Patent · US Expired

Noise reduction in CMOS driver using capacitor discharge to generate a control voltage

US4972101A · kind A · utility

27Cited by
15References
20Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateSep 19, 1989
Grant dateNov 20, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 19, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K17/163
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A pull-up or pull-down transistor in an output buffer or the like is controlled to limit dI/dt and thus reduce noise. This control employs a series transistor in the driver circuit which has a modulating voltage applied to its gate. This modulating voltage is generated in a circuit which uses precision-timed clocks as a reference so that variations in electrical parameters (process, temperature and power supply dependent) will not cause variation in circuit noise. A dummy driver circuit is used to discharge a capacitor at a rate dependent upon the modulating voltage, and the capacitor voltage is compared with a reference at a time determined by the precision clock. The result of the comparison is used to increment or decrement the modulating voltage.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.