Patent ID: 7480347

Claim:
An analog front-end having built-in equalization, the analog front-end comprises: control module operably coupled to provide a frequency response setting based on a channel response of a channel providing high-speed serial data to the analog front end; and tunable gain stage operably coupled to amplify and equalize the high-speed serial data based on the frequency response setting, wherein the tunable gain stage comprises: a frequency dependent load that is adjusted based on the frequency response setting; amplifier input section operably coupled to the frequency dependent load, wherein the amplifier input section receives the high-speed serial data and, in conjunction with the frequency dependent load amplifies and equalizes the high-speed serial data to produce an amplified and equalized serial data; a first stage operably coupled to amplify and equalize, to a first level, the high-speed serial data based on the frequency response setting to produce a first amplified and equalized serial data; and a second stage operably coupled to amplify and equalize the first amplified and equalized serial data based on the frequency response setting to produce the amplified and equalized serial data, the second stage comprising: an input stage operably coupled to amplify and equalize the first amplified and equalized serial data based on the frequency response setting to produce intermediate amplified and equalized serial data; and an output stage operably coupled to amplify and equalize the intermediate amplified and equalized serial data based on the frequency response setting to produce the amplified and equalized serial data.