Patent ID: 7154318

Claim:
An improved Input Output Block (IOB) providing programmable hysteresis to support multiple IO standards comprising: a differential amplifier having one input coupled to an input signal and its second input coupled to a complementary input signal in the case of differential signaling, or to a reference voltage for the case of single-ended signaling; one or more transistors coupled in parallel with each input transistor of the differential amplifier, each transistor of each parallel coupled set being of a predetermined size relative to the corresponding input transistor; the control terminal of each parallel coupled transistor in each set being coupled to the output of one of said series coupled inverters such that positive feedback is provided directly or indirectly through a selection switch; and hysteresis control bits that symmetrically enable or disable each said selection switch to provide a programmable level of hysteresis that is determined by the combination of selection switches that are enabled and the relative sizes of the corresponding parallel coupled transistors.