Voltage reference generator circuit using low-beta effect of a CMOS bipolar transistor
US7321225B2 · kind B2 · utility
19Cited by
26References
43Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 31, 2004 |
| Grant date | Jan 22, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 9, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05F3/267
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A voltage reference generator has been discovered that generates a stable reference voltage that is less than the bandgap voltage of silicon for power supply voltages less than 2V, yet provides sufficient voltage headroom to operate a cascaded current mirror. In one embodiment, the voltage reference generator has a power supply rejection ratio of at least 60 dB and has improved noise performance as compared to traditional bandgap circuits. These advantages are achieved by leveraging the low-beta effect of a CMOS bipolar transistor to generate a current proportional to an absolute temperature.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.