Patent · US Expired

Voltage level shifter device, particulary for a nonvolatile memory

US5959902A · kind A · utility

5Cited by
3References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 25, 1998
Grant dateSep 28, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 25, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C8/08
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In a first operation mode the level shifter transmits as output a logic input signal and in a second operation mode it shifts the high logic level of the input signal from a low to a high voltage. The level shifter comprises a CMOS switch and a pull-up transistor; the CMOS switch comprises an NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor which are connected in parallel between the input and the output of the shifter and have respective control terminals connected to a first supply line at low voltage and, respectively, to a control line connected to ground in the first operation mode and to the high voltage in the second operation mode; the pull-up transistor is connected between the output of the shifter and a second supply line switchable between the low voltage and the high voltage and has a control terminal connected to the first supply line.

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