Bootstrap driver

• US 20050110556A1
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microelectronic Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Guedon, Yannick
• Granted Patent: US 7,046,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/390
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/217 Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/063 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/01714 by bootstrapping, i.e. by positive feed-back

Abstract

A bootstrap driver comprises an output stage having an N-type high-side transistor and a low-side transistor, also of the N-type, which are arranged in series between a positive supply terminal and a negative supply terminal. A control circuit of the high-side transistor and a control circuit of the low-side transistor are respectively supplied by a first voltage regulator and a second voltage regulator, which are mutually independent. A recovery diode is connected by its anode to the output of the first voltage regulator and by its cathode to the positive supply terminal, in order to conduct the reverse current of a bootstrap diode when the output of the circuit switches from a low state to a high state.

Claims

1. A bootstrap driver, comprising:

an output stage having an N-type high-side transistor and an N-type low-side transistor, which are arranged in series between a positive supply terminal and a negative supply terminal, an output of the driver being tapped from a common node between these transistors;

a first control circuit for controlling the high-side transistor and a second control circuit for controlling the low-side transistor;

a first voltage regulator having an output delivering a first supply voltage for said first control circuit, and a second voltage regulator having an output delivering a second supply voltage for said second control circuit, said first and second voltage regulators being mutually independent;

a bootstrap capacitance arranged between the output of the driver and a boost-voltage node;

a bootstrap diode having an anode connected to the output of the first voltage regulator and a cathode connected to the boost-voltage node; and

a recovery diode having an anode connected to the output of the first voltage regulator and a cathode connected to the positive supply terminal, in order to conduct a reverse current of the bootstrap diode when the output of the driver switches from a low state, wherein the low-side transistor is on and the high-side transistor is off, to a high state wherein the low-side transistor is off and the high-side transistor is on.

2. The driver according to claim 1 wherein the first voltage regulator has an output transistor with a conduction terminal that constitutes the output of the first voltage regulator, and wherein said first voltage regulator comprises a protective diode for protection against output overvoltages, the protective diode having an anode connected to the conduction terminal of said output transistor and a cathode connected to a control terminal of said output transistor.

3. The driver according to claim 2 wherein the first regulator further comprises a protective resistor connected in series with the control terminal of the output transistor of said first voltage regulator.

4. The driver according to claim 2 wherein the output transistor is a MOS transistor, and wherein the protective diode of the first voltage regulator is a Zener diode with a threshold voltage lower than a maximum forward gate-source voltage of the output transistor of the first voltage regulator.

5. The driver according to claim 2 wherein the output transistor of the first voltage regulator is an LDMOS transistor.

6. The driver according to claim 2 wherein the output transistor of the first voltage regulator is an MOS transistor and the recovery diode is an intrinsic diode of the MOS transistor.

7. The driver according to claim 1 wherein the first and second voltage regulators each include:

an output transistor having a first conduction terminal coupled to the positive supply terminal, a second conduction terminal from which the output of the voltage regulator is taken, and a control terminal;

a first resistance coupled between the second conduction terminal and the negative supply terminal;

a second resistance coupled between the first conduction terminal and the control terminal; and

a zener diode coupled between the control terminal and the negative supply terminal.

8. A bootstrap driver, comprising:

an output stage having a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor, arranged in series between a positive supply terminal and a negative supply terminal, an output of the driver being tapped from a common node between these transistors;

a first control circuit for controlling the high-side transistor and a second control circuit for controlling the low-side transistor;

a bootstrap capacitance arranged between the output of the driver and a supply input of the first control circuit;

a bootstrap diode having an anode, and a cathode connected to a supply input of the first control circuit;

a first voltage regulator having an output coupled to the anode of the bootstrap diode and structured to deliver a first supply voltage to the supply input of first control circuit via the bootstrap diode; and

a second voltage regulator having an output delivering a second supply voltage to the supply input of the second control circuit.

