# US 9,436,202 B2 · Low power circuit for reducing leakage power using negative voltage

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- Number: US 9,436,202 B2
- Document ID: US9436202B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/680,040
- Filed: 2012-11-17
- Published: 2013-08-01
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-01-26
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Postech Academy-Industry Foundation
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Postech Academy-Industry Foundation
- Inventors: Jae Sup Lee; Seong Joong Kim; Bum Man Kim; Han-Kyu Lee; Dae-Chul Jeong; Tae Young Chung
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9436202B2

## CPC

- G05F 3/02: Regulating voltage or current
- H03K 17/063: {in field-effect transistor switches}
- H03K 2017/066: {Maximizing the OFF-resistance instead of minimizing the ON-resistance}
- G05F: SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)

## Abstract

A power circuit for reducing a leakage power using a negative voltage is provided. The power circuit includes a current source including a transistor including a gate. The power circuit further includes a current source control circuit connected to the gate of the transistor, and configured to apply a positive voltage to the gate of the transistor if the current source is to operate in an active mode, and apply the negative voltage to the gate of the transistor if the current source is to operate in an inactive mode.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A power circuit comprising:
a current source comprising a current source transistor comprising a current source gate; and
a current source control circuit comprising a first sub control circuit, a capacitor having an upper node and a lower node, and a second sub control circuit,
wherein the first sub control circuit comprises:
a first transistor configured to pass a supply voltage to the upper node when the current source is active, and to isolate the upper node from the supply voltage when the current source is inactive;
a second transistor configured to isolate the upper node from a ground when the current source is active, and to ground the upper node when the current source is inactive,
wherein the second sub control circuit comprises:
a series of at least a fourth transistor and a fifth transistor configured to ground the lower node when the current source is active, and configured to isolate the lower node from the ground when the current source is inactive; and
a sixth transistor configured to isolate the lower node from the current source gate when the current source is active, and configured to electrically connect the lower node to the current source gate when the current source is inactive, wherein a negative voltage is generated in the lower node when the current source is inactive, and wherein a duration of the negative voltage is based on a total number of the series of at least the fourth transistor and the fifth transistor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The power circuit of claim 1,
wherein the first transistor and the series of at least the fourth transistor and the fifth transistor are all controlled by a switching signal, and
wherein the switching signal has a high voltage when the current source is active and has a low voltage when the current source is inactive.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The power circuit of claim 1,
wherein the second transistor and the sixth transistor are both controlled by an inverted switching signal, and
wherein the inverted switching signal has a low voltage when the current source is active and has a high voltage when the current source is inactive.