A receiver method and apparatus is presented. Signals are received from a high-voltage
environment to a low-voltage environment using low-voltage devices, such as low-voltage
FETs. A reference stage (i.e., first stage) provides the reference point for an
input signal that is received into a second stage. The reference stage works in
conjunction with the second stage to control the output of the second stage. The
reference stage and the second stage communicate through floating voltage signals.
The output of the second stage is an inverted signal that floats. A third stage
receives the inverted signals and corrects the signal to a baseline (i.e., adds
gain to the signal). The signal is then clipped by a clipping stage (i.e., fourth
stage). The clipping stage clips the high-voltage signal so that it will operate
with the devices in the low-voltage environment. A fifth stage is then biased with
a low voltage and the clipped signal is shifted downwards. Lastly, an inverter
(i.e., sixth stage) receives the signal that has been shifted downward and outputs
the signal to an output node.