Latch controlled output driver

• US 5,396,108 A
• Filed: 09/30/1993
• Issued: 03/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: McClure, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abraham, Fetsum
• Application Number:
  US08/129,257
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 307/29, 307/219, 307/247.1, 307/279, 307/291, 307/412, 307/445, 307/573, 307/592
• US Class Current: 327/108
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/09429 one of the states being the high impedance or floating state

Abstract

A latch output driver including an output driver circuit having a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor connected in series, wherein the pull-up transistor has a drain connected to an upper power supply voltage and a source connected to a drain of the pull-down transistor and the pull-down transistor has a source connected to a lower power supply voltage. The latch controlled output driver also includes a first latch circuit having an output connected to the gate of the pull-up transistor and a second latch circuit having an output connected to the gate of the pull-down transistor. A control circuit is connected to the first and second latches, wherein the control circuit may selectively disable and enable the latch controlled output driver in response to a control signal. A driver output is connected between the pull-up and pull-down transistors, wherein the output driver is in an open state when the latch controlled output driver is disabled by the control circuit. A data circuit is connected to the first and second latch circuits, wherein the data circuit stores the state of the first and second latches present when the latch controlled output driver is enabled and restores the state of the first and second latches when the latch controlled output driver is enabled after being disabled.

Claims

1. A latch controlled output driver comprising:

an output driver circuit including a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor connected in series, wherein the pull-up transistor has a first source/drain connected to a first power supply voltage and a second source/drain connected to a first source/drain of the pull-down transistor and the pull-down transistor has a second source/drain connected to a second power supply voltage;

an output point located between the pull-up and pull-down transistors;

a first latch circuit having an input and an output, wherein the output of the first latch circuit is connected to a gate of the pull-up transistor;

a second latch circuit having an input and an output, wherein the output of the second latch circuit is connected to a gate of the pull-down transistor;

a control circuit connected to the first and second latches, wherein the control circuit may selectively set the first and second latches to first and second preselected states in response to a control signal applied to the control circuit, wherein the pull-up and pull-down transistors are turned off by the first and second latches in the first and second preselected states, wherein the output point is placed into an open state, disabling the latch controlled output driver.

2. The latch controlled output driver of claim 1, further comprising:

a data circuit connected to the first and second latch circuits, wherein the data circuit stores data and sends the data to the first and second latches when the latch controlled output driver is enabled after being disabled.

3. The latch controlled output driver of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises:

a first disable circuit connected to the first latch, wherein the first latch may be set to a first preselected state by the first disable circuit; and

a second disable circuit connected to the second latch, wherein the second latch may be set to a second preselected state by second disable circuit.

4. The latch controlled output driver of claim 3, wherein the first and second disable circuits each comprises three transistors connected in series;

a first transistor having a first source/drain connected to the first power supply voltage and a second source/drain connected to input of a latch, wherein the first transistor is turned on and off by a signal and wherein the latch controlled output driver is disabled when the first transistor is turned on and the latch controlled output driver is enabled when the first transistor is turned off;

a second transistor having a first source/drain connected to the input of a latch, wherein the second transistor is turned on and off a second signal; and

a third transistor having a first source/drain connected to a second source/drain of the second transistor and a second source/drain connected to the second power supply voltage, wherein the third transistor is controlled by a data signal.

5. The latch controlled output driver of claim 4, further comprising:

a data circuit connected to a gate of the third transistor in the first and second latches, wherein the data circuit stores data and sends the data to the first and second latches when the latch controller output driver is enabled after being disabled and the second transistor in each of the disable circuits is turned on.

6. The latch controlled output driver of claim 5, wherein the data circuit selectively turns on the third transistors in the disable circuits to restore the state of the first and second latches.

7. The latch controlled output driver of claim 6, wherein the second signal is a pulse that turns on the second transistor in the disable circuits for a selected period of time, wherein the state of the first and second latches are restored during the selected period of time

8. The latch controlled output driver of claim 7, wherein the selected period of time begins after the latch controlled output driver is enabled after being disabled.

9. The latch controlled output driver of claim 8, further comprising a first gate having an output connected to the input of the first latch and a second gate having an output connected to the input of the second latch, wherein the first and second gates send data to the first and second latches, wherein the pulse is generated only if first and second gates are turned off.

10. The latch controlled output driver of claim 6, further comprising:

a NOR gate having an output, a first input, and a second input, the output being connected to the gates of the second transistors in the first and second latches;

an inverter having an input and an output;

a NAND gate having an output, a first input, and a second input, the output being connected to the first input of the NOR gate and the first input being connected to an output of an inverter; and

a connection point connected to the second input of the NOR gate and the input of the inverter, wherein the output of the NOR gate generates a pulse in response to a logic one applied to the second input of the NAND gate and a logic zero applied to the connection point.

11. The latch controlled output driver of claim 4, wherein the first transistor is a p-channel field effect transistor, and the second and third transistors are n-channel field effect transistors.

12. The latch controlled output driver of claim 1, wherein the pull-up and pull-down transistors are n-channel field effect transistors.

13. The latch controlled output driver of claim 1, wherein the pull-up transistor is a p-channel field effect transistors and the pull-down transistor is an n-channel field effect transistor.

14. The latch controlled output driver of claim 1, wherein the first power supply voltage is an upper power supply voltage and the second power supply voltage is a lower power supply voltage.

