Power MOSFET driver with cross-conduction current reduction

An output circuit comprising:

• a. an output node having a high state and a low state;
• b. a pull-up circuit coupled to the output node having a pull-up threshold voltage and including a clamping circuit coupled to prevent damage to the pull-up circuit during a transition from the high state to the low state and a resistor coupled to shunt the parasitic capacitance current to ground to speed up output during a low-to-high transition;
• c. a pull-down circuit coupled to the output node having a pull-down threshold voltage and including a clamping circuit coupled to prevent damage to the pull-down circuit when the output is in the low state, wherein the pull-down threshold is greater than the pull-up threshold so that the pull-down circuit is shut off before the output node is driven from a low state to a high state;
• and
• d. means for preventing the pull-up and pull-down circuits from simultaneously conducting current such that the pull-up circuit is turned off before the pull-down circuit is turned on when the output node switches from a high state to a low state and further wherein the pull-down circuit is turned off before the pull-up circuit is turned on when the output node switches from a low state to a high state.

A totem-pole output circuit coupled to a power supply, a circuit ground and a field-effect transistor having a gate, a drain, and a source, said drain coupled to a load and said source coupled to the circuit ground, wherein said output circuit comprises:

• a. an output node coupled to the gate of the field effect transistor for controlling said transistor;
• b. a first resistor having a first terminal A and a first terminal B and a second resistor having a second terminal A and a second terminal B, the first terminal A coupled to the second terminal A forming an input node;
• c. a first transistor having a first base, a first emitter and a first collector, the first base coupled to the first terminal B and the first emitter coupled to the circuit ground;
• d. a first current source coupled to the power supply and to the first collector;
• e. a first diode having a first anode and a first cathode and a second diode having a second anode and a second cathode, the first cathode coupled to the second anode, the first collector and the first current source and the first anode coupled to the second cathode;
• f. a second transistor having a second base, a second emitter and a second collector, the second base coupled to the first anode and the second cathode;
• g. a third transistor having a third base, a third emitter and a third collector, the third base coupled to the second terminal B, the third emitter coupled to the circuit ground and the third collector coupled to the second emitter;
• h. a third resistor having a third terminal A and a third terminal B, the third terminal A coupled to the first current source, the first collector, the first cathode and the second anode;
• i. a fourth resistor having a fourth terminal A and a fourth terminal B, the fourth terminal A coupled to the third terminal B and the fourth terminal B coupled to the circuit ground;
• j. a third diode having a third anode and a third cathode and a fourth diode having a fourth anode and a fourth cathode, the fourth anode coupled to the third cathode and to the second collector and the third anode coupled to the fourth cathode;
• k. a second current source coupled to the power supply and to the second collector, the third cathode and the fourth anode;
• l. a third current source coupled to the power supply;
• m. a fourth transistor having a fourth base, a fourth emitter and a fourth collector, the fourth base coupled to the third terminal B and the fourth terminal A, the fourth emitter coupled to the circuit ground and the fourth collector coupled to the third current source;
• n. a fifth transistor having a fifth base, a fifth emitter and a fifth collector, the fifth base coupled to the second emitter and the third collector, the fifth emitter coupled to the circuit ground and the fifth collector coupled to the third anode, the fourth cathode and the output node;
• o. a fifth diode having a fifth anode and a fifth cathode, the fifth anode coupled to the output node;
• p. a sixth diode having a sixth anode and a sixth cathode, the sixth anode coupled to the fifth cathode and the sixth cathode coupled to the third current source and the fourth collector;
• q. a fifth resistor having a fifth terminal A and a fifth terminal B, the fifth terminal A coupled to the fifth cathode and the sixth anode and the fifth terminal B coupled to the fifth anode and the output node;
• r. a sixth transistor having a sixth base, a sixth emitter and a sixth collector, the sixth collector coupled to the power supply, the sixth base coupled to the third current source, the sixth cathode and the fourth collector and the sixth emitter coupled to the fifth terminal A, the fifth cathode and the sixth anode;
• and
• s. a seventh transistor having a seventh base, a seventh emitter and a seventh collector, the seventh collector coupled to the power supply, the seventh base coupled to the sixth emitter, the fifth terminal A, the fifth cathode and the sixth anode and the seventh emitter coupled to the fifth terminal B, the fifth anode and the output node.