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US 6,586,958 B2Granted
Voltage converter having switching element with variable substrate potential
AssigneeSeiko Instruments Inc.
InventorsMinoru Sudo, Jun Osanai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In order to improve drive performance of a voltage regulator (on resistance of an output transistor) while suppressing increases in surface area resistance of an output transistor is reduced by changing the threshold voltage of the output transistor by controlling the back-gate voltages of output transistors of a voltage regulators.
Claims16
A switching regulator comprising:
- a MOS transistor;
- a drive circuit for turning the MOS transistor on and off;
- and a substrate voltage switching circuit for changing a substrate voltage of the MOS transistor such that a threshold voltage of the MOS transistor is reduced when the substrate voltage is changed when the MOS transistor is on.
A voltage converting circuit for receiving an input voltage and producing an output voltage, comprising:
- a switching element for performing a switching operation to control a level of the output voltage;
- a circuit for controlling the conductivity state of the switching element to maintain a desired output voltage;
- and
- a substrate potential switching circuit connected to the switching element for controlling a substrate potential of the switching element so as to reduce a threshold voltage thereof.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.