuits (such as real-time clocks).
LL
Local loopback
Lm
Lumen(s)
Lm/W
Lumen(s) per watt
LMDS
Local Multipoint Distribution Service: A broadband radio service,

located in the 28GHz and 31GHz bands, designed to provide two-way
transmission of voice, high-speed data and video (wireless cable TV). In
the U.S., FCC rules prohibit incumbent local exchange carriers and
cable-TV companies from offering in-region LMDS.
LNA
Low noise amplifier. Typical use: The first stage of a satellite receiver.
LO
Local oscillator
Load Regulation
Load regulation refers to circuitry that compensates for changes in load.

Most commonly: Circuits that keep voltage constant as load varies.
Local
Temperature
The temperature measured on the die of the temperature-measuring

integrated circuit.
Local
Temperature
Sensor
An element or function of an integrated circuit that measures its own die

temperature.
LOL
Loss of lock
Long Haul
A network that spans distances larger than a local area network (LAN).
Because electrical and optical transmissions fade over distance, longhaul networks are difficult and expensive to implement.
Long Term
Evolution
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a high-speed mobile communications

cellular standard developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project
(3GPP). LTE is an evolution of GSM/UMTS standards.
LOP
Loss of power
LOS
Loss of signal
Low Batt. Det.
Low battery detector
Low Line O/P
Low line output
Low-Side
An element connected between the load and ground. Low-side current

sensing applications measure current by looking at the voltage drop
across a resistor placed between the load and ground.
LSB
Least-significant bit. In a binary number, the LSB is the least weighted

bit in the number. Typically, binary numbers are written with the MSB
in the left-most position; the LSB is the furthest-right bit.
LSI
Large-scale integration (LSI). See VLSI.
Luminance
1. The emitted light, projected per unit area, measured in cd/m2 (candela
per square meter). Often incorrectly equated with "brightness".
2. The black and white portion of a video signal, also referred to as the
"Y" component. A composite, Y/C, or Y/Pb/Pr video signal combines a
luminance signal with color components.
LVC
Lowest voltage clamp
LVDS
Low Voltage Differential Signaling
LVECL
Low Voltage Emitter Coupled Logic
LVPECL
Low Voltage Positive Emitter Coupled Logic
LVS
Layout versus schematic
LVTTL
Low Voltage Transistor-Transistor Logic
M2M
Machine-to-machine or machine-to-mobile communications, via

wireless technologies such as cell phone network technologies, WLAN,
Bluetooth, and RFID (radio frequency identification). Applications
include automatic meter reading, fleet management, vending,
monitoring and control, security and alarms, and telemedicine.
mA
Milliampere, or milliamp: 1/1000 of an Ampere. Ampere is the basic

unit for measuring electrical current.
MAC Address
Media Access Control Address (maca, MAC): A hardware address that

uniquely identifies each node of a network, as in IEEE-802 (Ethernet)
networks. The MAC layer interfaces directly with the network medium.
Manchester Data
Encoding
Manchester encoding is a form of binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) that

has gained wide acceptance as a modulation scheme for low-cost radiofrequency (RF) transmission of digital data. Its key characteristic is that
it encodes data in a way that insures there will never be long strings of
continuous zeros or ones. The guaranteed transitions means that the
clock can be derived from the transmitted data, allowing the link to
function with variable signal strengths from transmitters with imprecise,
low-cost, data-rate clocks.
Details: See the application note, Manchester Data Encoding for Radio
Communications.
MAP
Manifold absolute pressure
Margining
Margining is a test procedure that determines the "safety margin." A

parameter is varied to determine the device's sensitivity or ability to
perform given a range of inputs. A large number of parts can be
characterized to determine a safe range for the specification, to
guarantee performance and yield.
Max. DNL (LSB) Maximum differential nonlinearly expressed in least significant bit(s).
Max. Hold Step
(MV)
When switching between sample mode and hold mode, charge injection
from stray capacitance causes the maximum voltage of the hold
capacitor to change.
Max. INL as
percent FSR
"Max. INL (%FSR)" is the maximum integral nonlinearity, expressed

as a percentage of full-scale range.
MAXTON
Maximum time-on
MBB
Make-before-break: In a switching device, a configuration in which the

new connection path is established before the previous contacts are
opened. This prevents the switched path from ever seeing an open
circuit.
Applies to mechanical systems (e.g. that use relays or manual switches)
and to solid-state analog multiplexers and switches.
MBC
Main booster converter
MC
Multicommunicator
MCM
1. Multi-Chip Module (MCM): An integrated circuit package that

contains two or more interconnected chips.
2. MCM is an abbreviation for thousands of circular mils, an old
measurement of wire gauge. 1 MCM = 1 kcmil = 0.5067 square
milimeters. A mil is 1/1000 inch. A wire 200 mils in diameter is
40 MCM.
MCM is generally used for very large-diameter wire. Most wire
uses AWG.
3. MCM is also used for "million cubic meters."
Mcps
1. Megacycles per second (obsolete): Megahertz

2. Megachips per Second (Mcps): In a Direct-Sequence Spread
Spectrum signal, a "chip" is an encoding element. Mcps is a measure of
the speed at which chips can be generated by a circuit.
See: "An Introduction to Spread-Spectrum Communications."
MDAC
Multiplying digital-to-analog converter
Media
Independent
Interface
A parallel digital bus used for 10Mbps and 100Mbps Ethernet.
MegaBaud
RS-232 logic-level compatible data rates that are 1Mbps or higher.
MEMS
Acronym for "Micro Electronic Mechanical Systems," or

microelectromechanical systems: Systems that combine mechanical and
electrical components and are fabricated using semiconductor
fabrication techniques. Common examples are pressure and acceleration
sensors which combine the sensor and amplification or conditioning
circuitry. Other applications include switches, valves, and waveguides.
MESFET
A Metal-Semiconductor Field-Effect-Transistor uses a metalsemiconductor (Schottky) junction to create the conductive channel,
rather than using a p-n junction as a JFET does; or a metal-oxidesemiconductor layer as a MOSFET uses.
Metal Oxide
Varistor
A Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV, or surge-suppressor) is a discrete

electronic component that diverts excessive voltage to the ground and/or
neutral lines.
MFSK
Multiple frequency-shift keying
MHz
Megahertz (MHz): Measurement of frequency -- million cycles per

second.
Micro Energy
Cell
A Micro Energy Cell (MEC) is a small, rechargeable, very long life,

energy storage device used in energy harvesting applications.
An example is the THINERGY MEC from Infinite Power Solutions.
MicroLAN
A 1-Wire network. A low-cost network in which PCs or

microcontrollers communicate digitally over twisted-pair cable using 1Wire components.
MicroMonitor
A device that monitors three conditions vital to processor-controlled

systems: power supply, software execution, and external override.
Microprocessor
Supervisor
A device that monitors a host microprocessor or microcontroller's

supply voltage and, in some cases, its activity. It monitors for a fault
condition and takes appropriate action, usually issuing a reset to the
microprocessor.
MIMO
A Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) system has multiple

antennas and multiple radios. It takes advantage of multipath effects,
where a transmitted signal arrives at the receiver through a number of
different paths. Each path can have a different time delay, and the result
is that multiple instances of a single transmitted symbol arrive at the
receiver at different times.
Usually multipath is a source of interference, but MIMO systems use
the fact that data will arrive at the receiver at different times through
different paths to improve the quality of the data link. For example,
rather than relying on a single antenna path to receive an entire message,
the message can be pieced together based on fragments received at the
various antennas. This can act to either increase the data rate at a given
range, or increase system range for a given data rate.
MIMO is used in the implementation of the 802.11n standard.

Min LOS Sens.
The minimum sensitivity attainable with a programmable loss-of-signal

feature.
Min Stable
Closed Loop
Gain
The minimum closed-loop gain for which the amplifier is stable.
MISI
Master-in, slave-out isolated input
MISO
Master-in, slave-out isolated output
mm
Millimeter(s)
MMI
Man-machine interface
Monotonic
A sequence increases monotonically if for every n, Pn + 1 is greater than

or equal to Pn. Similarly, a sequence decreases monotonically if for
every n, Pn + 1 is less than or equal to Pn.
In plain language, the value rises and never falls; or it falls and never
rises.
MOSFET
Metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor; metal-oxide silicon

field-effect transmitter.
In a MOSFET, the conductive channel between the drain and source
contacts is controlled by a metal gate separated from the channel by a
very thin insulating layer of oxide. The gate voltage establishes a field
that allows or blocks current flow.
Compare to a JFET, in which a p-n junction controls the channel; or a
MESFET, which uses a metal-semiconductor (Schottky) junction.
MOSI
Master Out Slave In: One of the four Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)
pins.
MPU
Microprocessing unit
MPW
Multiproject wafer
MQFP
Metric quad flat pack
mrad
Milliradian(s)
ms
Millisecond(s)
MSA
Measurement Systems Analysis is a method for ensuring product test

measurements are reliable, robust, and of good statistical merit.
MSB
Most-significant bit. In a binary number, the MSB is the most weighted

bit in the number. Typically, binary numbers are written with the MSB
in the left-most position; the LSB is the furthest-right bit.
Msps
Megasamples per second: A measure of speed in digitizing systems,

samples per second dictates the maximum frequencies that can be
accurately captured.
MTIMD
Multitone intermodulation distortion
MTPR
Multitone power ratio
Multipath
In radio transmission, multipath refers to the simultaneous reception of

two copies of the signal, that arrive via separate paths with different
delays.
A common example is when a signal bounces off a building or other
object and is received along with the direct (unbounced) signal. In
television reception, this causes "ghosting" -- one sees a faded echo on
the screen horizontally displaced from the main image.
Another common example is in radio (especially AM radio), where the
signal bounces off the ionosphere and one receives that delayed signal
along with the directly transmitted signal.
Usually, multipath is an undesired effect but in MIMO systems, separate
antennas deliberately send replicas and sophisticated receivers piece
together the fragments to improve performance.
Multiplex
1. Combining two signals (which can be analog or a digital stream) into

one in such a way that they can later be separated. Examples are
OFDM; standard FM stereo broadcast (in which left and right are
multiplexed onto one baseband signal); standard television in which
video and several audio signals shared the channel; and time-division
multiplexing which gives each signal a separate time-slice.
2. An array of analog switches, usually on a single CMOS chip, that
allows one input signal to be routed to any of several output lines,
depending on the value of a set of digital control lines.
A multiplexer can also be used in the opposite direction, allowing the
array to connect one of several input lines to the output, depending on
the control lines.
Several of these can be implemented on one chip to make a multichannel version.
Maxim makes hundreds of these parts. See the Analog Switch and
Multiplexer Product Line page.
Murphy's Law
Anything that can go wrong, will.
mV
A millivolt (mV) is 1/1000 of a volt.
mW
Milliwatt(s)
MW
Megawatt(s)
MxTNI
MxTNI (Maxim Tiny Network Interface, formerly called TINI) is