15. A latch controlled output driver comprising:

an output driver circuit including a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor connected in series, wherein the pull-up transistor has a drain connected to a first power supply voltage and a source connected to a drain of the pull-down transistor and the pull-down transistor has a source connected to a second power supply voltage;

an output connection located between the pull-up and pull-down transistors;

a first latch circuit having an input and an output, wherein the output of the first latch circuit is connected to a gate of the pull-up transistor;

a second latch circuit having an input and an output, wherein the output of the second latch circuit is connected to a gate of the pull-down transistor;

a first gate having an output connected to the input of the first latch circuit;

a second gate having an output connected to the input of the second latch circuit;

first and second disable circuits, the first disable circuit being connected to the input of the first latch and the second disable circuit being connected to the input of the second latch, wherein the first and second latches may be set to preselected states such that the pull-up and pull-down transistors are turned off, wherein the latch controlled output driver is disabled; and

a data circuit connected to the first and second latches, wherein the data circuit stores data and sends the data to the first and second latches when the latch controlled output driver is enabled after being disabled.

16. The latch controlled output driver of claim 15, wherein the data circuit includes:

a first enable transistor having a first source/drain connected to the input of the first latch and a gate controlled by an enable signal, wherein the transistor is turned on by the enable signal;

a second enable transistor having a first source/drain connected to the input of the second latch and a gate controlled by an enable signal, wherein the transistor is turned on by the enable signal;

a first data transistor having a first source/drain connected to a second source/drain of the first enable transistor, a second source/drain connected to the second power supply voltage; and

a second data transistor having a first source/drain connected to a second source/drain of the second enable transistor, a second source/drain connected to the second power supply voltage.

17. The latch controlled output driver of claim 15, wherein the first and second gates are disabled when the latch controlled output driver is disabled.

18. The latch controlled output driver of claim 15, wherein the pull-up and pull-down transistors are n-channel field effect transistors.

19. The latch controlled output driver of claim 15, wherein the pull-up transistor is a p-channel field effect transistors and the pull-down transistor is an n-channel field effect transistor.

20. The latch controlled output driver of claim 15, wherein the first power supply voltage is an upper power supply voltage and the second power supply voltage is a lower power supply voltage.

21. The latch controlled output driver of claim 15, wherein the first and second gates are pass gates.

22. A latch controlled output driver comprising:

an output driver circuit including a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor, wherein the pull-up transistor has a drain connected to an upper power supply voltage and a source connected to a drain of the pull-down transistor and the pull-down transistor has a source connected to a lower power supply voltage;

an output connection located between the pull-up and pull-down transistors;

a first latch circuit having an input and an output, wherein the output of the first latch circuit is connected to a gate of the pull-up transistor;

a second latch circuit having an input and an output, wherein the output of the second latch circuit is connected to a gate of the pull-down transistor;

a first gate having an output connected to the input of the first latch circuit;

a second gate having an output connected to the input of the second latch circuit;

a first disable transistor having a first source/drain connected to the input of the first latch, a second source/drain connected to the upper power supply voltage, and a gate controlled by a disable signal, wherein said first transistor is turned on by the disable signal;

a second disable transistor having a first source/drain connected to the input of the second latch, a second source/drain connected to the upper power supply voltage, and a gate controlled by a disable signal, wherein said first transistor is turned on by the disable signal;

a first enable transistor having a first source/drain connected to the input of the first latch and a gate controlled by an enable signal, wherein the transistor is turned on by the enable signal;

a second enable transistor having a first source/drain connected to the input of the second latch and a gate controlled by an enable signal, wherein the transistor is turned on by the enable signal;

a first data transistor having a first source/drain connected to a second source/drain of the first enable transistor, a second source/drain connected to the lower power supply voltage;

a second data transistor having a first source/drain connected to a second source/drain of the second enable transistor, a second source/drain connected to the lower power supply voltage;

the latch controlled output driver being disabled when the first and second disabled transistors are turned on and the first and second enable transistors are turned off, wherein the pull-up and pull-down transistors are turned off placing the output connection in an open state disabling the latch controlled output driver; and

the latch controlled output driver being enabled when the first and second disabled transistors are turned off and the first and second enable transistors are turned on, wherein the first and second data transistors provide data to the first and second latches enabling the latch controlled output driver.

23. The latch controlled output driver of claim 22, further comprising a data circuit connected to the gates of the first data and second data transistors, wherein the data circuit stores a state of the first and second latches present when the latch controlled output driver is enabled and restores the state of the first and second latches when the latch controlled output driver is enabled after being disabled and the second transistor in the first and second latches is turned on.

24. The latch controlled output driver of claim 23, wherein the data circuit includes a first NAND gate and a second NAND gate, the first NAND gate having a first input connected to a true data line and a second input connected to an output of the second NAND gate, the second NAND gate having a first input connected to a complement data line and a second input connected to an output of the first NAND gate, wherein the output of the first NAND gate is connected to the gate of the first data transistor and the output of the second NAND gate is connected to the gate of the second data transistor.

25. The latch controlled output driver of claim 22, wherein the pull-up and pull-down transistors are n-channel field effect transistors.

26. The latch controlled output driver of claim 22, wherein the pull-up transistor is a p-channel field effect transistors and the pull-down transistor is an n-channel field effect transistor.