Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for reducing standby leakage current using a leakage control transistor that receives boosted gate drive during an active mode

US6329874A · kind A · utility

97Cited by
17References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 11, 1998
Grant dateDec 11, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 11, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C2207/2227
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Standby leakage reduction circuitry that uses boosted gate drive of a leakage control transistor during an active mode. A circuit block includes a first leakage control transistor coupled to receive a first supply voltage and coupled in series with an internal circuit block that performs a particular function. A gate drive circuit is included to apply a first boosted gate drive voltage to a gate of the first leakage control transistor during an active mode of the internal circuit block. The gate drive circuit furthers applies a standby gate voltage to the gate during a standby mode of the internal circuit block, the standby gate voltage to cause a gate to source voltage of the leakage control transistor to be reverse-biased.

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