Complimentary driver circuit with shared voltage breakdown protection
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsEdward C. Suder, Marco Corsi, James M. Tran
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This is a driver circuit 100 for use in an integrated circuit 10 for driving two complimentary signals on output terminals 104 and 106. A single device, such as a Schottky diode 170, prevents voltage breakdown resulting from an externally supplied voltage on either output terminal 104, 106. The single device, such as Schottky diode 170, provides voltage breakdown protection for an output transistor 150 and a complimentary output transistor 152. The single device can be made larger than if two devices were used so that a voltage drop across the device resulting from normal forward current conduction is minimized.
Claims13
An integrated circuit for driving complimentary signals on two terminals comprising:
- a first means for driving a signal on a first output terminal,
- a second means for driving a complimentary signal on a second output terminal, and
- a shared means for preventing the flow of a damaging breakdown current in either driving means resulting from an excessive externally supplied voltage on either output terminal.
An integrated circuit for driving two complimentary signals comprising:
- a Schottky diode having a cathode connected to a supply voltage terminal and an anode,
- a first transistor having a current path coupled between the anode of the Schottky diode and a first output terminal and having a control electrode for receiving an intermediate signal, and
- a second transistor having a current path coupled between the anode of the Schottky diode and a second output terminal and having a control electrode for receiving a complimentary intermediate signal.
An integrated circuit for driving a plurality of complimentary signals comprising:
- a plurality of differential driver circuits, each differential driver circuit comprising:
- a first means for driving a signal on a first output terminal,
- a second means for driving a complimentary signal on a second output terminal, and
- a shared means for preventing the flow of a damaging breakdown current in either driving means resulting from an excessive externally supplied voltage on either output terminal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.