Dual-mode current-mode driver

An apparatus comprising:

• means for controlling current through a pair of input transistors, including a tail transistor and cascode transistors;
• means for configuring the tail transistor, wherein the tail transistor controls the current flowing through the pair of input transistors in a first mode of operation and operates in triode mode in a second mode of operation;
• and
• means for configuring the cascode transistors, wherein the cascode transistors control the current flowing through the pair of input transistors when the tail transistor is operating in triode mode.

A method for operating a multimode driver, comprising:

• using a tail transistor to control current through a pair of input transistors in a first mode of operation, wherein the input transistors have gates coupled to a pair of complementary input signals;
• using cascode transistors to control the current through the pair of input transistors in a second mode of operation, wherein the tail transistor is forced into triode mode in the second mode of operation;
• providing a tail voltage to a gate of the tail transistor at a first reference voltage level that configures a current flowing through the input transistors in the first mode of operation;
• and
• driving the tail voltage to a voltage level that causes the tail transistor to operate in triode mode in the second mode of operation.