Patent · US Expired

Decoder/comparator and method of operation

US5291076A · kind A · utility

49Cited by
5References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 31, 1992
Grant dateMar 1, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 31, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K19/0963
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A precharge device (28) has a first (30) and a second node (32), a transistor tree (29), a screening transistor (Q20) and clocking circuitry (Q17, Q18, Q19). The transistor tree (29) couples the first (30) and the second (32) node and is operable to electrically short-circuit the nodes according to input signals (A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3). The screening transistor (Q20) has a first and a second [source-drain region] current electrode and a [gate] control electrode. The first [source-drain region] current electrode is coupled to a third node (34), the second [source-drain region] current electrode is coupled to the second node (32) and the [gate] control electrode is coupled to the first node (30). The clocking circuitry alternately precharges the first (30) and third nodes (34) to a first known voltage level and evaluates the voltage on the first node (30) to output a logic level.

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