Switchable active clamp network
US6075399A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 23, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 13, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 23, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K5/08
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An active clamp circuit for digital circuits includes a first MOSFET serially connected between an upper power supply voltage and an input terminal to be clamped, and a second MOSFET serially connected between a lower voltage power supply and the input terminal. The voltages at the gates of the first and second MOSFETs are held at constant first and second reference voltages by a reference circuit and the first reference voltage at the gate of the first MOSFET is less than the second reference voltage at the gate of the second MOSFET. The clamping action can be switched on or off. The device is particularly suited for use with silicon-on-insulator and bulk triple well technologies, where the MOSFETs are dynamic threshold MOSFETs.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.