Protection circuit for miller compensated voltage regulators

Abstract

A capacitively compensated voltage regulator, adapted to be supplied with power from a voltage supply, and having an input port and an output port. The voltage regulator includes a voltage regulation circuit responsive to a reference voltage at the input port to provide a regulated voltage at the output port, including a compensation capacitor having a plate connected to a node internal to the voltage regulator, and including a current source coupled between the voltage supply and the internal node. The voltage regulator also includes a low power control circuit responsive to a low power command signal. The low power control circuit includes a delay circuit responsive to a transition in the level of the low power command signal to generate a low power control signal for a predetermined time period after said transition, and also a bypass circuit coupled between the internal node and the voltage supply, responsive to the low power control signal to provide, for the predetermined time period, a current higher than the current provided by the current source, and otherwise to provide substantially no current. By the action of the standby control circuit a voltage overshoot or surge at the output port of the voltage regulator circuit is avoided.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.