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US 10,707,876 B1Granted
High-voltage and low-voltage signaling output driver
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorsYoung Uk Yim, Jacob Schneider, Satish Krishnamoorthy, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Prince Mathew, Andrew Tohmc, Chang Ki Kwon, Ashwin Sethuram, Mostafa Naguib Abdulla
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Abstract
A hybrid output driver is disclosed that supports high-voltage signaling and low-voltage signaling. The high-voltage signaling is powered by a high-power supply voltage that is greater than a low-power supply voltage that powers the low-voltage signaling.
Claims22
A hybrid output driver, comprising:
- an output terminal;
- a first transistor coupled between the output terminal and an input/output (IO) power supply voltage node, wherein a gate of the first transistor is coupled to a first node for a high-voltage level-shifted version of a low-voltage data signal during a high-voltage data mode;
- a second transistor having a source coupled to ground and having a gate coupled to a second node for the low-voltage data signal during a low-voltage data mode;
- a third transistor coupled between the output terminal and a drain of the second transistor, wherein a gate of the third transistor is coupled to the first node during the high-voltage data mode;
- and
- a fourth transistor coupled between the output terminal and the IO power supply voltage node, wherein a gate of the fourth transistor is coupled to the second node during the low-voltage data mode.
3 more elements
A method for a hybrid output driver, comprising:
- during a high-voltage data mode for the hybrid output driver:
- switching on a first transistor in response to a discharge of a high-voltage data signal to charge an output terminal to a high-power supply voltage;
- switching on a second transistor;
- and
- switching on a third transistor coupled to ground through the switched-on second transistor to discharge the output terminal in response to a charging of the high-voltage data signal to the high-power supply voltage:
- during a low-voltage data mode for the hybrid output driver:
- switching on the third transistor;
- switching on the second transistor to discharge the output terminal to ground through the switched-on third transistor in response to a discharge of a low-voltage data signal;
- and
- switching on a fourth transistor to charge the output terminal to a low-power supply voltage in response to a charging of the low-voltage data signal to the low-power supply voltage, wherein the high-power supply voltage is greater than the low-power supply voltage.
7 more elements
A hybrid output driver, comprising:
- a high-voltage data path including a first multiplexer configured to select for a level-shifted version of a low-voltage data signal during a high-voltage data mode and to select for a high-power supply voltage during a low-voltage data mode and including a second multiplexer configured to select for the level-shifted version of the low-voltage data signal during the high-voltage data mode and to select for the high-power supply voltage during the low-voltage data mode;
- a low-voltage data path including a third multiplexer configured to select for the low-voltage data signal during the low-voltage data mode and to select for the high-power supply voltage during the high-voltage data mode;
- an output terminal;
- a first PMOS transistor coupled between the output terminal and an I/O power supply voltage node and having a gate coupled to an output of the first multiplexer;
- a first NMOS transistor having a source coupled to ground and having a gate coupled to an output of the third multiplexer;
- a second NMOS transistor coupled between the output terminal and a drain of the first NMOS transistor and having a gate coupled to an output of the second multiplexer.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.