Image sensor amplifiers with reduced inter-circulation currents
AssigneeSemiconductor Components Industries, LLC
InventorAnilkumar Prathipati
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image sensor may include an array of image sensor pixels. The array of image sensor pixels may be controlled by row driver circuitry. The row driver circuitry may include row drivers that receive power supply signals from transconductance amplifier circuitry. The transconductance amplifier circuitry may include multiple amplifiers with output ports shorted to one another. Each amplifier may include input transistors, cross-coupled transistors with a low threshold voltage, and additional transistors coupled in series with the cross-coupled transistors and having a moderate or high threshold voltage.
Claims20
Circuitry comprising:
- a first amplifier and a second amplifier, each of which comprises:
- a first transistor having a gate terminal configured as a first input port,
- a second transistor having a gate terminal configured as a second input port,
- a third transistor coupled in series with the first transistor,
- a fourth transistor coupled in series with the second transistor and cross-coupled with the third transistor, and
- a fifth transistor coupled in series with the third transistor and having a gate terminal coupled to a node between the first and third transistors;
- a first circuit having a power supply terminal coupled to an output of the first amplifier, wherein the first input port of the first amplifier is shorted to the output of the first amplifier;
- and
- a second circuit having a power supply terminal coupled to an output of the second amplifier and shorted to the output of the first amplifier.
Circuitry comprising:
- a plurality of amplifiers, each of which comprises:
- a first transistor having a gate terminal, a first source-drain terminal, and a second source-drain terminal,
- a second transistor having a gate terminal, a first source-drain terminal coupled to the first source-drain terminal of the first transistor, and a second source-drain terminal,
- a third transistor having a gate terminal coupled to the second source-drain terminal of the second transistor, a first source-drain terminal coupled to the second source-drain terminal of the first transistor, and a second source-drain terminal coupled to a power supply line,
- a fourth transistor having a gate terminal coupled to the first source-drain terminal of the third transistor, a first source-drain terminal coupled to the second source-drain terminal of the second transistor, and a second source-drain terminal coupled to the power supply line, and
- a fifth transistor having a gate terminal coupled to the first source-drain terminal of the third transistor, a first source-drain terminal coupled to the second source-drain terminal of the third transistor, and a second source-drain terminal coupled to the power supply line, wherein the third transistor has a first threshold voltage and wherein the fifth transistor has a second threshold voltage different then the first threshold voltage.
Circuitry comprising:
- a plurality of amplifiers, at least one of which comprises:
- first and second input transistors,
- a third transistor coupled in series with the first input transistor,
- a fourth transistor coupled in series with the second input transistor and cross-coupled with the third transistor,
- a fifth transistor coupled in series with the third transistor, and
- a sixth transistor coupled in series with the fourth transistor, wherein
- the third and fourth transistors have a first threshold voltage, and
- the fifth and sixth transistors have a second threshold voltage different than the first threshold voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.