Maxim's trademark for the industry's smallest web server. The MxTNI
platform consists of a microcontroller that includes the facilities
necessary to connect to the Internet. The platform is a combination of

broad based I/O, a full TCP/IP stack and an extensible Java runtime
environment that simplifies development of network-connected
equipment.
nA
Nanoampere(s)
Nanovolt
Nanovolt (nV): Unit of measure. A billionth of a volt.
NC
Normally closed (switch contacts)
NF
Noise figure
NIC
Network interface card
NiMH
Nickel metal hydride: A rechargeable-battery technology.
NMI
Nonmaskable interrupt
nMOS
An n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (nMOS) transistor is one in

which n-type dopants are used in the gate region (the "channel"). A
positive voltage on the gate turns the device on.
NO
Normally open (Switch contact)
Nonvolatile
Nonvolatile (NV) RAM is memory which retains its stored value when
power is removed.
Noxious Fumes
A combination of inert and corrosive gases usually associated with

exhaust fumes or industrial by-products gases which can cause corrosive
effects on temperature and pressure sensors when exposed.
NPR
Noise-power ratio
NRD
Nonradiative dielectric
NRE
Nonrecurring engineering one-time engineering costs associated with

a project.
NRZ
Non Return to Zero: A binary encoding scheme in which ones and

zeroes are represented by opposite and alternating high and low
voltages, and where there is no return to a zero (reference) voltage
between encoded bits. That is, the stream has only two values: low and
high.
ns
Nanosecond(s)
NTC
Negative temperature coefficient
nth
A tiny, tiny amount. Pronounced "enth." From 1/n, which is one "nth."
NTSC
NTSC is the color television standard established by the National

Television Standards Committee in the United States in 1953. The
NTSC standard's distinguishing feature was that it added color to the
original 1941 black and white television standard in such a way that
black and white TVs continued to work.
(Another distinguishing characteristic was that NTSC's dependency on
accurate phase meant that it was difficult to maintain the color as the
signal was transmitted and processed. Television engineers often joke

that NTSC stands for "Never Twice the Same Color.")
The NTSC standard adds a color subcarrier which is quadraturemodulated by two color-difference signals and added to the luminance
signal. The genius of the system is that black and white TVs ignore the
color components, which are beyond the black and white signal's
bandwidth.
The NTSC color subcarrier reference is 3.579545MHz. The horizontal
sync rate (H) was adjusted slightly from the black and white standard's
15.750kHz such that the color subcarrier is 455/2 times H. The vertical
rate is Fv = Fh x 2/525.
See: Video Basics.
NV-S
Nanovolt seconds
nW
Nanowatt(s)
Nyquist
In A/D conversion, the Nyquist principle (derived from the NyquistShannon sampling theorem) states that the sampling rate must be at least
twice the maximum bandwidth of the analog signal in order to allow the
signal to be reproduced. The maximum bandwidth of the signal (half the
sampling rate) is commonly called the Nyquist frequency (or Shannon
sampling frequency).
In real life, sampling rate must be higher than that (because filters are
not perfect). As an example, the bandwidth of a standard audio CD is a
bit shy of the theoretical maximum of 22.05kHz (based on the sample
rate of 44.1kHz).
Also see:
OC
Overcurrent
OC-48
A fiber-optic line capable of 2400 megabits per second.
OEM
Original equipment manufacturer
OFC
Open fiber control
OFDM
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing: A method for

multiplexing signals which divides the available bandwidth into a series
of frequencies known as tones. Flarion uses the 5GHz channel and
divides each channel into 400 discrete tones (each at slightly different
frequency). Orthogonal tones do not interfere with each other when the
peak of one tone corresponds with the null. All frequencies fade but the
rapid switching, frequency-hopping technique is intended to allow more
robust data service.
OLED
Organic Light-Emitting Diode: An LED made with organic materials.

The diodes in displays made with OLEDs emit light when a voltage is
applied to them. The pixel diodes are selectively turned on or off to
form images on the screen. This kind of display can be brighter and
more efficient than current LCD displays.
OLT
Optical line transmission
ONU
ONT (Optical Network Termination), also called ONU (Optical

Network Unit), refer to the consumer end equipment in an optical Fiber
to the Home (FTTH) link. The ONT/ONU receives downstream data
from the OLT (Optical Line Termination) through the passive optical
splitters and provides video, voice, and broadband services to the
consumer.
Op amp
Operational amplifier: The ideal op amp is an amplifier with infinite

input impedance, infinite open-loop gain, zero output impedance,
infinite bandwidth, and zero noise. It has positive and negative inputs
which allow circuits that use feedback to achieve a wide range of
functions.
Using op amps, it's easy to make amplifiers, comparators, log amps,
filters, oscillators, data converters, level translators, references, and
more. Mathematical functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and integration can be easily accomplished.
Practical, real-world op amps have finite characteristics but in most
applications, are close enough to the ideal to make a huge range of
inexpensive, high-performance analog applications possible. They are
the building block for analog design.
One key to op amp design is nodal analysis. Since the input impedance
is infinite, the current in and out of the + and - input nodes defines the
circuit's behavior.
See: Nodal Analysis of Op Amp Circuits for a good tutorial on this
topic.
Also see other amplifier tutorials at: Amplifier Tutorials.
Maxim has hundreds of op amps (and other amplifiers).
Open-drain
An open-drain or open-collector output pin is driven by a single

transistor, which pulls the pin to only one voltage (generally, to ground).
When the output device is off, the pin is left floating (open, or hi-z). A
common example is an n-channel transistor which pulls the signal to
ground when the transistor is on or leaves it open when the transistor is
off.
Open-drain refers to such a circuit implemented in FET technologies
because the transistor's drain terminal is connected to the output; opencollector means a bipolar transistor's collector is performing the
function.
When the transistor is off, the signal can be driven by another device or
it can be pulled up or down by a resistor. The resistor prevents an
undefined, floating state. (See the related term, hi-z.)
OR
Combining two signals so that the output is on if either signal is present.

This can be accomplished by an OR logic gate (two inputs, one output
which is high if either input is).
It can also be done with a "wired-OR" connection in which two signals
are simply wired together and either one of them can raise the level.
This works when the signals are driven by a source that only pulls up or
only pulls down, with a resistive load (e.g. an "open collector" output).
Output to Input
Ratio
The ratio between the sensed current and the output current of the
amplifier.
Overvoltage
Protection
Overvoltage Protector (OVP) refers to a circuit that protects

downstream circuitry from damage due to excessive voltage. An OVP
monitors the DC voltage coming from an external power source, such as
an off-line power supply or a battery, and protects the rest of the
connected circuitry using one of two methods: a crowbar clamp circuit
or a series-connected switch.
The crowbar short-circuits or clamps the supply line to limit the voltage,
possibly triggering other forms of protection such as a fuse.
See Crowbar.
The series-connected switch uses a MOSFET or transistor connected as
a switch in series with the supply line. During an overvoltage condition,
the OVP circuit rapidly shuts off the MOSFET and disconnects the
downstream circuit.
P-P
Peak-to-peak
pA
Picoampere(s)
PA
Power amplifier: An amplifier used to drive significant power levels. An

audio amplifier that drives a loudspeaker and the final stage of a
transmitter are common examples.
PAE
Power-added efficiency
PAL
Phase alternate line: A television standard used in most of Europe.

Similar to NTSC, but uses subcarrier phase alternation to reduce the
sensitivity to phase errors that would be displayed as color errors.
Commonly used with 626-line, 50Hz scanning systems, with a
subcarrier frequency of 4.43362MHz.
See: Video Basics
Parallel Interface
A parallel interface (as distinguished from a serial interface) is one in

which data is sent on several wires (or several wireless channels) at
once. Examples: GPIB, byte-wide parallel interfaces to data converters,
memory and data buses on computer boards and backplanes.
In contrast, a serial interface uses one wire or wire-pair or wireless
channel (or one in each direction).
Parasite Power
The device derives its supply power directly from the serial interface (1Wire).
Partition Locking The ability to lockout writes and/or reads to certain sections of the
memory.
PBC
Port bypass circuit
pC
1. pC: Picocoulomb(s), a unit of electrical charge.

2. PC: Printed circuit (see: Printed Circuit Board).
3. PC: Personal Computer.
PC Card
Add-in cards that conform to the PC Card specification (formerly called

PCMCIA). A PC Card is a removable device, approximately the size of
a credit card, designed to plug into a matching slot.
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect: A standard interface used primarily

on computer backplanes to connect interface cards and peripheral
devices to the processor bus. PCI is often used for video display cards,
network interfaces (e.g. Ethernet), and peripheral interfaces such as
SCSI or USB.
PCI buses typically also support the older Industry Standard
Architecture (ISA) standard.
PCI Express
PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), officially

abbreviated as PCIe, is a computer expansion card standard designed
to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP standards. It is used to link
motherboard-mounted peripherals and as an expansion card interface for
add-in boards.
The PCIe electrical interface is also used in a variety of other standards,
most notably the ExpressCard laptop expansion card interface.
Source: Wikipedia
PCM
Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM) is the conversion of an analog signal

(e.g. audio) into digital, binary (0 or 1), coded pulses, decreasing noise
susceptibility. PAM, PFM and PWM are examples of PCM methods.
PCMCIA
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association: A standard

for miniaturized laptop expansion cards for modems, storage, and other
devices. The standard was officially renamed "PC card."
PCS
Personal Communications Service: An American generic term for a
mass-market mobile phone service, emphasizing personal

communication, independent of the technology used to provide it. PCS
includes such digital cellular technologies as GSM 1900, CDMA and
TDMA IS-136. 2G, CDMA, Digital, GSM, TDMA.
PDA
Personal digital assistant. See: "PDA Solutions."
PDC
Personal Digital Cellular: The digital wireless standard used in Japan.

PDC uses TDMA air interface.
PDI
Phase-detector input
PDJ
Pattern-dependent jitter
PDM
Pulse density modulation
PDO
Phase-detector output
Peak Inverse
Voltage
Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV) or Peak Reverse Voltage (PRV) refer to the
maximum voltage a diode or other device can withstand in the reversebiased direction before breakdown. Also may be called Reverse
Breakdown Voltage.
Note that PIV is also an abbreviation for FIPS 201 Personal Identity
Verification.
PECL
Positive-referenced emitter-coupled logic
pF
Picofarad. A Farad is the unit of capacitance. A pF is 10-12of a Farad.

