Pre-driver circuits for an output driver

A pre-driver circuit comprising:

• multiple stages;
• a switching bias circuit comprising:
• bias voltage nodes;
• a first switch;
• and a second switch;
• and
• a multiplexor comprising multiple inputs electrically connected to the bias voltage nodes and multiple outputs electrically connected to the stages,
• wherein the first switch receives an input signal and, in response to the input signal transitioning from a first voltage level to a second voltage level, the first switch turns on the switching bias circuit enabling the switching bias circuit to generate different bias voltages on the bias voltage nodes,
• wherein the multiplexor receives bias voltage select signals and, in response to the bias voltage select signals, supplies selected bias voltages to the stages,
• wherein each of the stages further receive the input signal and, in response to the input signal transitioning from the first voltage level to the second voltage level and given the selected bias voltages, the stages generate and output pre-driver signals, respectively, such that transitioning of the pre-driver signals from the second voltage level to the first voltage level occurs in sequence, and
• wherein the second switch receives a last pre-driver signal from a last stage and, in response to the last pre-driver signal transitioning from the second voltage level to the first voltage level, the second switch turns off the switching bias circuit.

A pre-driver circuit comprising:

• multiple stages comprising:
• a first stage;
• a second stage;
• and a last stage;
• a switching bias circuit comprising:
• bias voltage nodes;
• a first switch;
• and a second switch;
• and
• a multiplexor comprising multiple inputs electrically connected to the bias voltage nodes and multiple outputs electrically connected to the stages,
• wherein the first switch receives an input signal and, in response to the input signal transitioning from a first voltage level to a second voltage level, the first switch turns on the switching bias circuit enabling the switching bias circuit to generate different bias voltages on the bias voltage nodes,
• wherein the multiplexor receives bias voltage select signals and, in response to the bias voltage select signals, supplies selected bias voltages to the stages,
• wherein each of the stages further receive the input signal and, in response to the input signal transitioning from the first voltage level to the second voltage level and given the selected bias voltages, the first stage generates and outputs a first pre-driver signal, the second stage generates and outputs a second pre-driver signal and the last stage generates and outputs a last pre-driver signals such that transitioning of the first pre-driver signal, the second pre-driver signal and the last pre-driver signal from the second voltage level to the first voltage level occurs in sequence, and
• wherein the second switch receives the last pre-driver signal and, in response to the last pre-driver signal transitioning from the second voltage level to the first voltage level, the second switch turns off the switching bias circuit.