Bipolar breakdown enhancement circuit for tri-state output stage
US6646490B1 · kind B1 · utility
2Cited by
3References
17Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 20, 2002 |
| Grant date | Nov 11, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 20, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K19/00307
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A bipolar transistor breakdown voltage enhancement circuit extends the voltage swing which can be tolerated at an output terminal driven by an emitter follower-connected bipolar output transistor operating in a high impedance state. The enhancement circuit connects the base of the output transistor to a voltage which extends the allowable high impedance output voltage swing: an NPN output transistor's base is tied to a voltage that is the lower of the output voltage or ground, and a PNP output transistor's base is tied to a voltage which is the higher of the output voltage or VDD.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.