LOW TEMPERATURE DRIFT VOLTAGE REFERENCE CIRCUIT

• US 20140104964A1
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BCD Shanghai Micro-Electronics Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shanghai SIM-BCD Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (Diodes Incorporated)
• Inventors: Liu, Zutao, PENG, SHAOHUA
• Granted Patent: US 9,196,318 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/189.09
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/147 Voltage reference generators, voltage or current regulators; Internally lowered supply levels; Compensation for voltage drops G11C5/141 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/04 with means for avoiding disturbances due to temperature effects

Abstract

A voltage reference circuit includes a first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor, a first enhancement mode NMOS transistor, and a first depletion-mode PMOS transistor coupled in series between a voltage supply and a ground. A second depletion-mode PMOS transistor is coupled to the first enhancement PMOS transistor to form a feedback circuit. A first resistive device is coupled between the voltage supply and the second depletion-mode PMOS transistor, and a second resistive device is coupled between the second depletion-mode PMOS transistor and the ground. A bias circuit is coupled to a gate of the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor. The first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor and the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor are configured to operate in saturation region. A first reference voltage across the first resistor and a second reference voltage across the second resistor are configured to be independent of the magnitude of the voltage supply and have low temperature drift.

Claims

1. A voltage reference circuit, comprising:

a first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor, a first enhancement mode NMOS transistor, and a first depletion-mode PMOS transistor coupled in series between a voltage supply and a ground, wherein the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor has shorted gate and source;

a second depletion-mode PMOS transistor having a source coupled to the gate of the first enhancement PMOS transistor at a first node, the second depletion-mode PMOS transistor also having a gate coupled to a drain of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor at a second node, forming a feedback circuit;

a first resistive device coupled between the voltage supply and the first node;

a second resistive device, which has one end coupled to the drain of the second depletion-mode PMOS transistor at a third node and has the other end coupled to the ground; and

a bias circuit coupled to a gate of the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor;

wherein the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor and the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor are configured to operate in saturation region, and a first reference voltage between the voltage supply and the first node is independent of the magnitude of the voltage supply.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein:

the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor has a source coupled to the voltage supply;

the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor has a drain coupled to the drain of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor at the second node; and

the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor has a source and a gate coupled to a fourth node, the fourth node further coupled to a source of the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor.

3. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the bias circuit includes a third depletion-mode PMOS transistor, a second enhancement-mode NMOS transistor, and a third enhancement-mode NMOS transistor coupled in series between the voltage supply and the ground, wherein:

the third depletion-mode PMOS transistor has shorted gate and source coupled to the voltage supply;

the second enhancement-mode NMOS transistor has a gate and a drain coupled the drain of the third depletion-mode PMOS transistor at a fifth node; and

the third enhancement-mode NMOS transistor has a drain and a gate coupled to a source of third enhancement-mode NMOS transistor and the ground GND at a sixth node.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first reference voltage is a function of only threshold voltages, gate widths, and gate lengths of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor and the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor.

5. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the first reference voltage Vo1 is expressed by the following equation:

6. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the gate widths and the gate lengths of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor and the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor have values such that the negative temperature coefficient of the threshold voltage of the enhancement-mode PMOS transistor and the positive temperature coefficient of the threshold voltage of the depletion-mode PMOS transistor are compensated, and such that the temperature coefficient of the first reference voltage is within a preset limit.

7. The circuit of claim 1, wherein a second reference voltage between the third node and the ground is independent of the magnitude of the voltage supply.

8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein a ratio of the second reference voltage and the first reference voltage is equal to a ratio of the resistance values of the first resistive device and the second resistive device.

9. The circuit of claim 1, wherein substrates of the first, the second, and the third depletion-mode PMOS transistors are coupled to the voltage supply, and substrates of the first, the second, and the third enhancement-mode NMOS transistors are coupled to the ground.

10. A voltage reference circuit, comprising:

a first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor, a first enhancement mode NMOS transistor, and a first depletion-mode PMOS transistor coupled in series between a voltage supply and a ground, wherein;

the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor has a source coupled to the voltage supply;

the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor has a drain coupled to the drain of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor;

the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor M3 has a source and a gate coupled to a source of the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor;

a second depletion-mode PMOS transistor having a source coupled to the gate of the first enhancement PMOS transistor Ml at a first node, the second depletion-mode PMOS transistor also having a gate coupled to a drain of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor at a second node, forming a feedback loop;

a first resistive device coupled between the voltage supply and the source of the second depletion-mode PMOS transistor;

