Patent ID: 8076995

Claim:
An apparatus including an integrated digitally controlled linear-in-decibels attenuator circuit, comprising: first switched resistance circuitry responsive to a first plurality of digital control signals by attenuating an input signal to provide a first attenuated signal having a magnitude substantially in accordance with one of a first plurality of attenuation values mutually separated by a first attenuation step substantially in accordance with a thermometer code; and second switched resistance circuitry coupled to said first switched resistance circuitry and responsive to a second plurality of digital control signals by attenuating said first attenuated signal to provide a second attenuated signal having a magnitude substantially in accordance with one of a second plurality of attenuation values mutually separated by a second attenuation step substantially in accordance with a bubble code, wherein said second attenuation step is smaller than said first attenuation step; wherein a ratio of said second attenuated signal and said input signal is one of a plurality of ratio values mutually separated by linear-in-decibels steps.