Active inductor
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorEduard Sackinger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An active inductor with a smaller voltage drop with respect to the power supply voltage of an integrated circuit can be realized by an active inductor which is biased from a voltage higher than the power supply voltage, the higher voltage being generatable on the integrated circuit. Advantageously, more headroom is left for the amplifying circuit coupled to the active inductor to operate properly than with prior art active inductors. Furthermore, by not simply operating the entire active inductor from a higher voltage, the power dissipation remains the same as if the active inductor were connected as in the prior art only to the power supply voltage, and the task of generating the voltage higher than the power supply voltage is simplified, because only leakage current, e.g., nanoamps, is required.
Claims19
A circuit for use as an active inductor on an integrated circuit having a power supply voltage supplied at a first power supply terminal, comprising:
- an metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor having a gate terminal, a drain terminal, and a source terminal, said drain terminal being coupled to said power supply voltage and said source terminal being one of the terminals of said active inductor;
- and
- a resistor having a first terminal coupled to said gate terminal and a second terminal coupled to a voltage that is derived from said power supply voltage and has a larger absolute value than said power supply voltage supplied at said first power supply terminal and the same sign as said power supply voltage;
- said circuit being adapted so that when said circuit is operating said circuit behaves as an active inductor between said source terminal and an other terminal of said active inductor on said integrated circuit.
A circuit for use as an active inductor on an integrated circuit, comprising:
- a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor;
- and
- a beyond voltage generator which generates a beyond voltage that is either greater than the highest voltage or less than the lowest voltage being supplied to said integrated circuit by a power supply;
- wherein said MOS transistor is coupled to said beyond voltage generator so as to bias said MOS transistor with said beyond voltage and said MOS transistor is adapted to operate as said active inductor.
An integrated circuit comprising a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor adapted to operate as an active inductor that is biased using a voltage generated on said integrated circuit that is outside the range of the voltage supplied by a power supply off of said integrated circuit for operating said integrated circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.