Current amplifiers
AssigneeRCA Corporation
InventorCarl Franklin Wheatley, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Current mirror amplifiers, which exhibit greater current attenuation (or gain) than prior art current mirror amplifiers taking up the same area on a monolithic integrated circuit die, are described in which the base-emitter junctions of the mirroring transistors are dissimilar in profile.
Claims69
A current mirror amplifier having input and output and common terminals, having first and second mirroring transistors and exhibiting an inverting current gain between its input and output terminals equal to the transconductance of its second mirroring transistor divided by the transconductance of its first mirroring transistor, the collector-to-emitter paths of one of said first and said second transistors being included in the input circuit of said current mirror amplifier between its input and common terminals and the other being included in the output circuit of said current mirror amplifier between its output and common terminals, said first transistor having a base region and an emitter region and having a base-emitter junction of area A.sub.1 between its base and emitter regions, said second transistor having a base region and an emitter region and having a base-emitter junction of area A.sub.2 between its base and emitter regions, one of said first and said second transistors having a portion of its base region adjacent to its emitter region doped more heavily than the rest of its base region and the base region of the other of said first and said second transistors, thereby to cause said inverting current gain to differ substantially from A.sub.2 /A.sub.1.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a superbeta type and said second transistor being a conventionalprocess vertical-structure type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- first galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- second galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said output terminal;
- and
- a direct-coupled feedback connection between the collector electrode of said first transistor and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a super-beta type and said second transistor being a semi-sub-beta type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- first galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- second galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said output terminal;
- and
- a direct-coupled feedback connection between the collector electrode of said first transistor and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a super-beta type and said second transistor being a sub-beta type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- first galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- second galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said output terminal;
- and
- a direct-coupled feedback connection between the collector electrode of said first transistor and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a conventional-process vertical-structure type and said second transistor being a sub-beta type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- first galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- second galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said output terminal;
- and
- a direct-coupled feedback connection between the collector electrode of said first transistor and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a conventional-process vertical-structure type and said second transistor being a semi-sub-beta type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- first galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- second galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said output terminal;
- and
- a direct-coupled feedback connection between the collector electrode of said first transistor and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a conventional-process vertical-structure type and said second transistor being a super-beta type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- first galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- second galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said output terminal;
- and
- a direct-coupled feedback connection between the collector electrode of said first transistor and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a semi-sub-beta type and said second transistor being a super-beta type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- first galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- second galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said output terminal;
- and
- a direct-coupled feedback connection between the collector electrode of said first transistor and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors.
A current mirror amplifier as set forth in claim 59 wherein said direct-coupled feedback connection between the collector electrode of said first transistor and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors is provided by the emitter follower action of a third, bipolar transistor of said first conductivity type.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a semi-sub-beta type and said second transistor being a conventional-process vertical-structure type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- first galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- second galvanic connection means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said output terminal;
- and
- a direct-coupled feedback connection between the collector electrode of said first transistor and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second and third transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a sub-beta type, said second transistor being a conventional-process vertical-structure type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- means for connecting said third transistor as a potential follower between said input terminal and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors;
- first galvanically conductive means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- and
- second galvanically conductive means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said input terminal.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- input, output and common terminals;
- first and second and third transistors of a first conductivity type, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a sub-beta type, said second transistor being a super-beta type, the emitter electrodes of said first and said second transistors being connected to said common terminal;
- means for connecting said third transistor as a potential follower between said input terminal and an interconnection between the base electrodes of said first and said second transistors;
- first galvanically conductive means between the collector electrode of said first transistor and said input terminal;
- and
- second galvanically conductive means between the collector electrode of said second transistor and said input terminal.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- an input terminal;
- an output terminal;
- a common terminal;
- and
- first and second transistors of complementary conductivity types, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a super-beta type and said second transistor being a lateral structure type, the emitter electrode of said first transistor and the base electrode of said second transistor being connected to said input terminal, the collector electrode of said second transistor being connected to said output terminal, and the base and collector electrodes of said first transistor and the emitter electrode of said second transistor being connected to said common terminal.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- an input terminal;
- an output terminal;
- a common terminal;
- and
- first and second transistors of complementary conductivity types, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a semi-sub beta type and said second transistor being a lateral type, the emitter electrode of said first transistor and the base electrode of said second transistor being connected to said input terminal, the collector electrode of said second transistor being connected to said output terminal, and the base and collector electrode of said first transistor and the emitter electrode of said second transistor being connected to said common terminal.
A current mirror amplifier comprising:
- an input terminal;
- an output terminal;
- a common terminal;
- and
- first and second transistors of complementary conductivity types, each having base and emitter and collector electrodes, said first transistor being a sub-beta type and said second transistor being a lateral type, the emitter electrode of said first transistor and the base electrode of said second transistor being connected to said input terminal, the collector electrode of said second transistor being connected to said output terminal, and the base and collector electrodes of said first transistor and the emitter electrode of said second transistor being connected to said common terminal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.