Low voltage CMOS logic circuit with threshold voltage control
First Claim
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1. A MOSFET circuit comprising:
- a first MOSFET having a first threshold voltage; and
a second MOSFET having a second threshold voltage lower than or equal to said first threshold voltage, said second MOSFET having a gate electrode and a first main current electrode connected to a backgate electrode of said first MOSFET, and a second main current electrode connected to an external signal, wherein said second threshold voltage is lower than said first threshold.
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Abstract
A MOSFET circuit achieving high speed operation and low power consumption for a wide supply voltage range. MOSFET circuits are connected between a low threshold voltage CMOS circuit and a supply voltage and ground, as a power controller for switching power supply in response to sleep/active modes. High threshold voltage MOSFETs in the MOSFET circuits are gate biased by low threshold voltage MOSFETs, thereby preventing a current from flowing across the backgate terminal and the source terminal.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A MOSFET circuit comprising:
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a first MOSFET having a first threshold voltage; and a second MOSFET having a second threshold voltage lower than or equal to said first threshold voltage, said second MOSFET having a gate electrode and a first main current electrode connected to a backgate electrode of said first MOSFET, and a second main current electrode connected to an external signal, wherein said second threshold voltage is lower than said first threshold.
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2. A CMOS logic circuit including a series connection of a load transistor and a driver transistor, one of said driver transistor and said load transistor including a first MOSFET circuit, said first MOSFET circuit comprising:
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a first MOSFET having a first threshold voltage, and being connected to the other of said driver transistor and said load transistor; and a second MOSFET having a second threshold voltage lower than said first threshold voltage, and having a gate electrode and a first main current electrode connected to a backgate electrode of said first MOSFET, and a second main current electrode connected to a gate electrode of said first MOSFET. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A buffer circuit including a first CMOS inverter and a second CMOS inverter alternately connected in cascade,
wherein a load transistor of said first CMOS inverter comprises: -
a first MOSFET having a first threshold voltage, and being connected with a driver transistor of said first CMOS inverter in series; and a second MOSFET having a second threshold voltage lower than said first threshold voltage, and having a gate electrode and a first main current electrode connected to a backgate electrode of said first MOSFET, and a second main current electrode connected to a gate electrode of said first MOSFET, and wherein a driver transistor of said second CMOS inverter comprises; a third MOSFET having a third threshold voltage, and being connected with a load transistor of said second CMOS inverter in series; and a fourth MOSFET having a fourth threshold voltage lower than said third threshold voltage, and having a gate electrode and a first main current electrode connected to a backgate electrode of said third MOSFET, and a second main current electrode connected to a gate electrode of said third MOSFET.
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14. A CMOS logic circuit including a low threshold CMOS logic circuit and at least one switching circuit, said low threshold CMOS logic circuit including MOSFETs with a threshold voltage lower than a first threshold voltage, and said switching circuit being connected between a power supply terminal of said low threshold CMOS logic circuit and a power supply, wherein said switching circuit comprises:
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a first MOSFET having said first threshold voltage, and being connected between said power supply and said power supply terminal of said low threshold CMOS logic circuit; and a second MOSFET having a second threshold voltage lower than said first threshold voltage, and having a gate electrode and a first main current electrode connected to a backgate electrode of said first MOSFET, and a second main current electrode connected to a gate electrode of said first MOSFET. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A CMOS logic circuit comprising:
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an internal CMOS logic circuit including a set of M (M is an integer equal to or greater than one) driver transistors and a set of M load transistors, said internal CMOS logic circuit changing its operation mode in response to an external control signal; a first MOSFET connected to a first MOSFET circuit constituting one of said set of driver transistors and said set of load transistors, wherein said first MOSFET has a same channel type as said first MOSFET circuit, and comprises a gate electrode and a first main current electrode connected to a backgate electrode of said first MOSFET circuit, and a second main current electrode connected to said external control signal; and a second MOSFET connected to a second MOSFET circuit constituting the other of said set of driver transistors and said set of load transistors, wherein said second MOSFET has a same channel type as said second MOSFET circuit, and comprises a gate electrode and a first main current electrode connected to a backgate electrode of said second MOSFET circuit, and a second main current electrode connected to an inverted signal of said external control signal. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A CMOS logic circuit comprising:
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an internal CMOS logic circuit including a set of M (M is an integer equal to or greater than one) driver transistors and a set of M load transistors, said internal CMOS logic circuit changing its operation mode in response to an external control signal; and a first MOSFET connected to a first MOSFET circuit constituting one of said set of driver transistors and said set of load transistors, wherein said first MOSFET has a same channel type as said first MOSFET circuit, and comprises a gate electrode and a first main current electrode connected to a backgate electrode of said first MOSFET circuit, and a second main current electrode connected to said external control signal; wherein said internal CMOS logic circuit comprises a memory cell, and said control signal is a word line signal.
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Specification