Temperature stable voltage reference circuit using a metal-silicon Schottky diode for low voltage circuit applications

Abstract

Silicon-based voltage reference circuits that generate a temperature independent voltage reference that is less than even the silicon bandgap potential. The voltage reference circuit includes a diode-connected metal-silicon Schottky diode that is biased with a current. In this configuration, the anode terminal of the Schottky diode is a CTAT voltage source in this configuration. The anode terminal has a voltage at zero degrees Kelvin at the barrier height of the Schottky diode, which may differ depending on the metal chosen, but in most cases is less than the bandgap potential of silicon. The voltage reference circuit also includes a PTAT voltage source. The PTAT voltage may be generated in a variety of ways. An amplifier amplifies the PTAT voltage, and a summer adds the CTAT voltage to the amplified PTAT voltage to generate the temperature stable voltage reference.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.