(1000pF = 1nF, 1000nF = 1 microfarad).
PFD
Phase/frequency detector
PFI
Power-fail input
PFM
Pulse-Frequency Modulation: A pulse modulation technique in which

the frequency is varied with the input signal amplitude. The duty cycle
of the modulated signal does not change. Because it is always a square
wave with changing frequency, PFM is also referred to as square-wave
FM.
PFMEA
Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA): A methodology

for assessing the weaknesses of production processes and the potential
effects of process failures on the product being produced.
PFO
Power-fail output
PG
Power-good; power gain
PGA
Programmable Gain Amplifier: An amplifier whose gain can be varied

by a separate input (usually a digital value).
See: Programmable-Gain Amplifier, Using the MAX532 DAC
Pin Electronics
Electronic circuitry in an automated tester (ATE system) that connects

to the device under test.
Pin electronics can deliver signals, power, or precise voltages and
currents, and can measure the pin's response, drive, and electrical
characteristics.
PKI
Public Key Infrastructure: A combination of standards, protocols, and

software that creates, edits, and revokes digital public key certificates.
PLA
Programmable logic array
PLC
A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC, or Programmable Controller)

is a ruggedized, microprocessor-based system which provides factory or
plant automation by monitoring sensors and controlling actuators in real
time.
See: Maxim Solutions for PLCs.
PLC is also used as an acronym for Powerline Communications
(HomePlug).
PLCC
Leaded Chip Carrier, also called PLCC or Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier:
A square surface mount chip package in plastic with leads (pins) on all
four sides. Example:Maxim 20-pin LCC diagram (PDF)
Plesiochronous
The time-division multiplexed network used by telecommunications
Digital Hierarchy companies to transport phone calls and data over copper cabling. The
entire network shares a common frequency throughout it's tree-like
structure, although phase and time delay variations exists at various
points along the edge of the network.
PLL
A phase-locked loop (PLL, or phase lock loop) is a control system that

generates a signal that has a fixed relation to the phase of a "reference"
signal. A phase-locked loop circuit responds to both the frequency and
the phase of the input signals, automatically raising or lowering the
frequency of a controlled oscillator until it is matched to the reference in
both frequency and phase.
Phase-locked loops are widely used in radio, telecommunications,
computers and other electronic applications. They may generate stable
frequencies, recover a signal from a noisy communication channel, or
distribute clock timing pulses in digital logic designs such as
microprocessors.
From Wikipedia.
PLM
Pad limiting metal
PMIC
Power Management Integrated Circuit: Circuits used to regulate and

control power.
PMM
Power-management mode
Pmod
Pmods are small I/O interface boards used to extend the capabilities of
FPGA/CPLD and embedded control boards. Pmods communicate with
system boards using 6- or 12-pin connectors.
Pmod is the trademark of Digilent Inc.
pMOS
A p-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (pMOS) transistor is one in

which p-type dopants are used in the gate region (the "channel"). A
negative voltage on the gate turns the device on.
PMR
Private Mobile Radio: Radio bands generally for use within a defined
user group, such as the emergency services or by the employees of a
mining project.
PoE
Power-over-Ethernet: A means for delivering power to a remote device

using the same cable lines used to deliver Ethernet data.
Point-of-Load
Point-of-load (POL) power supplies solve the challenge of high peak

current demands and low noise margins, required by high-performance
semiconductors such as microcontrollers or ASICs, by placing
individual power supply regulators (linear or DC-DC) close to their
point of use.
More:
Point-of-Load DC-DC Conversion
POLs with integrated MOSFETs
POK
Power-OK
PON
Passive optical network: A cost-effective way to provide high

performance Fiber to the Home (FTTH) connectivity via shared optical
fiber. PON connects up to 32 (or more) homes on the same network
using passive optical components (splitters).
POP Analysis
Periodic Operating Point (POP) Analysis is a simulation technique (used

by EE-Sim) to find the steady state operation condition of a switching
power supply design.
One conversion cycle is run in the time domain. The inductor currents
and capacitor voltages at the beginning of that cycle are compared to the
inductor currents and capacitor voltages at the end of that cycle. When
the difference has been driven below 10-9, the steady state conditions are
identified and POP Anaylsis ends.
POR
Power-on reset
Potentiometer
Variable resistor in which a wiper sweeps from one end of the resistive
element to the other, resulting in resistance that is proportional to the
wiper's position.
Power Added
Efficiency
In an RF power amplifier, power added efficiency (PAE) is defined as

the ratio of the difference of the output and input signal power to the DC
power consumed. In other words:
PAE = (PRFOUT - PRFIN)/PDC = (PRFOUT - PRFIN)/(VDC*IDC)
Power Fail
A feature in a microprocessor supervisory circuit that provides early

warning to the microprocessor of imminent power failure.
PowerCap
A special surface-mount package with access to the internal cavity via

an openable top. This packaging scheme allows easy upgrade of NV
RAMs without having to change the PCB hardware layout. The user can
simply open the lid and swap out the IC.
PPAP
Production Part Approval Process. Used by automotive industry for

acceptance of new products for release and use on automobiles.
PRBS
Pseudorandom binary (bit) sequence
PRC
Parasitic resistance cancellation
PRCM
Parasitic resistance cancellation mode
Pre-Bias Soft
Start
A power-supply feature that prevents discharging of the output capacitor

when the power supply starts up. Discharging the output capacitor could
create either start up oscillation problems at cold start or large voltage
disturbances on the output voltage bus at hot plug-in. Pre-bias soft start
is an important feature in redundant power-supply systems, parallel
power supply modules, battery back-up voltage buses, and other
applications where multiple power sources supply one node.
See the application note: MAX1917 Provides Pre-Bias Soft Start for
Redundant Supply
Preemphasis
In some transmission and recording systems (e.g. vinyl records, FM

radio, analog magnetic tape), there is more noise at higher frequencies.
To offset this, the audio signal is "preemphasized" at the transmitter -filtered with a high-pass filter to boost the higher audio frequencies. A
matching low-pass filter is used at the receiver to return to an overall
flat audio-frequency response. The filter at the receiver reduces the
high-frequency noise introduced by the transmission process.
Pressure Cooker
Test
A Pressure Cooker Test (PCT) tests a part under high temperature,

humidity, and pressure conditions. Also called an Autoclave Test or
Pressure Pot Test (PPOT).
Printed Circuit
Board
A printed circuit board, or PC board, or PCB, is a non-conductive

material with conductive lines printed or etched. Electronic components
are mounted on the board and the traces connect the components
together to form a working circuit or assembly.
A PC board can have conductors on one side or two sides and can be
multi-layer a sandwich with many layers of conductors, each
separated by insulating layers.
The most common circuit boards are made of plastic or glass-fiber and
resin composites and use copper traces, but a wide variety of other
materials may be used. Most PCBs are flat and rigid but flexible
substrates can allow boards to fit in convoluted spaces.
Components are mounted via SMD (surface-mount) or through-hole
methods.
PRM
Performance report message
PROCHOT#
Digital output pin on Intel's Pentium 4 processors that indicates the

internal Thermal Control Circuit has activated. This occurs when the
processor has reached its maximum safe operating temperature.
PROFIBUS
Vendor-independent open fieldbus standard used in manufacturing,

building automation, and process control. Utilizes a nonpowered twowire (RS-485) network. PROFIBUS is standardized under the European
Fieldbus Standard EN 50 170. It includes three versions: FMS, DP, and
PA. Visit www.profibus.com for more information.
PROM
Programmable read-only memory
PRT
Platinum Resistance Thermometer, a resistance temperature device

(RTD).
PS
Power sense
PSD
Preamble-switched diversity
PSK
Phase-shift keying (PSK): A modulation technique in which the phase of

the carrier conveys the input signal's information.
PSR
Power-supply rejection
PSRR
Power Supply Rejection Ratio (PSRR) is the ability of an amplifier to

maintain its output voltage as its DC power-supply voltage is varied.
PSRR = (change in Vcc)/(change in Vout)
See also: Ripple rejection, which is degree of immunity from AC in the
power supply.
PSW
Program status word
PTC
Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC): When the resistance of a

component rises with temperature, it is said to have a positive
temperature coefficient.
Example: Hewlett-Packard's first commercial product, an audio
oscillator, used a common light bulb as a PTC element in the feedback
circuit to maintain constant output amplitude regardless of frequency.
Pulse-Amplitude
Modulation
Pulse-Amplitude Modulation (PAM) is a pulse modulation technique in

which the amplitude of the pulse is varied with the input signal
amplitude.
Push-Pull
An output structure which uses one active device to source current and a
second device to sink current. Common examples are: a CMOS stage in
which an n-channel device pulls toward ground or a negative supply and
a p-channel device pushes current to bring the output up; an output stage
in an audio amplifier with an NPN and PNP device in totem-pole
configuration.
systems."
PV-S
Picovolt second(s)
PVR
Personal video recorder
PWD
Pulse-width distortion
PWM
1. A method for using pulse width to encode or modulate a signal. The

width of each pulse is a function of the amplitude of the signal.
2. A technique used to modulate the power delivered to a load.
In DC-DC switching regulators, the pulse width driving the main power
switch (and hence, the duty cycle) is varied to maintain the desired
output voltage. In DC motor-control applications, pulse width is used to
vary motor speed.
PWM
Temperature
Sensor
Temperature sensor with digital, logic-level output. The output has a

fixed frequency and the duty cycle varies with the measured
temperature.
Q Factor
A measure of the quality of a resonant (tank) circuit. A "high-Q" circuit

has mostly reactive components (inductive and capacitive), with low
resistance. It resonates strongly, with little damping (low loss). A high-Q
circuit will have low bandwidth relative to its center frequency (that is,
it will have a narrow bandwidth vs frequency curve).
Q = 2 * (Energy stored / Energy dissipated per cycle)
QAM
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation: A modulation method in which two

signals are used to amplitude-modulate two carriers that are in
quadrature (90 degrees out of phase with each other). The two
modulated signals are combined.
A common application is in PAL and NTSC color television
transmission. Color is encoded into two analog signals (called I and Q),
which modulate quadrature color carriers.
Modems also use this approach, to increase the data bandwidth they can
carry (or, more accurately, to trade bandwidth for error rate or noise
immunity).
QFN
"Quad, flat, no-lead" package.
QFP
Quad flat pack, a package type.
QPSK
QPSK Symbol Constellation
Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) is a form of Phase Shift Keying
in which two bits are modulated at once, selecting one of four possible
carrier phase shifts (0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees). QPSK allows the signal
to carry twice as much information as ordinary PSK using the same
bandwidth. QPSK is used for satellite transmission of MPEG2 video,

cable modems, videoconferencing, cellular phone systems, and other
forms of digital communication over an RF carrier.
See our QPSK tutorial: QPSK Modulation Demystified.
QRSS
Quasi-random signal source
QS-9000
QS-9000 is the automotive quality standard surperseded by

ISO/TS16949:2002 specification for component suppliers to the
automotive industry.
QSOP
Quarter small-outline package
Quadrature
The relation between two waves of the same frequency, but one-quarter
of a cycle (90) out of phase.
Quantization
A process whereby the continuous range of input-signal values is

divided into nonoverlapping subranges. Each of these subranges has a
discrete value of the output uniquely assigned. Once a signal value falls
within a given subrange, the output provides the corresponding discrete
value.
QuERC
Software that examines bias and transient simulation output and flags
devices operating above limits. Querc is supplied by Maxim to ASIC
customers.
Quiescent
For an electronic circuit, a quiet state in which the circuit is driving no

load and its inputs are not cycling. Most commonly used for the
specification "quiescent current," the current consumed by a circuit
when it in a quiescent state.
R-2R
1. Short for R-2R ladder: A method for D/A conversion which employs
a ladder-shaped resistor array composed of two resistor values: R and
2R. Each bit in the digital input switches a ladder's rungs in and out of
the network to change the output voltage by an amount proportional to
the significance of the bit.
2. Rail-to-rail
RAC
Remaining absolute capacity (mA-hr)
RAID
Redundant Array of Independent Disks: A redundant array of

inexpensive disks. RAID is a performance-enhancing method of storing
the same data in different places on multiple hard disks to achieve speed
and/or data redundancy.
Rail-to-Rail Input The allowable input signal range includes the supply voltages.
Rail-to-Rail Input The allowable input and output voltage ranges include the power-supply
or Output
rails.
RAM
Random access memory
Random Jitter
Random jitter (RJ) includes all jitter components not defined as

deterministic jitter (i.e., the jitter that is not related to the signal and
known noise sources).

