Adaptive MOSFET resistor
US6873202B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 20, 2003 |
| Grant date | Mar 29, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 20, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03H11/53
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A MOSFET can operate as a resistor by operating in the linear or ohmic region of the drain V-I characteristics. This region can be obtained by floating the gate of the MOSFET, when the dc current and the voltage drop are given. Multiple resistors can be duplicated (or mirrored) by sharing the same source and floating gate. The floating gate voltage can be simulated using a closed loop equivalent circuit. Alternatively, the gate voltage can also be derived from the given drain-to-source voltage and the given current in a feedback loop. With this adaptive MOSFET resistor, the minimum supply voltage can be as low as the sum of the BJT threshold and the complementary BJT saturation voltage, e.g. VCC≧VBE+Vsat (e.g. 0.8+0.15<1.0V). The threshold voltage Vt should be less than VBE.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.