SWITCHES WITH BIAS RESISTORS FOR EVEN VOLTAGE DISTRIBUTION
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of transistors coupled in a stack and having a first voltage applied to a first transistor in the stack and further having a second voltage applied to bulk nodes of the plurality of transistors, the second voltage being lower than the first voltage; and
at least one resistor coupled to at least one intermediate node in the stack to maintain matching bias conditions for the plurality of transistors when turned off, each intermediate node corresponding to a connection between a source of one transistor and a drain of another transistor in the stack.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Switches with connected bulk for improved switching performance and bias resistors for even voltage distribution to improve reliability are described. In an exemplary design, a switch may include a plurality of transistors coupled in a stack and at least one resistor coupled to at least one intermediate node in the stack. The transistors may have (i) a first voltage applied to a first transistor in the stack and (ii) a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage applied to bulk nodes of the transistors. The resistor(s) may maintain matching bias conditions for the transistors when they are turned off. In one exemplary design, one resistor may be coupled between the source and drain of each transistor. In another exemplary design, one resistor may be coupled between each intermediate node and the first voltage. The resistor(s) may maintain the source of each transistor at the first voltage.
51 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of transistors coupled in a stack and having a first voltage applied to a first transistor in the stack and further having a second voltage applied to bulk nodes of the plurality of transistors, the second voltage being lower than the first voltage; and at least one resistor coupled to at least one intermediate node in the stack to maintain matching bias conditions for the plurality of transistors when turned off, each intermediate node corresponding to a connection between a source of one transistor and a drain of another transistor in the stack. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An integrated circuit comprising:
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a plurality of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors coupled in a stack and having a first voltage applied to a first MOS transistor in the stack and further having a second voltage applied to bulk nodes of the plurality of MOS transistors, the second voltage being lower than the first voltage; and at least one resistor coupled to at least one intermediate node in the stack to maintain matching bias conditions for the plurality of MOS transistors when turned off, each intermediate node corresponding to a connection between a source of one MOS transistor and a drain of another MOS transistor in the stack. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus comprising:
a module comprising multiple switches to implement multiple signal paths, the module receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal and routing the RF signal via one of the multiple signal paths, each of the multiple switches comprising a plurality of transistors coupled in a stack and having a first voltage applied to a first transistor in the stack and further having a second voltage applied to bulk nodes of the plurality of transistors, the second voltage being lower than the first voltage, and at least one resistor coupled to at least one intermediate node in the stack to maintain matching bias conditions for the plurality of transistors when turned off. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method comprising:
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applying a first voltage to a first transistor among a plurality of transistors coupled in a stack; applying a second voltage to bulk nodes of the plurality of transistors, the second voltage being lower than the first voltage; and maintaining matching bias conditions for the plurality of transistors when turned off. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. An apparatus comprising:
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means for applying a first voltage to a first transistor among a plurality of transistors coupled in a stack; means for applying a second voltage to bulk nodes of the plurality of transistors, the second voltage being lower than the first voltage; and means for maintaining matching bias conditions for the plurality of transistors when turned off. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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Specification