Reference voltage generating circuit

• US 4,658,205 A
• Filed: 08/07/1985
• Issued: 04/14/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce, Patrick R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Application Number:
  US06/763,462
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 323/312, 323/313, 323/314, 323/907, 307/310
• US Class Current: 323/313
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/225 producing a current or voltage as a predetermined function of the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/30 Regulators using the difference between the base-emitter voltages of two bipolar transistors operating at different current densities G05F3/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/907 Temperature compensation of semiconductor

Abstract

A reference voltage generating circuit is constituted by a source of constant current, a power supply having high and low voltage terminals, an emitter follower circuit connected across the high and low voltage terminals, first and second resistors with their one ends respectively connected to the high voltage terminal and the output terminal of the source of constant current and the other ends connected to the input terminal of the emitter follower circuit, a third resistor with one end connected to the high voltage terminal, and a diode with its anode electrode connected to the other side of the third resistor and its cathode electrode connected to the output terminal of the source of constant current.

Claims

1. A reference voltage generating circuit comprising:

a current source;

a potential terminal;

a first series connection circuit including a first resistor having one terminal connected to said current source, a second resistor having one terminal connected to another terminal of said first resistor, and a first transistor having a collector electrode connected to another terminal of said second resistor, an emitter electrode connected to said potential terminal via a resistor, and a base electrode connected to said potential terminal via a bias voltage source;

a third resistor having one terminal connected to said current source;

a diode having one terminal connected to another terminal of said third resistor, said diode having another terminal connected to the other terminal of said second resistor;

a second series connection circuit including a second transistor having a collector electrode connected to said current source, an emitter electrode connected to said potential terminal via a resistor, and a base electrode connected to a junction between said first and second resistors, an output voltage V_R of said reference voltage generator being obtained between the collector and emitter electrodes of said second transistor;

said output voltage V_R and a temperature characteristic dV_R /DT of the voltage V_R being represented by the following equations;

##EQU8## where R₁, R₂, R₃, and R_E are resistances of first, second, third resistors and of the resistor connected to the emitter electrode of said first transistor, R=R₁ +R₂ +R₃, V_CS is an output voltage of said bias voltage source, and V_F is a forward voltage of the diode.

2. A reference voltage generating circuit comprising:

a current source terminal;

a potential terminal;

a bias voltage source terminal;

two output voltage terminals;

tow component circuits, having a similar construction, each of said coponent circuits being connected in common with said current source terminal, said potential terminal and said bias voltage source terminal, one of said two component circuits comprising a first series connection circuit including a first resistor having one terminal connected to said potential terminal, a second resistor having one terminal connected to another terminal of said first resistor, and a first transistor having a collector electrode connected to another terminal of said second resistor, an emitter electrode connected to said current source via a resistor and a base electrode connected to said bias voltage source terminal;

a third resistor having one terminal connected to said potential terminal;

a diode having one terminal connected to another terminal of said third resistor and another terminal connected to the collector electrode of said first transistor; and

a second series connection cicuit including a second transistor having a collector electrode connected to said potential terminal, an emitter electrode connected to one of said two output voltage terminals, and a base electrode connected to the junction of said first and second resistors, and a third transistor having a collector electrode connected to said one output voltage terminal, an emitter electrode connected to said current source via a resistor, and a base electrode connected to said bias voltage source terminal;

the other of said two component circuits including a construction which is similar to the construction of said one component circuit, the resistance values of said first, second and third resistors of the other component circuit being different from the resistance values of the one component circuit;

the two output voltage terminals having voltage output temperature characteristics which are different from each other.

3. The reference voltage generating circuit according to claim 2 wherein said bias voltage source comprises a third series connection circuit including a fourth resistor having one terminal connected to said potential terminal, a fifth resistor having one terminal connected to another terminal of said fourth resistor, and a fourth transistor having a collector electrode connected to another terminal of said fifth resistor, an emitter connected to said current source terminal;

a fourth series connection circuit including a fifth transistor having a collector electrode connected to said potential terminal, an emitter electrode connected to said bias voltage source terminal, and a base electrode connected to the junction between said fourth and fifth resistors, a sixth resistor having one terminal connnected to the emitter electrode of said fifth transistor and another terminal connected to a base electrode of said fourth transistor, and a sixth transistor having a collector connected to the other terminal of said sixth resistor, an emitter electrode connected to said current source via a resistor, a seventh resistor having one terminal connected to the emitter of said fifth transistor and another terminal connected to a base electrode of said sixth transistor via a resistor, and a diode having one terminal connected to the other end of said seventh resistor and another terminal connected to said current source terminal.

4. A reference voltage generating circuit according to claim 2 wherein a reference voltage output from one of said two output voltage terminals is selected in response to a temperature coefficient of an input voltage which is to be compared with the reference voltage output from said reference voltage generating circuit, said input voltage being compared with said selected output voltage.