See:
Jitter Overview in HFAN-04.3.0: Jitter Specifications Made

Ethernet Methods
HFAN-04.5.1: Measuring Random Jitter on a Digital Sampling

Oscilloscope
RAR
Remaining active runtime (min)
RC
Resistance-capacitance; resistor-capacitor. In particular, an RC network

is a network composed of resistors and capacitors in a series-parallel
combination, usually to filter or delay a signal.
RE
Remaining energy (joules)
Receiver
A circuit that accepts signals from a transmission medium (which can be

wireless or wired) and decodes or translates them into a form that can
drive local circuits.
Examples:
A radio receiver that detects and demodulates the signal from the
airwaves
An ultrasonic receiver that turns ultrasound signals into

electrical signals
A line receiver that receives signals from a wire or backplane
A standard interface receiver (e.g., USB, serial, LVDS)
A fiber optic device that translates light pulses into electrical

signals
Recovery Time
The time for a sensor to return to baseline value after the step removal
of the measured variable. Usually specified as time to fall to 10% of
final value after step removal of measured variable.
REF
REF is a term that appears on IC package drawings in reference to

dimensions. It stands for REFERENCE and indicates that this is a
reference dimension, calculated or based on another dimension.
For example, the dimension from the first pin to the last pin in the row
of a DIP (dual inline package) usually is tagged as REF because it is a
multiple of the distance from pin-to-pin. In the case of a 16-pin DIP, the
first pin to last pin dimension is 7 times the pin-to-pin dimension (7
spaces between 8 pins).
Relay
A relay is an electromagnetic switching device consisting of an armature
which is moved by an electromagnet to operate one or more switch

contacts.
Some advantages of relays are that they provide amplification and
isolation and are straightforward. They can switch difficult voltages
(e.g. RF or high-powered AC) with complete isolation and no worries
about level translation.
Relay disadvantages, compared to solid-state switching, include power
efficiency, noise (both mechanical and electrical, including "contact
bounce"), size, speed, and reliability. Analog switches are commonly
used instead of relays in signal switching applications.
Driving a relay can be tricky because it's an inductive load. Special
relay drivers are often used. Contact bounce is another issue. Search the
Maxim site for the term "relay" to see application notes on relay driving
and for relay driving products.
Remote Diode
A diode or diode-connected bipolar transistor used as a temperaturesensing element, often integrated onto an integrated circuit whose
temperature is to be measured.
Remote
Temperature
Temperature at a location other than at the die of the temperaturemeasuring integrated circuit.
Remote
Temperature
Sensor
A remotely located PN junction used as a temperature sensing device,

usually located on an integrated circuit other than the one doing the
measurement.
Resistance
Resistance, represented by the symbol R and measured in ohms, is a

measure of the opposition to electrical flow in DC systems. Resistance
is the voltage across an element divided by the current (R = V/I).
Resonant Circuit
A resonant, or tuned, circuit combines an inductor and capacitor (or

mechanical equivalents such as a crystal or MEMS oscillator) to make a
circuit that is responsive to a frequency. Depending on the
configuration, the circuit can have a high or low impedance at the
resonant frequency and operate as bandpass or band stop filter, or an
oscillator.
It may be called an LC or LRC circuit because of the inductive (L),
resistive (R), and capacitive (C) components used.
An older name is "tank circuit," because its operation is analogous to a
tank in a fluid system, in which the dimensions of the tank define the
natural frequency observed when fluid is pulsed through the tank.
Response Time
The time for a sensor to respond from no load to a step change in load.
Usually specified as time to rise to 90% of final value, measured from
onset of step input change in measured variable.
Reverse
Recovery Time
When switching from the conducting to the blocking state, a diode or

rectifier has stored charge that must first be discharged before the diode
blocks reverse current. This discharge takes a finite amount of time
known as the Reverse Recovery Time, or trr. During this time, diode
current may flow in the reverse direction.
RF
Radio Frequency: An AC signal of high enough frequency to be used for

wireless communications.
RFDS
Radio frequency design system
RFI
Radio Frequency Interference: Unwanted noise from RF sources.
RFID
Radio Frequency Identification: A method for uniquely identifying an

object using a tag or module that carries a unique ID number, or code.
Identification can be made using wireless (RF, or radio-wave)
connection, meaning no line-of-sight or physical contact is needed.
There are many different ways to achieve RFID and many applications
including pet ID, identification of parts on an assembly line, tracking
goods in manufacturing or retail settings, etc.
Also see: NFC/RFID Products
RFPF
Positive reference
RH
Relative humidity
RI
Reference input; ring indicate
RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
Ripple Rejection
Ripple Rejection is the ability of an amplifier to maintain accurate

output voltage despite AC fluctuations in the power supply.
RISC
Reduced instruction set computer (RISC): Computer hardware designed

to support a short list of simple instructions. This makes the hardware
simpler and faster, since it does not need to accommodate complex
instructions.
Although more instructions must be executed for some operations, a
RISC architecture can be faster, depending on the instruction mix, the
design of the instruction set, and how effective the compilers and
support software are in translating operations into optimized
instructions.
RMS
Root mean square
RNPF
Negative reference
ROM
Read-only memory
RRC
Remaining relative capacity: The percent of the full charge that remains
in a power cell.
RS-232
A serial interface published by the EIA for asynchronous data

communication over distances up to a few hundred feet. Characterized
by a single-ended (not differential) physical layer, it uses one signal
wire for transmission, another for reception, and a common wire
(ground), plus some timing and control signals. Its specifications are
rooted in electromechanical equipment signaling (Teletype machines).
Still a very common interface but largely replaced by USB in recent

years.
The term "serial" interface is often used for an RS-232 interface. The
usage is not quite accuratewhile RS-232 is a serial interface, there are
other serial interfaces in addition to RS-232.
When it was introduced in 1987, the MAX232 rapidly became the most
common way to implement RS-232 because it required only a single 5volt supply. On-board DC-DC converters developed the odd voltages
required by the official spec.
(Maxim still manufacturers the MAX232 and makes a wide range of
newer products as well.)
See Selecting and Using RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 Serial Data
Standards to learn about the differences between RS-232, RS-422, and
RS-485.
See RS-232 Transceiver Products.
RS-422/RS-485
RS-485 and RS-422 are serial interface standards in which data is sent
in a differential pair (two wires, or twisted pair cable), which allows
greater distances and higher data rates than non-differential serial
schemes such as RS-232. See: Differential Signaling.
RS-485 and RS-422 can be configured for full-duplex or half-duplex
bus systems.
See Selecting and Using RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 Serial Data
Standards to learn about the differences between RS-232, RS-422, and
RS-485.
RSA
A public key cryptographic algorithm named after its inventors (Rivest,

Shamir, and Adelman). It is used for encryption and digital signatures.
RSA was developed in 1977 and is today the most commonly used
encryption and authentication algorithm.
RSR
Remaining standby runtime (min)
RSSI
Received Signal Strength Indicator (or Indication): A signal or circuit

that indicates the strength of the incoming (received) signal in a
receiver. (The signal strength indicator on a cell phone display is a
common example).
RSSI is often done in the IF stage before the IF amplifier. In zero-IF
systems, it is done in the baseband signal chain, before the baseband
amplifier.
RSSI output is often a DC analog level. It can also be sampled by an
internal ADC and the resulting codes available directly or via peripheral
or internal processor bus.
RTCs
Real-time clock: Integrated circuit that contains a timer that supplies the
time of day (and often, the date). An RTC generally contains a long-life
battery to allow it to keep track of the time even when there is no power
applied.
See the Real Time Clocks page for much more information.
RTD
A Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) is a device with a significant

temperature coefficient (that is, its resistance varies with temperature). It
is used as a temperature measurement device, usually by passing a lowlevel current through it and measuring the voltage drop. A thermistor is
a common type of RTD.
RTS
Request to send: A data communications signal (e.g. RS-232)
Rx
Receive
RZ
Return to Zero: A binary bitstream encoding scheme in which the signal

returns to zero voltage in between the data bits. The signal has three
valid levels: High, Low, and the return to zero volts after each bit.
1. Siemen(s), standard unit for conductance

2. Lower case s is the standard abbreviation for seconds.
S-Parameters
The reflection and transmission coefficients used in impedance

matching between high-speed (RF) devices and transmission
lines/traces.
S-UMTS
Satellite-universal mobile telecommunications system
S/S
Single supply
Samples per
Second
1. sps: Samples per second. In data conversion, an analog signal is

converted to a stream of numbers, each representing the analog signal's
amplitude at a moment in time. Each number is called a "sample." The
number sample per second is called the sampling rate, measured in
samples per second.
2. ksps: Kilosample(s) per second (thousands of samples per second)
3. Msps: Megasamples per second (millions of samples per second)
Also see:
A Simple ADC Comparison Matrix
Understanding SAR ADCs
Understanding Flash ADCs
Sampling Rate
An A/D converter converts an analog signal into a stream of digital

numbers, each representing the analog signal's amplitude at a moment in
time. Each number is called a "sample." The number sample per second
is called the sampling rate, measured in samples per second.
SAN
Storage Area Network: A network infrastructure of shared multihost
storage, linking all storage devices and interconnecting remote sites.

SAR
Successive Approximation Register: Used to perform the analog-todigital conversion in successive steps in many analog-to-digital (ADC)
converters.
SAW
Surface Acoustic Wave: A sound wave that propagates along the surface
of a solid and is contained within the solid. SAW devices typically
combine compressional and shear components. In Wireless applications,
SAW refers to a Surface Acoustic Wave band-pass filter, which exhibits
much better out-of-band rejection, but has higher passband ripple and
insertion loss.
SB
Side braze
SBGA
Super ball-grid array, a packaging technology.
SBS
Smart Battery Specification: A specification developed by Duracell.
Scan Design
A design technique in which the internal registers or flip-flops of a

circuit can be chained, to allow an external circuit to easily read and
write their contents.
When internal memory elements are not directly accessible from the
circuit's outside pins, testing is difficult because their state is unknown.
With scan design, a signal reconfigures the elements into a "scan chain"
and their contents can be read and if desired, altered.
SCART
Also known as Euroconnector or Peritel, a 21-pin connector commonly

used in Europe to interconnect satellite receivers, television sets, and
other audiovisual equipment (e.g. videocassette recorders). A single
connector combines audio and video signals. The name comes from
"Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorcepteurs et
Tlviseurs."
Peritel is an abbreviation for "pritlvision." Peri is a prefix that means
around or surrounding in this case, it suggests the connection
between the television and its electronic environment.
SCF
Switched-capacitor filter
Schottky Diode
A diode realized via a "Schottky-barrier junction" -- a metalsemiconductor junction -- rather than the P-N junction used by
conventional semiconductor diodes. Schottky diodes are often chosen
for their high switching speed and low forward voltage drop.
SCL
Serial clock line
SCLK
Serial clock
SCR
Silicon-controlled rectifier
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface (pronounced "scuzzy"), an interface

standard for connecting peripheral devices to computers. Hardware
components for implementing a SCSI interface include connector ports
on computers and cables for connecting peripheral devices to the
computer. SCSI is gradually being supplanted by the newer USB and

IEEE 1341 standards.
SCT
Single Chip Transceivers: A single IC that includes data communication

transmitter and receiver functions.
SD
1. Signal detect: An output that indicates when a signal is present. A

form of Signal Strength Indicator.
2. Secure Digital, a media format for nonvolatile external memory. The
successor to the "MultiMedia Card" format, or MMC, SD card
memories typically operate from 3.3V supplies with modest current
requirements. SD memory cards are best known as storage for digital
cameras, smart phones, and other consumer electronic devices.
SDA
Serial data access
SDO
Serial data out
SDTV
Standard Definition Television: Digital formats that do not achieve the

video quality of HDTV, but are at least equal, or superior to, NTSC
pictures. SDTV may have either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, and includes
surround sound. Variations of fps (frames per second), lines of
resolution, and other factors of 480p and 480i make up the 12 SDTV
formats in the ATSC standard.
Second Harmonic Second harmonic distortion (HD2): Ratio of second-order harmonic to

Distortion
the input signal (carrier). Often measured as dBc.
Secure Hash
Standard
This standard specifies a Secure Hash Algorithm, SHA-1, for computing

a condensed representation of a message or a data file.
Semiconductor
1. A substance that can act as an electrical conductor or insulator

depending on chemical alterations or external conditions. Examples are
silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide.
Also called "III-V" materials since semiconductor elements are in
groups III and V of the periodic table of chemical elements.
2. An electronic device (e.g. a transistor, diode, or integrated circuit)
manufactured from semiconductor materials.
Semiconductor devices control and amplify because a small voltage or
current, or a physical stimulus (such as light or pressure), allows the
semiconductor to pass or block electrical current. Devices can be
fabricated with other capabilities such as passing electric current in only
one direction, emitting light, mixing and transforming signals, etc.
Sense Resistor
A resistor placed in a current path to allow the current to be measured.

