Circuit for temperature and beta compensation

• US 7,202,696 B1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Taheri, Babak
• Primary Examiner(s): CHO, JAMES HYONCHOL
• Application Number:
  US10/934,290
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 326/115, 326/126, 326/127, 326/32
• US Class Current: 326/32
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/00376 in bipolar transistor circuits

Abstract

A compensation circuit is disclosed. The compensation circuit includes a driver stage having an output, a differential output device including a base coupled to the output of the driver stage, and a feedback block coupled to a first emitter of the differential output device. The differential output device includes a second emitter to provide a differential output, and the feedback block generates a feedback signal to adjust the differential output. The first emitter comprises a replicating transistor, and is proximate to the second emitter of the differential output device. By keeping the replicating emitter near the differential output device, the variances of temperature and process over the semiconductor die do not affect the performance of the compensation circuit. The compensation circuit may also compensate for variations in common-emitter current gain.

Claims

1. A compensation circuit, comprising:

a differential output device including a first emitter to provide a differential output;

a sensing device disposed locally to the differential output device, the sensing device including a second emitter; and

a feedback circuit coupled to the second emitter of the sensing device, the feedback circuit to generate a feedback signal to adjust the differential output and to apply the feedback signal to a node of a driver stage.

2. The compensation circuit of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is immediately adjacent to the differential output device.

3. The compensation circuit of claim 1, wherein the sensing device occupies a same process well as the differential output device to match a first current density of the sensing device and a second current density of the differential output device.

4. The compensation circuit of claim 1, further comprising a driver stage including an output coupled to a base of the differential output device.

5. The compensation circuit of claim 4,

wherein the feedback circuit includes a first resistor having a first resistance coupled to a second base of the sensing device and a second resistor having a second resistance coupled to the second emitter of the sensing device;

and

wherein a common-emitter current gain is determined using the first resistance, the second resistance, a collector voltage of the differential output device, and a high voltage of the circuit.

6. The compensation circuit of claim 4, wherein the driver stage is a differential driver stage.

7. The compensation circuit of claim 6, wherein the driver stage comprises:

a first driver stage including the output coupled to the base of the differential output device; and

a second driver stage including a second output coupled to a second base of the differential output device.

8. The compensation circuit of claim 7, wherein the first emitter and the second emitter comprise a dual-emitter transistor.

9. The compensation circuit of claim 7, wherein the differential output device comprises a first transistor including the base and the first emitter and a second transistor including a third base and the sensing device comprises the second emitter in close proximity to the first transistor that provides feedback compensation to generate the feedback signal.

10. The compensation circuit of claim 9, wherein the base and the third base are both coupled to the output of the first driver stage.

11. The compensation circuit of claim 9, wherein the third base of the second transistor is coupled to a third resistor having a third resistance, and a collector of the second transistor is coupled to a fourth resistor having a fourth resistance.

12. The compensation circuit of claim 11, wherein the common emitter current gain is determined using the third resistance, the fourth resistance, the collector voltage of the differential output device, and the high voltage of the circuit.

13. The compensation circuit of claim 4, wherein the feedback signal comprises a compensating current applied to the driver stage.

14. The compensation circuit of claim 13, wherein the feedback signal is applied to an input of the driver stage.

15. The compensation circuit of claim 13, wherein the feedback signal is applied to the output of the driver stage.

16. The compensation circuit of claim 13, wherein the feedback signal is applied to a current source coupled to the driver stage.

17. The compensation circuit of claim 1, wherein the feedback signal adjusts the differential output to compensate for temperature changes.

18. The compensation circuit of claim 1, wherein the second emitter replicates the differential output of the first emitter.

19. The compensation circuit of claim 1, wherein a first orientation of the first emitter is different from a second orientation of the second emitter.

20. The compensation circuit of claim 1, including a low capacitance node to allow increased operating frequency.

21. A bandgap circuit comprising the compensation circuit of claim 1.

22. An input/output (I/O) circuit comprising the compensation circuit of claim 1.

23. A method for compensation of a circuit comprising:

sensing variations in at least one of temperature or common-emitter current gain in the circuit using a sensing device disposed locally to a differential output device; and

applying a feedback signal to a node of a driver stage to compensate for the variations, wherein the feedback signal is generated by a feedback circuit coupled to the sensing device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein sensing the variations comprises:

generating a differential output using the differential output device at a first emitter;

replicating the differential output at a second emitter in the sensing device;

converting the replicated differential output at the second emitter into the feedback signal in the feedback circuit; and

applying the feedback signal to a driver stage that drives the differential output device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising applying the feedback signal at an output of the driver stage.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising applying the feedback signal at a current source coupled to the driver stage.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising applying the feedback signal at an input of the driver stage.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein converting the replicated differential output at the second emitter into the feedback signal in the feedback circuit comprises:

determining the common emitter current gain for the differential output device, wherein the feedback signal comprises a compensating current.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining the common emitter current gain comprises:

determining a first resistance of a first resistor in the feedback circuit coupled to the second emitter and a second resistance of a second resistor coupled to a base coupled to the second emitter;

determining the common emitter current gain using the first resistance, the second resistance, a collector voltage of the differential output device, and a high voltage of the circuit.

30. A compensation circuit, comprising:

means for compensating for at least one of temperature or common emitter current gain in a circuit using a sensing device disposed locally to a differential output device, wherein the means for compensating for at least one of temperature or common emitter current gain is incorporated into the differential output device; and

a driver stage including an output coupled to the differential output device;

wherein the means for compensating comprises;

means for detecting a variation of an output signal generated by the differential output device; and

means for correcting the output signal generated by the differential output device.

31. The compensation circuit of claim 30, wherein the means for correcting comprises:

means for applying a compensating current to the driver stage.

32. The compensation circuit of claim 30, wherein the means for correcting comprises:

means for applying a compensating voltage to the driver stage.

33. The compensation circuit of claim 30, wherein the sensing device is immediately adjacent to the differential output device.