High voltage pulse generating semiconductor circuit with improved driving arrangement
First Claim
1. A semiconductor electronic circuit comprising:
- first and second impedance means;
current source means coupled between said first and second impedance means so that said current source means and said first and second impedance means constitute a series circuit, said series circuit being coupled between a first voltage source terminal having a first voltage level applied thereto and a second voltage source terminal having a second voltage level applied thereto;
drive means having an input terminal and coupledto drive said current source means, said drive meansincluding transistor circuit means possessing output current-output voltage characteristics for the drive means such that an output current of said drive means is substantially zero for a zero output voltage or for output voltage within a prdetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, and is not zero for output voltages other than zero voltage or voltages not in the predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, wherein the output of said semiconductor electronic circuit is derived from one end of said current source means; and
means for applying a clamp voltage to said transistor circuit means, said clamp voltage being at a voltage level between the first and second voltage levels applied to said first and second voltage source terminals, an input signal to the semiconductor electronic circuit being applied across said input terminal of said drive means and said clamp voltage applying means so that the input signal is superposed on said clamp voltage and so that the voltage of the output of said drive means applied to said current source is clamped tosaid clamp voltage depending upon said characteristics of said drive means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A semiconductor electronic circuit, which can generate high voltage pulses, includes a current source coupled to form a series circuit with a pair of impedances between first and second voltage source terminals. A driving source is connected with a control terminal of the current source. Output voltage-current characteristics of the driving source are such that its output current is almost 0, when the output voltage is in the proximity of 0 V and that it is not 0 for other voltages. Thus, the voltage at the control terminal of the current source is clamped at a predetermined voltage level determined by the circuit structure of the driving source, when the voltage at the output terminal is lower than the predetermined voltage.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A semiconductor electronic circuit comprising:
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first and second impedance means; current source means coupled between said first and second impedance means so that said current source means and said first and second impedance means constitute a series circuit, said series circuit being coupled between a first voltage source terminal having a first voltage level applied thereto and a second voltage source terminal having a second voltage level applied thereto; drive means having an input terminal and coupled to drive said current source means, said drive means including transistor circuit means possessing output current-output voltage characteristics for the drive means such that an output current of said drive means is substantially zero for a zero output voltage or for output voltage within a prdetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, and is not zero for output voltages other than zero voltage or voltages not in the predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, wherein the output of said semiconductor electronic circuit is derived from one end of said current source means; and means for applying a clamp voltage to said transistor circuit means, said clamp voltage being at a voltage level between the first and second voltage levels applied to said first and second voltage source terminals, an input signal to the semiconductor electronic circuit being applied across said input terminal of said drive means and said clamp voltage applying means so that the input signal is superposed on said clamp voltage and so that the voltage of the output of said drive means applied to said current source is clamped to said clamp voltage depending upon said characteristics of said drive means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A semiconductor electronic circuit comprising:
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first and second impedance means; current source means coupled between said first and second impedance means so that said current source means and said first and second impedance means constitute a series circuit, said series circuit being coupled between first and second voltage source terminals; and drive means coupled to receive an input signal and to provide an output to drive said current source means, said drive means including transistor circuit means possessing output current-output voltage characteristics for the drive means such that an output current of said drive means is substantially zero for a zero output voltage or for output voltages within a predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, and is not zero for output voltages other than zero voltage or voltages not in the predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, wherein the output of said semiconductor electronic circuit is derived from one end of said current source means, wherein the voltage of the output of said drive means applied to said current source is clamped to a predetermined voltage depending upon said characteristics of said drive means, and further wherein said current source is composed of bipolar transistors coupled in said series circuit and said transistor circuit means includes field effect transistors coupled to said bipolar transistors.
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22. A semiconductor electronic circuit comprising:
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first and second impedance means; current source means coupled between said first and second impedance means so that said current source means and said first and second impedance means constitute a series circuit, said series circuit being coupled between first and second voltage source terminals; and drive means coupled to receive an input signal and to provide an output to drive said current source means, said drive means including transistor circuit means possessing output current-output voltage characteristics for the drive means such that an output current of said drive means is substantially zero for a zero output voltage or for output voltages within a predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, and is not zero for output voltages other than zero voltage or voltages not in the predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, wherein the output of said semiconductor electronic circuit is derived from one end of said current source means, wherein the voltage of the output of said drive means applied to said current source is clamped to a predetermined voltage depending upon said characteristics of said drive means, and further wherein a plurality of input terminals are provided to receive input pulses for said drive means and wherein pulses at different input terminals have different delay times.
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23. A semiconductor electronic circuit comprising:
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first and second impedance means; current source means coupled between said first and second impedance means so that said current source means and said first and second impedance means constitute a series circuit, said series circuit being coupled between first and second voltage source terminals; and drive means coupled to receive an input signal and to provide an output to drive said current source means, said drive means including transistor circuit means possessing output current-output voltage characteristics for the drive means such that an output current of said drive means is substantially zero for a zero output voltage or for output voltages within a predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, and is not zero for output voltages other than zero voltage or voltages not in the predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, wherein the output of said semiconductor electronic circuit is derived from one end of said current source means, wherein the voltage of the output of said drive means applied to said current source is clamped to a predetermined voltage depending upon said characteristics of said drive means, and further wherein said impedance means are active elements. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A semiconductor electronic circuit comprising:
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first and second impedance means; current source means coupled between said first and second impedance means so that said current source means and said first and second impedance means constitute a series circuit, said series circuit being coupled between first and second voltage source terminals; and drive means coupled to receive an input signal and to provide an output to drive said current source means, said drive means including transistor circuit means possessing output current-output voltage characteristics for the drive means such that an output current of said drive means is substantially zero for a zero output voltage or for output voltages within a predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, and is not zero for output voltages other than zero voltage or voltages not in the predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, wherein the output of said semiconductor electronic circuit is derived from one end of said current source means, wherein the voltage of the output of said drive means applied to said current source is clamped to a predetermined voltage depending upon said characteristics of said drive means, and further wherein said current source includes at least one bipolar transistor coupled to have a collector-emitter path in said series circuit to be in series with said first and second impedance means, and wherein said transistor circuit means includes at least one FET having a source-drain path coupled to the base of said bipolar transistor of the current source and having a gate coupled to receive said input signal. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A semiconductor electronic circuit comprising:
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first and second impedance means; current source means coupled between said first and second impedance means so that said current source means and said first and second impedance means constitute a series circuit, said series circuit being coupled between first and second voltage source terminals; and drive means coupled to receive an input signal and to provide an output to drive said current source means, said drive means including transistor circuit means possessing output current-output voltage characteristics for the drive means such that an output current of said drive means is substantially zero for a zero output voltage or for output voltages within a predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, and is not zero for output voltages other than zero voltage or voltages not in the predetermined vicinity of a zero output voltage, wherein the output of said semiconductor electronic circuit is derived from one end of said current source means, wherein the voltage of the output of said drive means applied to said current source is clamped to a predetermined voltage depending upon said characteristics of said drive means, and further wherein the output current-output voltage characteristics of the drive means is such that the output current is substantially zero for both positive and negative output voltages within said predetermined vicinity of zero output voltage, and wherein the output current is not zero for both positive and negative output voltage outside said predetermined vicinity of zero output voltage.
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Specification