The voltage across the sense resistor is proportional to the current that is
being measured and an amplifier produces a voltage or current that
drives the measurement.
SEPIC
Single Ended Primary Inductor Converter: A DC-DC converter topology

that acts both as a boost and a buck converter (that is, will step up or
down, depending on the input voltage).

SerDes
Serialization/deserialization
Serial Interface
A serial interface (as distinguished from a parallel interface) is one in

which data is sent in a single stream of bits, usually on a single wireplus-ground, wire-pair, or single wireless channel (or two sets, one for
each direction). Examples include USB, RS-232, I2C, and 1-Wire.
By contrast, a parallel interface sends several bits at once, on separate
wires.
SFDR
Spurious-Free Dynamic Range: A term used to specify A/D and D/A

converters (ADCs and DACs).
In ADCs, Spurious-Free Dynamic Range (SFDR) is the ratio of the
RMS amplitude of the carrier frequency (maximum signal component)
to the RMS value of the next largest noise or harmonic distortion
component. SFDR is usually measured in dBc (with respect to the
carrier frequency amplitude) or in dBFS (with respect to the ADC's fullscale range).
In DACs, Spurious-Free Dynamic Range (SFDR) is the ratio of the
RMS amplitude of the carrier frequency (maximum signal components)
to the RMS value of their next largest distortion component. SFDR is
usually measured in dBc (with respect to the carrier frequency
amplitude) or in dBFS (with respect to the DAC's full-scale range).
Depending on the test condition, SFDR is observed within a pre-defined
window or to Nyquist.
Also see the Maxim Data Conversion Calculator.
SFF
Small Form Factor: An optical module.
SFF-8472
Small Form Factor: Specification for optical modules.
SFP
Small Form Factor Pluggable
SFR
Special-function register
SHA
Secure Hash Algorithm: A message digest algorithm developed by the

NSA for use in the Digital Signature standard, FIPS number 186 from
NIST. SHA is an improved variant of MD4 producing a 160-bit hash.
SHA is one of two message digest algorithms available in IPSEC.
SHDN
Shutdown. Low-power standby mode.
Shift Register
Two or more bistable elements (flip-flops) connected in series. With

each tick of the clock, the output of stage n is shifted to stage n+1.
Applications include clock or signal delays, delay lines, linear-feedback
shift registers.
Shock Sensor
An acceleration sensor, generally a piezoelectric type, that can measure

high acceleration but cannot measure static g forces.
Shoot-Through
In a push-pull amplifier stage, one transistor pushes current to the output
Current
to drive it toward a positive voltage; a second device pulls down. These

are designed so both devices are never fully on, which would effectively
short the power supply.
The rush of current that occurs while both devices are on is called the
shoot-through current. Events that allow both devices to be on (e.g.
circuit faults or a brief moment in the switching cycle) are said to
"crowbar" the circuit because of its similarity to a power supply
protection circuit of that name.
Shutdown
A feature of many Maxim ICs, typically controlled via a logic-level

input, which dramatically reduces power consumption when the device
is not in use.
SI
Sampled input
SiGe
Silicon Germanium process
Signal-Invalid
O/P
Signal invalid output. Indicates when all RS-232 signals to the IC are in
the invalid range.
Signal-to-Noise
Ratio
Signal-to-Noise Ratio, the ratio of the amplitude of the desired signal to

the amplitude of noise signals at a given point in time. The larger the
number, the better. Usually expressed in dB.
SIM
Subscriber identity module
SINAD
Signal-to-noise and distortion ratio: The RMS value of the sine wave
f(IN) (input sine wave for an ADC, reconstructed output sine wave for a
DAC) to the RMS value of the converter noise from DC to the Nyquist
frequency, including harmonic content. It is typically expressed in dB
(decibels).
SLBI
System loopback input
SLIC
Subscriber-Loop-Interface-Circuit: A telephone line interface.
Smart Battery
A battery with internal circuitry that provides level of charge status to

the host system.
Smart Phone
A phone with a microprocessor, memory, screen, and built-in modem.

The smart phone combines some of the capabilities of a PC in a handset
device and typically include Internet connectivity.
Smart Signal
Conditioner
Signal conditioner that is programmable or has a flexible architecture to

allow it to accomplish sophisticated signal transformations and
corrections.
SMBus
System Management Bus: A 2-wire serial-interface standard developed

by Intel.
SMD
1. Surface Mount Device (SMD): An electronic component that mounts

on the surface of a printed circuit board (as opposed to "through-hole"
components which have pins that are inserted into holes). SMDs
typically allow more components per square centimeter of PC board, but

their scale is such that hand assembly and prototyping may be difficult.
2. Standard Military Drawing (SMD): A U.S. government program for
standardized MIL-STD-883 product specifications, to simplify military
procurement. Sponsored by the DSCC (Defense Supply Center,
Columbus).
SMPS
Switch-Mode Power Supply
SMR
Specialized Mobile Radio: Indicates the 896MHz to 901MHz band

(800MHz band), which uses two paired 25kHz channels, and the
935MHz to 940MHz band (900 MHz band), which uses two paired
12.5kHz channels. Ten 20-channel blocks have been allocated in these
frequency bands by the FCC. 900MHz SMR is primarily used for radio
dispatch, paging, and wireless data communications.
Snubber
A device which suppresses voltage transients.
SO
Small outline (a package type).
Soft Start
A feature in some switching power supplies that limits the startup inrush
current at initial startup.
SOHO
Small Office/Home Office: Businesses that are either run from home or
a from a small office. Software and hardware companies sometimes
promote products as suitable for the SOHO market.
SOIC
Small outline integrated circuit, a packaging technology.
Solid State
A solid state device or circuit is one that relies on semiconductors rather

than mechanical or vacuum tube circuits.
SONET
Synchronous Optical Network: A North American standard for

transmission in synchronous optical networks. It defines a family of
rates, formats, interfaces, transport options, and maintenance
capabilities. The minimum rate for SDH is 155Mbps.
SOT
Small outline transistor
Space Diversity
In radio systems, Space Diversity transmits a signal on multiple

propagation paths.
SPC
Statistical process control
SPCR
Service Control Peripheral Register
SPDR
Service Control Data Register
SPDT
Single-pole/double-throw switch
A switch with three leads, one of which is common. The common lead
can connect to one or the other leads exclusively.
SPFP
Signal power functional part
SPI
Serial Peripheral Interface. A 3-wire serial interface developed by
Motorola.
SPICE
Simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis
Spread Spectrum
A technology that modulates a signal over many carrier frequencies at

once. This method can be used to make transmissions more secure,
reduce interference, and improve bandwidth-sharing.
Spread-spectrum techniques can also be used to reduce electromagnetic
interference by dithering the clock frequency so emissions are no longer
concentrated at one frequency.
See:
An Introduction to Spread-Spectrum Communications
Low-EMI, Class D Audio Power Amplifiers with SpreadSpectrum Modulation
About Spread-Spectrum Oscillators
SPST
Single-pole/single-throw switch
Spurious-Free
Unwanted frequencies are not present.
SQC
Statistical quality control: Use of statistical methods to measure and

improve the quality of manufacturing processes and products. The term
"statistical process control" is often used interchangably.
SR
Slew rate
SRAM
Static RAM: RAM that does not require a clock to retain its contents.
SRF
Self-resonant frequency
SS
Soft-start; sample size
SSC
Smart signal conditioning
SSOP
Shrink small-outline package
Star Ground
A pcb layout technique in which all components connect to ground at a

single point. The traces make in a "star" pattern, emanating from the
central ground.
Star Point
A point from which all traces leave in a "star" pattern in pcb layout.
STB
A "set top box," or STB, is a generic name for an electronic interface

between a cable television or satellite signal and video display and
recording devices. Typically a box that can be placed atop the television
set (hence the name), it can have many functions, including acting as a
tuner, decoding digital or analog television signals, removing
encryption, and allowing the purchase of pay-per-view channels.
Maxim offers a range of products for STB designers. See:Set-Top Box
Solutions page.
STC
1. Silicon Timed Circuit: A circuit that produces a delayed version of the
input signal. Also known as a delay line.

Also See: Silicon Timed Circuits: Frequently Asked Questions
2. System Timing and Control: Clock generation and distribution
systems and components. May include the means for clock control such
as spread-spectrum clock generation for EMI reduction, skew rate
control, rate dividers, rate control, width, delay, and phase adjustment.
Also See: System Timing & Control Design Guide (PDF)and the Clock
Generation and Distribution product line page.
Step-Up DC-DC
A switch-mode voltage regulator in which output voltage is higher than

its input voltage.
systems."
Strobe
A pulse used for timing and synchronization.
Superheterodyne
Receiver
A radio receiver that combines a locally generated frequency with the

carrier frequency to produce a lower-frequency signal (IF, or
intermediate frequency) that is easier to demodulate than the original
modulated carrier.
Swallow Counter The Swallow Counter is one of the three building blocks (swallow
counter, main counter, and dual-modulus prescaler) that constitute the
programmable divider commonly used in modern frequency
synthesizers.
The swallow counter is used to control the dual-modulus prescaler
which is set to either N or (N+1). At the initial reset state, the prescaler
is set to a divide ratio of (N+1), but the swallow counter will change this
divide ratio to N when it finishes counting S number of cycles.
The Swallow Counter gets its name from the idea that it "swallows" 1
from (N+1) of the dual-modulus prescaler.
SWAP
Shared wireless access protocol
Switch Mode
Uses a switching transistor and inductor to control/regulate the charging

voltage/current.
Switched
A circuit methodology, typically implemented in CMOS integrated
Capacitor Circuit circuits, that uses clocked switches and capacitors to transfer charge
from node to node such that a resistor function is realized. The effective
resistance is governed by capacitor size and switching clock frequency.
Switching
Regulator
A voltage regulator that uses a switching element to transform the

supply into an alternating current, which is then converted to a different
voltage using capacitors, inductors, and other elements, then converted
back to DC. The circuit includes regulation and filtering components to
insure a steady output. Advantages include the ability to generate
voltages beyond the input supply range and efficiency; disadvantages
include complexity.
See: Switching Regulator Applications
See: DC-DC Converter Tutorial
SWT
Set watchdog timeout
Synchronous
Synchronous Digital Hierarchy, SDH: The ITU-TSS International
Digital Hierarchy standard for transmitting information over optical fiber.
Synchronous
Rectification
In switch-mode power supplies, the "steering" diode is replaced or

paralleled with a FET switch to reduce losses and thereby increase
efficiency. The FET is off during the inductor charge cycle, and then
turned on as the inductor discharges into the load.
System on a Chip A System on a Chip (SoC) integrates most of a system's elements on a

single integrated circuit (chip). It typically combines a microprocessor
core along with interface elements and analog and mixed signal
functions.
T/H
Track/hold
T/R
Transmit/receive
T1
T1 is standard for digital transmission in the United States. It is a digital

transmission link with a capacity of 1.544Mbps. T1 uses two pairs of
normal twisted wires, the same as found in most residences. T1
normally handles 24 voice conversations, each one digitized at 64kbps.
With more advanced digital voice encoding techniques, T1 can handle
more voice channels.
T3
A type of data connection capable of transmitting a digital signal at

44Mbps. T3 lines are often used to link large computer networks, such
as those that comprise the Internet.
Tachometer
A transducer used for measuring the rate of revolution of a shaft.
TAD
Total accumulated discharge (mA-hr)
Taper
In a potentiometer, taper refers to how the resistance varies as the pot's

armature is rotated (or, for a slide pot, as its wiper slides; or for a solid
state pot like the DS1802, as its input voltage is varied).
For a pot with a linear taper, the resistance varies linearly as the wiper
moves.
For a pot with a logarithmic (log) taper, the resistance varies
logarithmically with the wiper's motion. When used in an amplifier
circuit, the output varies slowly as the pot is operated at the low end and
varies more and more rapidly as the pot is operated toward the high end.
This is also called an audio taper because it is most commonly used for
audio volume controls. The ear responds logarithmically (each doubling
in signal is perceived as an equal step in volume). The ear is more
sensitive to changes at lower volumes, so an audio volume control
varies the signal slowly at lower settings and more rapidly at higher
settings. The net effect is that the sound seems to vary smoothly through
the pot's range.
The perceived volume is subjective and fairly imprecise, so an
approximation may be used instead of a true log pot. Example: See
application notes AN 3996, AN 838,AN 1828.
TC
Temperature coefficient; thermocouple; TURBOCHARGE (control bit)
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol: The protocols or

conventions that computers use to communicate over the Internet.
TCXO
Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator: A crystal oscillator that

includes circuitry that compensates for temperature variations, to
maintain a more constant frequency.
TDD
Time Division Duplex, the second variation of WCDMA especially

suited to indoor environments where there is a need for high traffic
density.
TDM
Time Division Multiplexing, a scheme in which numerous signals are

combined for transmission on a single communications line or channel.
Each signal is broken into many segments, each having very short
duration.
TDMA
Time Division Multiple Access: A method of digital wirelesscommunications transmission. TDMA allows many users to access (in
sequence) a single radio-frequency channel without interference,
because it allocates unique time slots to each user within each channel.
TDMoP
TDMoP (TDM over Packets), or TDMoIP (TDM over IP), is the

implementation of TDM over a packet-switching network. TDMoIP is a
trademark of RAD Communications.
See:
TDR
Maxim's TDM over Packet (TDMoP)
Application Note 4896: General questions and answers on

Maxim's TDMoP Techniques
TDMoP Application Notes
Time-delay relay
Time-domain reflectometry
TDSCDMA
Chinese Third Generation (3G) telecommunications standard. China's

government allocated three frequency bands: 1880MHZ to ~1920MHz,
2010MHz to ~2025MHz, and 2300MHz to ~2400MHz.
TEC
A thermoelectric cooler (TEC) is a small cooling device that relies on a

Peltier junction. Composed of two conductors made of different
materials, a Peltier junction (discovered in 1833 by J.C. Peltier) acts as a

heat pump which can cool or warm when current is passed through it.
The small size of the TEC allows precision thermal control of individual
components such as fiber optic laser drivers, precision voltage
references, or any other temperature critical device. Temperature-critical
components are integrated with a TEC and a temperature monitor into a
single thermally-engineered module.
A "thermoelectric controller" (also abbreviated TEC) is an electronic
circuit that controls the current that drives the junction. These can be
quite sophisticated. Many can drive a positive or negative current (so
they can heat or cool), use PWM for efficiency, and incorporate control
to regulate the amount of current. Examples of such circuits are linked
below.
See: App Note 3318, HFAN-08.2.0: Thermoelectric Cooler (TEC)
Control.
Television
A system for transmitting picture and sound over a distance, primarily

via the standards for NTSC, PAL, or HDTV.
See: Video Basics
Tempco
Temperature coefficient
Temperature
The average kinetic energy of the atoms or molecules of a body or

substance, perceived as warmth or coldness. Measured in degrees
Fahrenheit, Celsius, or Kelvin.
See: Maxim's full line of thermal management integrated circuits.
Temperature
Comparator
An integrated circuit with a digital output that indicates whether a

measured temperature is above or below a predetermined threshold.
Temperature
Sensor
Temperature sensor that uses an external diode-connected transistor as

the sensing element to measure temperatures external to the sensor (for
example, on a circuit board or on the die of a CPU). Generally produces
a digital output.
Temperature
Switch
A circuit that opens and closes a conductive path based on temperature.
Tesla
Tesla (abbreviated T) is a measure of magnetic flux density (B-field),

named for engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla.
TFT
Thin-film transistor
THB
Temperature/humidity bias
THD
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): A measure of signal distortion which

assesses the energy that occurs on harmonics of the original signal. It is
specified as a percentage of the signal amplitude.
As an example, if a 12kHz signal is applied to the input, THD would
look at energy on the output occurring at 24kHz, 36kHz, 48kHz, etc.
and compare it to the energy occurring at 12kHz.

THD+N
Total Harmonic Distortion Plus Noise (THD+N) is the sum of the two
most important distortion components. THD is the distortion that occurs
on harmonics of the original signal -- it is correlated with the signal.
Noise is the more random, uncorrelated distortion. THD+N is their sum.
Thermal Control
Circuit
Circuit to monitor and control the temperature of something. For

example the integrated temperature controller in Intel's processors.
Thermal
Management
The use of various temperature monitoring devices and cooling

methods, such as forced air flow, within a processor or FPGA-based
system, to control overall temperature of ICs and internal cabinet
temperatures.
Thermal Monitor The integrated thermal control system used in Intel's processor devices.
Thermal
Shutdown
Deactivating a circuit when a measured temperature is beyond a

predetermined value.
THERMDA
Thermal Diode Anode pin on AMD and Intel processors.
THERMDC
Thermal Diode Cathode pin on AMD and Intel processors.
Thermistor
A temperature-dependent resistor with a high temperature coefficient,

usually composed of sintered semiconductor material.
Thermochron
A Thermochron device measures and records (logs) temperature.

(Thermochron is a trademark of Maxim Integrated.)
Thermocouple
A temperature sensor formed by the junction of two dissimilar metals. A

thermocouple produces a voltage proportional to the difference in
temperature between the hot junction and the lead wire (cold) junction.
Thermostat
Circuit that indicates whether a measured temperature is above or below

a particular temperature threshold or trip point. Used for thermal
protection and simple temperature control systems.
THERMTRIP#
Pin name of the Thermal Trip digital output on Intel Pentium

processors. The pin is asserted at a nominal die temperature of 135
degrees-C.
THERMTRIP_L
Pin name of the thermal trip output pin of AMD processors. The pin is
asserted at a nominal die temperature of 125C.
Three-State
A three-state, or Tri-State, output has three electrical states: One, zero,

and "Hi-Z," or "open." The hi-Z state is a high-impedance state in which
the output is disconnected, leaving the signal open, to be driven by
another device (or to be pulled up or down by a resistor provided to
prevent an undefined state).
High-impedance schemes such as three-state are commonly used for a
bus, in which several devices can be selected to drive the bus.
Tri-State is a trademark of National Semiconductor.
Through-Hole
A method for mounting components on a printed circuit board (PCB) in

which pins on the component are inserted into holes in the board and
soldered in place.
Time Diversity
In radio systems, Time Diversity spreads a signal across multiple

channels by placing multiple versions of the signal in different time
slots.
Tin Whiskers
Tin whiskers (also called Sn whiskers or metal whiskers) are

microscopic, conductive, hair-like crystals that emanate spontaneously
from pure tin (especially electroplated tin) surfaces. Whiskers form
primarily on elemental metals, but have also been found on alloys.
Crystals can form in any environment. The actual mechanism for their
formation is not well understood.
Tin-lead (SnPb) finishes prevent tin whiskers. Maxim offers a SnPb
solution for customers requiring a non-RoHS finish. It is available for
virtually all lead-free products.
Tin whiskers are not dendrites. Dendrites are fern-like and grow on the
surface of the metal in an environment with moisture present. Tin
whiskers tend to grow orthogonally from the surface.
See:
TINI
Tin Whisker Data
Tutorial 5250, "Tin Whiskers Are Real and Complex"
TINI is Maxim's trademark for its family of highly integrated solutions

for the consumer electronics market. The family includes ICs which
integrate disparate functions to achieve advantages in board space.
Examples include:
TINI Power SoCs integrate all the functional blocks needed to

power applications and baseband processors, along with mixedsignal functions like audio, battery management, and touchscreen control. These Power SoCs allow mobile platform system
designers to cut their analog footprint in half.
TINI Audio Codecs (MAX98089, MAX98095) combine

multiple high-performance audio blocks with Maxim's
proprietary FlexSound processor. These audio codecs let
designers overcome integration challenges in mobile products
while delivering the best audio experience.
TINI Touch-Screen Controller SoCs (MAX11871) integrate the

industry's highest SNR capacitive-touch analog front-end (AFE),
a MAXQ CPU for full backend processing, and a custom DSP
coprocessor. The integration of a super-narrowband AFE
provides breakthrough immunity to AC charger and LCD noise
without any external components.
TINI is a registered trademark of Maxim Integrated

Note: Tiny Network Interface circuits are now called MxTNI.
TLA
Three-Letter Acronym.
Totem Pole
A standard CMOS output structure where a P-channel MOSFET is

connected in series with an N-Channel MOSFET and the connection
point between the two is the output. The P-FET sits on top of the N-FET
like a "totem pole." Both gates are driven by the same signal. When the
signal is low, the P-FET is on; when the signal is high, the N-FET is on.
This creates a push-pull output using just two transistors.
TQFN
Thin version of the QFN package (the JEDEC "W" option) 0.8mm
thick.
TQFP
Thin quad flat pack
Transceiver
A device that contains both a transmitter and receiver.