9. The driver of claim 8 wherein the first voltage regulator has an output transistor with a conduction terminal that constitutes the output of the first voltage regulator, and wherein the first voltage regulator comprises a protective diode for protection against output overvoltages, the protective diode having an anode connected to the conduction terminal of the output transistor and a cathode connected to a control terminal of the output transistor.

10. The driver of claim 9 wherein the first regulator further comprises a protective first resistor having a first terminal connected to the control terminal of the output transistor of the first voltage regulator.

11. The driver of claim 10 wherein the first regulator further comprises:

a second resistor coupled between the positive supply terminal and a second terminal of the first resistor; and

a zener diode coupled between the second terminal of the first resistor and the negative supply terminal.

12. The driver of claim 9 wherein the protective diode of the first voltage regulator is a Zener diode with a threshold voltage lower than a maximum voltage between the control and conduction terminals of the output transistor of the first voltage regulator.

13. The driver of claim 9 wherein the output transistor of the first voltage regulator is an MOS transistor having an intrinsic diode coupled between the positive supply terminal and the output of the first voltage regulator.

14. The driver of claim 8 wherein the first and second voltage regulators each include:

an output transistor having a first conduction terminal coupled to the positive supply terminal, a second conduction terminal from which the output of the voltage regulator is taken,; and

a control terminal;

a first resistance coupled between the second conduction terminal and the negative supply terminal;

a second resistance coupled between the first conduction terminal and the control terminal; and

a zener diode coupled between the control terminal and the negative supply terminal.

15. The driver of claim 8, further comprising a recovery diode having an anode connected to the output of the first voltage regulator and a cathode connected to the positive supply terminal.

16. A bootstrap driver, comprising:

an output stage having a high-side transistor connected between a positive supply terminal and an output of the driver and a low-side transistor connected between the output of the driver and a negative supply terminal;

a first control circuit for controlling the high-side transistor and a second control circuit for controlling the low-side transistor;

a bootstrap capacitance arranged between the output of the driver and a supply input of the first control circuit;

a bootstrap diode having an anode, and a cathode connected to a supply input of the first control circuit;

a first voltage regulator having an output coupled to the anode of the bootstrap diode and structured to deliver a first supply voltage to the supply input of first control circuit via the bootstrap diode; and

a recovery diode having an anode connected to the output of the first voltage regulator and a cathode connected to the positive supply terminal.

17. The driver of claim 16 wherein the first voltage regulator has an output transistor with a conduction terminal that constitutes the output of the first voltage regulator, and wherein the first voltage regulator comprises a protective diode for protection against output overvoltages, the protective diode having an anode connected to the conduction terminal of the output transistor and a cathode connected to a control terminal of the output transistor.

18. The driver of claim 17 wherein the first regulator further comprises a protective first resistor having a first terminal connected to the control terminal of the output transistor of the first voltage regulator.

19. The driver of claim 18 wherein the first regulator further comprises:

a second resistor coupled between the positive supply terminal and a second terminal of the first resistor; and

a zener diode coupled between the second terminal of the first resistor and the negative supply terminal.

20. The driver of claim 17 wherein the protective diode of the first voltage regulator is a Zener diode with a threshold voltage lower than a maximum voltage between the control and conduction terminals of the output transistor of the first voltage regulator.

21. The driver of claim 17 wherein the output transistor of the first voltage regulator is an MOS transistor and the recovery diode is an intrinsic diode of the MOS transistor.

22. The driver of claim 16, further comprising a second voltage regulator coupled between the negative supply terminal and the supply input of the second control circuit.

23. The driver of claim 22 wherein the first and second voltage regulators each include:

an output transistor having a first conduction terminal coupled to the positive supply terminal, a second conduction terminal from which the output of the voltage regulator is taken, and a control terminal;

a first resistance coupled between the second conduction terminal and the negative supply terminal;

a second resistance coupled between the first conduction terminal and the control terminal; and

a zener diode coupled between the control terminal and the negative supply terminal.