Direct-current power source circuit with back gate control circuit for power MOS-FET

• US 5,180,965 A
• Filed: 10/24/1991
• Issued: 01/19/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nose, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): BEHA JR, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US07/782,318
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 323/273, 323/274, 323/275, 323/276, 323/303, 323/279
• US Class Current: 323/275
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/569 for protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/18 responsive to reversal of direct current

Abstract

A direct current power source circuit has a voltage control power MOS-FET and a back gate control circuit. The voltage control power MOS-FET is connected between an input terminal and an output terminal of the circuit and the back gate control circuit is connected to a back gate of the voltage control power MOS-FET and controls a back gate voltage for causing a parasitic diode between a source and a drain of the power MOS-FET to become a non-conductive state when an input voltage applied to the input terminal becomes a low level. The output of the back gate control circuit is also connected to a voltage dividing circuit which sets an output voltage of the power source circuit. The arrangement enables to prevent a reverse flow of current from the output terminal to the input terminal.

Claims

1. A direct current power source circuit having an input terminal, an output terminal and a ground terminal, said circuit comprising:

a voltage control power MOS-FET as a series control device provided between said input terminal and said output terminal of the circuit, and

a back gate control circuit which is connected to a back gate of said power MOS-FET and which controls a back gate voltage for causing a parasitic diode between a source and a drain of said power MOS-FET to become a non-conductive state when an input voltage applied to said input terminal becomes a low level.

2. A direct current power source circuit according to claim 1, in which said voltage control power MOS-FET is of an N-channel type.

3. A direct current power source circuit according to claim 1, in which said back gate control circuit comprises:

a two-stage inverter circuit which is formed by a first stage inverter circuit and a second stage inverter circuit, said first stage inverter circuit having an input node connected to said input terminal and said second stage inverter circuit having an output node connected to the back gate of said power MOS-FET; and

a voltage dividing circuit for setting an output voltage, which is connected between the back gate of said power MOS-FET and said ground terminal.

4. A direct current power source circuit according to claim 3, in which each of said first and second stage inverter circuits comprise a complementary pair of a P-channel MOS-FET and an N-channel MOS-FET, with gates of said P-channel and N-channel MOS-FETs being connected with each other to form an input node, with drains of said P-channel and N-channel MOS-FETs being connected with each other to form an output node, with a source of said P-channel MOS-FET being connected to the source of said power MOS-FET, and a source of said N-channel MOS-FET being connected to said ground terminal, respectively.