Common misspellings: Transciever, Tranceiver, Transeiver, Transiever,
Tranciever, Transcever.
Examples:
Interface devices (such as line drivers and receivers, RS-232,

RS-485, RS-422, CAN, LVDS, or USB)
Wired communications ICs, such as T1/E1/J1 Transceivers (LIU

and Framer) and T3/E3 Transceivers
Wireless communications such as IF and RF transceivers
Transconductance The gain of a transconductance amplifier (an amp in which a change in

input voltage causes a linear change in output current). The basic gain of
vacuum tubes and FETs is expressed as transconductance. It is
represented with the symbol gm.
The term derives from "transfer conductance" and is measured in
siemens (S), where 1 siemens = 1 ampere per volt. It was formerly
measured as "mho" (ohm spelled backwards).
Transconductance An amplifier that converts a voltage to a current. Also known by several
Amplifier
other terms (see synonym list). One synonym is OTA, or operational
transconductance amplifier, a term that marries the terms
transconductance amplifier and operational amplifier.
The term derives from "transfer conductance" and is measured in
siemens (S), where 1 siemens = 1 ampere per volt. It is represented with
the symbol gm. The basic gain of vacuum tubes and FETs is expressed as
transconductance.
See: Transimpedance Amplifier Buffers Current Transformer
Transducer
A Transducer Electronic Data Sheet, or TEDS, is a method for plug-and-
Electronic Data
Sheet
play sensor and transducer hook-up in which the sensor's calibration

information is stored within the device and downloaded to the master
controller when requested. A standardized TEDS specification is being
developed by the IEEE, as IEEE P 1451.4.
Transfer
Transfer refers to the amount of data transferred across a digital

interface, exclusive of any extra bits used to encode the data.
The number of data transfers is less than the number of bits transmitted
when encoded data has more bits than the raw data. As an example, a
PCIe serial bus uses 10 bits to encode eight data bits. (Extra bit space
may be used to encode a clock, error-detection redundancy, etc.)
Data rates are commonly expressed in transfers per second,
gigatransfers per second (GT/s) and megatransfers per second (MT/s).
Transformer
An inductive electrical device for changing the voltage of alternating

current.
A transformer consists of two magnetically coupled coils. Alternating
current in one (called the "primary") creates a changing magnetic field
which induces a current in the second coil (the "secondary"). A core
made of iron or ferrite generally connects the two coils, but higher
frequency devices can work without a ferrous core.
Transformers have two primary functions: Voltage transformation and
isolation:
The voltage of the secondary can be higher or lower than the

voltage that drives the primary and is determined by the ratio of
turns of wire in the two coils.
Isolation refers to the fact that the coils are connected only by a
magnetic field, so they can be independent of a common ground.
Primary applications are for power and for signal isolation / impedance
transformation.
An autotransformer is a transformer with a single coil with intermediate
"taps" to effect the changed outgoing voltages. They do not provide
isolation.
Transformer capacity is rated in kilovolt-amps (KVA): The volts x amps
/ 1000.
Transient
Intermodulation
Distortion
Transient intermodulation distortion, or TIM, occurs in amplifiers that

employ negative feedback when signal delays make the amplifier
incapable of correcting distortion when exposed to fast, transient
signals.
Transimpedance
Amplifier
An amplifier which converts a current to a voltage. It is a familiar

component in fiber-communications modules.
The unit for transresistance is the ohm.

See: Transimpedance Amplifier Buffers Current Transformer
Transistor
A basic solid-state control device which allows or disallows current

flow between two terminals, based on the voltage or current delivered to
a third terminal.
Usually built from silicon but can be constructed from other
semiconductor materials. There are two major types: The FET (fieldeffect transistor) and the bipolar junction transistor (BJT).
The first transistor was invented in 1947 at Bell Labs by Michael John
Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley.
Transmitter
A circuit that accepts signals or data in and translates them into a form
that can be sent across a medium (transmitted), usually over a distance.
The medium can be wireless or wired.
Examples:
A radio transmitter that modulates the signal on a carrier and

transmits it over the airwaves
An ultrasonic transducer that sends the signal over ultrasound

frequencies
A line driver that drives a backplane
A circuit that drives an interface (e.g., USB, serial, LVDS)
A fiber optic device that emits light pulses
TS 16949
TS 16949 is an ISO Technical Specification that aligns previous

American (QS-9000), German (VDA6.1), French (EAQF) and Italian
(AVSQ) automotive quality systems standards within the global
automotive industry. Together with ISO 9001:2000, ISO/TS 16949:2002
specifies the quality system requirements for the design/development,
production, installation and servicing of automotive related products.
TSOC
Thin small-outline C-lead
TSOP
Thin small-outline package
TSSM
Temperature sensor and system monitor
TSSOP
Thin shrink small-outline package
TTC
Temperature conversion sample time
TTFC
Time remaining to full charge
TTIMD
Two-tone intermodulation distortion
TTL
Transistor-to-transistor logic
Tubular Motor
A tubular motor is an electric motor embedded in a cylindrical form
factor. They are typically used for window shades and blinds, projection
screens, awnings, roller doors, etc.
TUE
Total unadjusted error
TVM
Test vector monitor
TVS
Transient Voltage Suppressor: Semiconductor device designed to protect

a circuit from voltage and current transients. Typically implemented as a
large silicon diode operating in avalanche mode to absorb large currents
quickly.
Tweak
Tweak (or sometimes, "tweek") means to make small adjustments to a

system to improve its performance.
Tx
Transmit
uA
Microampere, or microamp: A millionth of an Ampere. Ampere is the

basic unit for measuring electrical current.
Often written as uA, but the u is a plain-text substitute for the Greek
letter mu.
UART
Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter: An IC that converts

parallel data to serial, for transmission; and converts received serial data
to parallel data.
See: UART-related application notes
UBM
Underbump metal
UHF Filter
Ultra High Frequency filter
UI
Unit interval (used to describe jitter generation); user information; user

interface
ULTRA160
A SCSI interface label, where 160 refers to the maximum reliable

throughput in megabits per second.
UMTS
UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) is a thirdgeneration cellular standard based on the GSM standard and developed
by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
Uninterruptible
Power Supply
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that maintains power

in the event of a failure. A UPS commonly includes a battery that is kept
charged and ready. When power fails, the battery supplies power, as
long as it lasts. When the battery fails, a UPS may contain circuitry that
triggers an orderly shutdown.
An uninterruptible power supply may also provide line regulation,
protecting against voltage variations.
UniqueWare
A unique identification technique
UniqueWare
Serialized
A factory-programming service for 1-Wire EPROM chips with

customer-specified data. Service provides one serialization file for
customers to create identifiers in silicon.
Upconverters
A device which provides frequency conversion to a higher frequency,

e.g., in digital broadcast-satellite applications.
URL
Uniform/universal resource locator web address,

eghttp://www.maximintegrated.com
USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB): A standard port that enables you to connect
external devices (such as digital cameras, scanners, keyboards, and
mice) to computers. The USB standard supports data transfer at three
rates: low speed (1.5MBps), full speed (12Mbps) and high speed (480
MBps).
Mbps=million bits per second.
UV
Ultraviolet
UVLO
Undervoltage lockout
UWB
Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is a communications technology that employs a

wide bandwidth (typically defined as greater than 20% of the center
frequency or 500MHz). UWB is usually used in short-range wireless
applications but can be sent over wires. Ultra-Wideband advantages are
that it can carry high data rates with low power and little interference.
UWB is the modern version of older "impulse" technologies which are
generated by very short pulses (impulse waveforms). They were called
"carrier-free" or "baseband" because the energy is so widespread in the
frequency domain that there is no discernible carrier frequency.
For a crude example, connect a metal file to one terminal of a battery
and a wire to the other terminal. Brush the wire across the teeth of the
file and note that the electrical noise can be heard on a radio tuned to
just about any frequency.
The FCC authorizes UWB between 3.1 and 10.6GHz (but is not likely
to approve devices that rely on a file and a wire.)
V-s
Volt-second(s)
V/F
Voltage-to-frequency
VA
Volt ampere(s)
Vcc
The supply voltage for a circuit is often given as V plus a double-letter

suffix. The double letter is usually related to the lead of the transistors
that are commonly connected to that supply or to a resistor that connects
to that supply.
Examples: VCC is a positive-voltage supply and the collector terminal of
bipolar transistors is connected to the VCC supply or to a load which
connects to VCC. VSSconnects to the source terminal of a FET, etc.
V+ and V- are also common ways to refer to a supply voltage.
VCO
Voltage-Controlled Oscillator: An oscillator device in which output
frequency is proportional to its input voltage.

VCSEL
Vertical cavity-surface emitting laser
VCTCXO
Voltage Controlled, Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator: A

TCXO which offers the ability to control the oscillation frequency with
an analog voltage
VCXO
Voltage Controlled Crystal Oscillator: An oscillator that uses a crystal to

establish its frequency but will vary its frequency as an analog control
voltage varies.
VDSL
Very High Data-Rate Digital Subscriber Line: A method for delivering

high-speed digital services on the standard twisted pair used for voice
phone lines. VDSH operates at data rates from 12.9Mbps to 52.8Mbps.
VFD
Vacuum Fluorescent Display
VFO
Variable-frequency oscillator
VGA
Variable-gain amplifier
VLF
Very-low frequency
VLIF
Very-low intermediate frequency
VLSI
Very large-scale integration (VLSI) refers to an IC or technology with

many devices on one chip. The question, of course, is how one defines
"many."
The term originated in the 1970s along with "SSI" (small-scale
integration), "LSI" (large-scale), and several others, defined by the
number of transistors or gates per IC. It was all a bit silly since
improving technology obviously makes numerical definitions
meaningless over time. And it varies by industry -- a VLSI analog part
is quite different from a VLSI digital logic part or a VLSI memory part.
Eventually, the pundits began trying terms like "ULSI" (ultra-largescale). Engineers, meanwhile, ignored it all and spent their time building
better devices instead of making up new words for them.
The terms LSI and VLSI are now usually used as general terms,
referring to a product or technology that subjectively has more devices
than typical products in the category. Maxim has observed a technical
trend in analog and mixed signal toward increasing complexity. Many of
our parts include complex control, such as the MAXQ microcontroller
core, with many times more devices than most analog parts.
VME
VERSAmodule Eurocard, or VMEBus, a microcomputer bus.

Standardized in IEC 821, IEEE 1014-1987 and ANSI/VITA 1-1994.
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol: Method for transmission of voice (or fax)
calls over the Internet.
Volt
Volt (or Volts): Unit of measure for electromotive force (EMF), the
electrical potential between two points. An electrical potential of 1 volt
will push 1 ampere of current through a 1-ohm resistive load.

