US 4,394,590 AGranted

Field effect transistor circuit arrangement

AssigneeInternational Rectifier Corporation, Japan Ltd.

InventorAkira Honda

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Abstract

In a circuit arrangement having a plurality of field effect transistors which are connected in series and operate simultaneously, the circuit arrangement is free from restriction of an operating frequency and it is not necessary to provide an individual power source for gate biasing, so that the construction of the circuit arrangement is simplified and the cost is reduced. A gate drive pulse is applied to the gate of the field effect transistor (Q2) on a common potential point side. A parallel connection circuit having a first resistor (R3) and a first capacitor (C3) is coupled between the gate of the other field effect transistor (Q1) and the common potential point side. A parallel connection circuit having a second resistor (R4) and a second capacitor (C4) is coupled between the first electrode (e.g. drain) and the gate of the other field effect transistor. A capacitance of the first capacitor is larger than that of the second capacitor, so that the other field effect transistor is sufficiently shifted to a conductive state when the gate drive pulse is applied to the field effect transistor on the common potential side.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A field effect transistor circuit arrangement including a plurality of field effect transistors having first and second electrodes and a control electrode, and a load (RL), which are connected in a series arrangement between a power source voltage point (Vs) and a common potential point (C), comprising:

means for applying a control pulse (Vin) to the control electrode of one of said field effect transistors which is connected in said series arrangement on the side of the common potential point;
at least one first parallel connection circuit having a first resistor and a first capacitor, each first parallel connection circuit being coupled between the control electrode of a respective one of the remaining field effect transistors and the common potential point;
at least one second parallel connection circuit having a second resistor and a second capacitor, each second parallel connection circuit being coupled between a respective first parallel connection circuit and the first electrode of one of said remaining field effect transistors which is connected in said series arrangement on the side of the power source voltage point, a capacitance of said first capacitor in said first parallel connection circuit being larger than that of said second capacitor in said second parallel connection circuit;
a Zener diode connected between the second electrode and the control electrode of each of said field effect transistors for preventing a voltage applied therebetween from exceeding a predetermined breakdown voltage between the control electrode and second electrode of each of said field effect transistors;
and
said remaining field effect transistors being changed to a conductive state at the time that said control pulse is applied to said one field effect transistor.

3 more elements

A field effect transistor circuit arrangement including a plurality of field effect transistors having first and second electrodes and a control electrode, and a load which are connected in a series arrangement between a power source voltage point (Vs) and a common potential point (C), comprising:

means for applying a control pulse (Vin) to the control electrode of one of said field effect transistors which is connected in said series arrangement on the side of the common potential point;
a first parallel connection circuit having a resistor and a capacitor coupled between the common potential point and the control electrode of one of the remaining field effect transistors which is connected in said series arrangement adjacent to the field effect transistor which is connected on the side of the common potential point;
a plurality of additional parallel connection circuits each having a resistor and a capacitor connected in parallel, said plurality of additional parallel connection circuits being connected in series between said first parallel connection circuit and the first electrode of one of said field effect transistors which is connected in said series arrangement on the side of said power source voltage, the capacitance of the capacitors in said first and plurality of additional parallel connection circuits being so selected that the capacitance of the capacitor of said first parallel connection circuit is the greatest and the subsequent capacitors in the series connection of said additional parallel connection circuits are stepwisely reduced in capacitance in the sequence of the connecting order of said additional parallel connection circuits and that the respective capacitances of the capacitors of said first and additional parallel connection circuits are each about 5 to 10 times larger than the input capacitance of a respective one of said remaining field effect transistors;
respective connection points of said series connected first and plurality of additional circuits being electrically coupled to respective control electrodes of said remaining field effect transistors;
a Zener diode connected between the second electrode and the control electrode of each of said field effect transistors for preventing a voltage applied therebetween from exceeding a predetermined breakdown voltage between the control electrode and second electrode of each of said field effect transistors;
and
said remaining field effect transistors being changed to a conductive state at the time that said control pulse is applied to said one field effect transistor connected on the side of the common potential point.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.