Structure for temperature compensating the inverse saturation current of bipolar transistors
AssigneeSGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.A.
InventorsFabio Marchio, Enrico Novarini, Giorgio Rossi
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Abstract
A circuit for temperature compensating the inverse saturation current of a bipolar transistor having a collector region, base and emitter regions defining a base-emitter junction is disclosed. A diode element having substantially said same saturation current is parallel-connected in reverse configuration to said base-emitter junction of the bipolar transistor. If the bipolar transistor is NPN type, the diode has an anode and cathode connected respective to the emitter and base regions of the transistor.
Claims12
A circuit for temperature compensating the reverse saturation current of a first bipolar transistor having collector, base and emitter regions defining a base-emitter junction;
- comprising a diode element parallel connected in reverse configuration, to said base-emitter junction of said bipolar transistor and having substantially the same saturation current.
A reverse saturation current-compensated bipolar transistor comprising a collector region, and base and emitter regions defining a base-emitter junction;
- and a diode element parallel connected in reverse configuration to said base-emitter junction, said diode element having substantially the same saturation current as said compensated transistor.
A voltage reference circuit comprising two compensated bipolar transistors, each defining a base-emitter junction, and both having mutually connected base terminals defining an output terminal of the circuit;
- collector terminals connected to a first reference potential via respective current sources;
- and emitter terminals connected together at a common point and to a second reference potential;
- a first resistor being series-connected to the emitter terminal of a first of said compensated transistors, and a second resistor being connected between said common point and said second reference potential;
- two diode elements, each parallel-connected in reverse configuration, to said base-emitter junction of a respective one of said compensated transistors, and each diode element having substantially the same saturation current as said respective compensated transistor.
In a circuit having a resistive means and a first bipolar transistor having a collector region, a base region, and an emitter region, said regions connected to generate a first bipolar transistor emitter current through said resistive means, said emitter current having a reverse saturation current component, a method comprising
- adding a second current through said resistive means having a magnitude substantially equal to said reverse saturation current component to compensate for temperature dependency of said reverse saturation current component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.