Using a common plumbing analogy, voltage is similar to water pressure
and current is analogous to flow (e.g. liters per minute).
In equations, the symbol E is often used (as in: E = IR). V is the symbol
for the unit of measure, Volt.
Volt-Ampere
A volt-ampere (VA) is the voltage times the current feeding an electrical

load. A kilovolt-ampere (kVA) is 1000 volt-amperes.
Electrical power is measured in watts (W): The voltage times the current
measured each instant. In a direct current system or for resistive loads,
the wattage and VA measurements will be identical. But for reactive
loads, the voltage and current are out of phase and the volt-ampere spec
will be greater than the wattage.
For determining power, watts are appropriate. For determining capacity
for the driving circuits (circuit breakers, wiring, and uninterruptible
power supplies, for instance), VA is appropriate.
Voltage Doubler
A capacitor charge pump circuit which produces an output voltage

which is twice the input voltage.
Voltage
Identification
Digital
Voltage Identification Digital, or VID, is a circuit concept developed to

provide the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer with the
appropriate supply voltage. Instead of having a power supply unit
generate some fixed voltage, the CPU uses a small set of digital signals,
the VID lines, to instruct an on-board power converter of the desired
voltage level.
Voltage Regulator A circuit which is connected between the power source and a load,
which provides a constant voltage despite variations in input voltage or
output load.
VOM
Volt-Ohm meter
Vp-p
Peak-to-peak voltage
VPU
VPU is a symbol for the pull-up voltage specification (or "Pullup Supply
Voltage").
VRD
Voltage Regulator Down, an Intel standard for voltage regulators which

are "down" on the mother board.
VRM
Voltage Regulator Module: An Intel Standard for switching regulator

modules.
VS
VCO_SEL (control bit)
VSIA
Virtual Socket Interface Alliance
VSWR
VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio), is a measure of how efficiently

radio-frequency power is transmitted from a power source, through a
transmission line, into a load (for example, from a power amplifier
through a transmission line, to an antenna).
In an ideal system, 100% of the energy is transmitted. This requires an

exact match between the source impedance, the characteristic
impedance of the transmission line and all its connectors, and the load's
impedance. The signal's AC voltage will be the same from end to end
since it runs through without interference.
In real systems, mismatched impedances cause some of the power to be
reflected back toward the source (like an echo). Reflections cause
destructive interference, leading to peaks and valleys in the voltage at
various times and distances along the line.
VSWR measures these voltage variances. It is the ratio of the highest
voltage anywhere along the transmission line to the lowest. Since the
voltage doesn't vary in an ideal system, its VSWR is 1.0 (or, as
commonly expressed, 1:1). When reflections occur, the voltages vary
and VSWR is higher -- 1.2 (or 1.2:1), for instance.
Mathematically:
VSWR is the voltage ratio of the signal on the transmission line:
VSWR = |V(max)| / |V(min)|
where V(max) is the maximum voltage of the signal along the line, and
V(min) is the minimum voltage along the line.
It can also be derived from the impedances:
VSWR = (1+ )/(1- )
where
(gamma) is the voltage reflection coefficient near the load,
derived from the load impeadance (ZL) and the source impedance (Zo):
= (ZL-Zo)/(ZL+Zo)
If the load and transmission line are matched,
= 0, and VSWR = 1.0
(or 1:1).
VU
Volume unit
Watt (W) is the unit for measuring power. In physics terms, one watt is
one Joule of energy transferred or dissipated in one second. Electrical
power is calculated as:
Watts = Volts x Amps x Power Factor
The power factor can be disregarded for DC circuits or for AC circuits
with a resistive load (it is 1 in those situations).
W/Dog O/P Flag
Watchdog output flag
Wafer
Semiconductor manufacturing begins with a thin disk of semiconductor

material, called a "wafer." A series of processes defines transistors and
other structures, interconnected by conductors to build the desired
circuit.
The wafer is then sliced into "dice" which are mounted in packages,
creating the IC.
Wafer Fab
Semiconductor processing facility which turns wafers into integrated

circuits. A typical wafer fab employs a series of complex steps to define
conductors, transistors, resistors, and other electronic components on the
the semiconductor wafer. Imaging steps define what areas will be
affected by subsequent physical and chemical processes.
WAN
Wide Area Network: Any Internet or network that covers an area larger
than a single building.
Watchdog
A feature of a microprocessor supervisory circuit that monitors software

execution in a microprocessor or microcontroller. It takes appropriate
action (assert a reset or nonmaskable interrupt) if the processor gets
stuck in an infinite execution loop.
Wb
Weber: A measure of magnetic flux.
WB-CDMA
Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, a standard derived from the

original CDMA. WB-CDMA is the third-generation (3G) mobile
wireless technology capable of supporting voice, video, and data
communications up to 2Mbps.
WDI
Watchdog input
WDPO
Watchdog pulse output
WE
Write enable
WHDI
WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) is a standard that enables

wireless delivery of uncompressed HDTV throughout the home with
video rates of up to 1080p in the 5GHz unlicensed band.
The WHDI group claims consistent picture quality equivalent to wired
HDMI, low latency, multiroom availability, and low power
consumption.
See: WHDI Products Overview.
Wideband
A classification of the information capacity or bandwidth of a

communication channel. Wideband is generally understood to mean a
bandwidth between 64kbits/s and 2Mbit/s.
WiMax
WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a "last

mile," broadband, wireless access mechanism which can potentially
replace DSL and Cable Modem. Defined by the IEEE 802.16 standards.
While Wi-Fi (802.11) covers a small area with a radius of a few hundred
meters, WiMax (802.16) can cover up to 6 miles with only one base
station.
Also known as WirelessMAN, for "Wireless Metropolitan Area
Networks."
Window
Comparator
A device, usually consisting of a pair of voltage comparators, in which

output indicates whether the measured signal is within the voltage range
bounded by two different thresholds (an "upper" threshold and a "lower"
threshold).
Window
Watchdog
A special subset of the watchdog timer feature found on microprocessor

supervisory circuits. It is used to monitor software execution and assert
a reset or an NMI if the processor gets stuck in a loop. This feature not
only looks for periodic transitions on its input within a preprogrammed
timeout period, but it also looks to see if there are "too many"
transitions within its timeout period (window).
Wired-And
When multiple high-impedance (open-collector or open-drain) output

pins are connected to a signal line (e.g. a bus) and the system is
designed so no more than one is on, a wired-and signal is achieved. This
achieves the equivalent of a logical AND function. (Depending on the
signal sense, the function could be seen as a OR, so the term "wiredOR" is sometimes used.)
Wireless
Radio-frequency devices, circuits, or communications methods.
Wireless Sensor
Network
Wireless Sensor Network, or WSN, is a network of RF transceivers,

sensors, machine controllers, microcontrollers, and user interface
devices with at least two nodes communicating by means of wireless
transmissions.
WLAN
Wireless Local Area Network
WLL
Wireless Local Loop: Any method of using wireless communication in

place of a wired connection to provide subscribers with standard
telephone service.
WR-RD
Write-read
Write Protect
Any method that keeps data from being over-written. It may be a

physical obstacle or a file attribute choice that prevents overwriting.
WTA
Wireless Telephony Application: A collection of telephony-specific

extensions for call- and feature-control mechanisms that make advanced
mobile network services available to end users. WTA essentially merges
the features and services of data networks with the services of voice
networks.
XAUI
Innovation of the 10 Gigabit Ethernet Task Force. XAUI (pronounced

"Zowie") is a ten Gigabit/second interface. The "AUI" portion is
borrowed from the Ethernet Attachment Unit Interface. The "X"
represents the Roman numeral for ten and implies ten gigabits per
second. The XAUI is designed as an interface extender, and the
interface which it extends is the XGMII, the ten Gigabit Media

Independent Interface.
XCO
Crystal clock oscillator (XCO): An oscillator that relies on a crystal for

its frequency reference. A piezoelectric crystal oscillates at a very stable
frequency.
Y/C
Y, C, YUV, Y-Pb-Pr, YCbCr, and Y/C (also known as S-video) are terms
that refer to video signal components. The black and white (luminance)
portion of the video signal is the "Y" component which, when combined
with color components, form a complete picture.
The different nomenclatures for the color components reflect different
color encoding schemes.
See: Video Basics;
YIG
Yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) is a ferrimagnetic material used for solidstate lasers and for microwave and optical communications devices.
Zener Diode
A zener diode is a diode manufactured to have a specific reversebreakdown voltage. Its most common use is as a voltage reference.
When reverse biased through a resistor, a zener diode will allow enough
current to establish its specified voltage.
ZIF
Zero Insertion Force: A class of IC sockets which clamp the IC pins (via
a small lever on the side of the socket) after insertion, and thus require
no downward force on the IC or its pins to insert it into the socket.
Especially useful in applications in which repeated insertions subjects
the IC or the socket to wear and breakage.
ZIGBEE
A standard for short-distance, low-data-rate communications using the

frequencies and physical and data layers of the IEEE 802.15.4 PHY
specification. Created and maintained by the ZIGBEE Alliance Group.
ZS
Zero scale
ZVC
Zero voltage crossing
ZVS
Zero voltage switching
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GLOSSARY - ALL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS LISTED

A single-wire (plus ground) communications protocol.

1-Wire Memory Products

1-Wire Interface Solutions

A 1-Wire interface master controller.

Third-generation mobile telephone protocols that support higher data

Third Generation Partnership Project, a collaboration of cell phone

IEEE standard that specifies medium-access and physical-layer

The IEEE standard that governs the deployment of 5GHz OFDM

An international IEEE standard for WLAN networks, operating at

A proposed standard that describes a wireless networking method for a

A-weighting is a standard weighting curve applied to audio

Analog to digital. Specifically: A/D converter, a circuit that converts

A sensor or transducer for measuring acceleration.

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface: An industry-standard

Phoenix, and Toshiba) for operating-system-directed power

Adjacent (alternate)-channel power ratio

Accumulated current register

Add/Drop Multiplexer: A synchronous transmission network (SDH or

Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation: A compression technique

Analog design system

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line: A method for moving data over

A qualification test sequence for integrated circuits developed by the

Automatic Gain Control: A circuit that modulates an amplifier's gain, in

Ampere-hour(s): A measure of battery capacity. A 4Ah battery could, for

A method for testing ESD-protection structures in which the ESD

Alarm indication system

The Antenna Interface Standards Group (AISG) creates open

higher frequency components over the sub-Nyquist portion of the band.

Application Note/Tutorial: Filter Basics: Anti-Aliasing

The Basics of Anti-Aliasing: Using Switched-Capacitor Filters

Mathematical Basics of Band-Limited Sampling and Aliasing

An electromechanical device that converts mechanical power into AC

Amplitude Modulation: A modulation method in which the carrier

Temperature of the air surrounding a component.

Temperature sensor used to measure the temperature of the air that

Active-matrix liquid-crystal display

The amount of current a conductor can carry without exceeding its

Ampere(s), the unit of electrical current. Current is defined as the

A measure of charge (or current flow over time).

One ampere-hour (or amp-hour or Ah) is a current of one ampere

A milliampere-hour (mAh or milliamp-hour) is a thousandth of

An ampere-second (A-s or amp-second) is an amp supplied for

A common use of the term is rating energy storage device capacity,

Battery Considerations for Today's Low-Power, Long-Life Solid

Evaluating Accuracy of Coulomb-Counting Fuel-Gauging

An electrical circuit that produces an output that is a replica of the input.

Amplifier circuit types are divided into "classes" which describe

Advanced Mobile Phone System: An analog only, 1G standard that

Automatic Meter Reading: A system installed to read a utility meter

A system in which an electrical value (usually voltage or current, but

An analog switch (sometimes just called a "switch") is a switching

Temperature sensor with a continuous analog voltage or current output

Combining two signals so that the output is on if both signals are

American National Standards Institute

An anti-aliasing filter is used before A/D conversion. It is a lowpass

Application Note/Tutorial: Filter Basics: Anti-Aliasing

The Basics of Anti-Aliasing: Using Switched-Capacitor Filters

Automatic Power Control: Feature in laser drivers (such as the

Avalanche Photo Diode: A photodiode designed to take advantage of