a second resistive device, which has one end coupled to the drain of the second depletion-mode PMOS transistor M7 at a third node and has the other end coupled to the ground;

the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor coupled to the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor at a fourth node; and

a bias circuit coupled to a gate of the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor M2 at a fifth node, the bias circuit configured to maintain the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor to operate in saturation region, wherein the bias circuit includes a third depletion-mode PMOS transistor, a second enhancement-mode NMOS transistor, and a third enhancement-mode NMOS transistor coupled in series between the voltage supply and the ground, wherein;

the third depletion-mode PMOS transistor has a source and a gate coupled to the voltage supply;

the second enhancement-mode NMOS transistor has a gate and a drain coupled the drain of the third depletion-mode PMOS transistor and coupled to the gate of the first enhancement-mode MOS transistor and at a fifth node; and

the third enhancement-mode NMOS transistor has a drain and a gate coupled to a source of third enhancement-mode NMOS transistor and the ground GND at a sixth node;

wherein the voltage reference circuit is configured to provide a first reference voltage between the voltage supply at the first node, and a second reference voltage between the third node and the ground, wherein the first and the second reference voltage are independent of the voltage supply, and a temperature coefficient of the first reference voltage is within a preset limit.

11. The circuit of claim 10, wherein the first reference voltage is a function of only threshold voltages, gate widths, and gate lengths of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor and the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor.

12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the first reference voltage is expressed by the following equation:

13. The circuit of claim 12, wherein the gate widths and the gate lengths of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor and the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor are selected such that the negative temperature coefficient of the threshold voltage of the enhancement-mode PMOS transistor and the positive temperature coefficient of the threshold voltage of the depletion-mode PMOS transistor are compensated and such that the temperature coefficient of the first reference voltage is within a preset limit.

14. The circuit of claim 10, wherein a second reference voltage between the third node and the ground is independent of the magnitude of the voltage supply.

15. The circuit of claim 14, wherein a ratio of the second reference voltage and the first reference voltage is equal to a ratio of the resistance values of the first resistive device and the second resistive device.

16. The circuit of claim 10, wherein substrates of the first, the second, and the third depletion-mode PMOS transistors are coupled to the voltage supply, and substrates of the first, the second, and the third enhancement-mode NMOS transistors are coupled to the ground.

17. A voltage reference circuit, comprising:

a first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor, a first enhancement mode NMOS transistor, and a first depletion-mode PMOS transistor coupled in series between a voltage supply and a ground;

a first resistive device, a feedback device, and a second resistive device coupled in series between the voltage supply and the ground, wherein the feedback device is coupled to the first enhancement PMOS transistor to form a feedback circuit; and

a bias circuit coupled to a gate of the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor;

wherein the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor and the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor are configured to operate in saturation region;

wherein a first reference voltage across the first resistive device and a second reference voltage across the second resistive device are configured to be independent of the magnitude of the voltage supply and have temperature coefficients within a preset limit.

18. The circuit of claim 17, wherein:

the feedback device comprises a second depletion-mode PMOS transistor having a source coupled to the gate of the first enhancement PMOS transistor at a first node, the second depletion-mode PMOS transistor also having a gate coupled to a drain of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor at a second node, forming the feedback circuit;

the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor has shorted gate and source;

the first resistive device is coupled between the voltage supply and the first node; and

the second resistive device has one end coupled to the drain of the second depletion-mode PMOS transistor at a third node and has the other end coupled to the ground; and

wherein the voltage reference circuit is configured to provide the first reference voltage between the voltage supply and the first node, and the second reference voltage between the third node and the ground.

19. The circuit of claim 18, wherein:

the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor has a source coupled to the voltage supply;

the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor has a drain coupled to the drain of the first enhancement-mode PMOS transistor at the second node; and

the first depletion-mode PMOS transistor has a source and a gate coupled to a fourth node, the fourth node further coupled to a source of the first enhancement-mode NMOS transistor.

20. The circuit of claim 18, wherein the bias circuit includes a third depletion-mode PMOS transistor, a second enhancement-mode NMOS transistor, and a third enhancement-mode NMOS transistor coupled in series between the voltage supply and the ground, wherein:

the third depletion-mode PMOS transistor has shorted gate and source coupled to the voltage supply;

the second enhancement-mode NMOS transistor has a gate and a drain coupled the drain of the third depletion-mode PMOS transistor at a fifth node; and

the third enhancement-mode NMOS transistor has a drain and a gate coupled to a source of third enhancement-mode NMOS transistor and the ground GND at a sixth node.

21. The circuit of claim 18, wherein the first reference voltage is expressed by the following equation: