INTEGRATED CIRCUIT COMPARATOR OR AMPLIFIER

• US 20070252621A1
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Forbes, Leonard
• Granted Patent: US 7,545,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/65
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/513 the amplifier being made for low supply voltages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/78 A comparator being used in a controlling circuit of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45664 the LC comprising one or more cascaded inverter stages as output stage at one output of the dif amp circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45666 the LC comprising two anti-phase controlled inverter circuits as output stages, e.g. fully differential
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45183 Long tailed pairs H03F3/4521, H03F3/45237 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/2472 using field effect transistors H03K5/2436 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/2481 with at least one differential stage

Abstract

An integrated circuit comparator comprises a differential amplifier, a source follower circuit coupled to a gate terminal of a first transistor in the differential amplifier, and an output circuit. One or more source follower circuits may be utilized in connection with the differential amplifier, and one or more source follower circuits may be utilized in connection with the output circuit.

Claims

1-53. -53. (canceled)

54. A method, comprising

providing a first signal to a gate terminal of a transistor in a source follower circuit and providing the first signal to a gate terminal of a transistor in a differential amplifier, the source follower circuit being coupled to a gate terminal of a first transistor in the differential amplifier;

and

providing a second signal from the differential amplifier to an output circuit based on the first signal.