High speed and high voltage driver

• US 9,793,892 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2016
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: pSemi Corporation (Murata Manufacturing Co Limited)
• Original Assignee: Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation (Murata Manufacturing Co Limited)
• Inventors: Wu, Gary Chunshien
• Primary Examiner(s): Cole, Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US15/066,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20170264288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 327108-112, 327379, 327389, 327391, 326 22- 27, 326 81- 87
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/088 for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/04106 in field-effect transistor switches H03K17/0412, H03K17/0416 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/102 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/6872 using complementary field-effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/01 Modifications for accelerating switching
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/017509 Interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0081 Power supply means, e.g. to the switch driver

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus for biasing a high speed and high voltage driver using only low voltage transistors are described. The apparatus and method are adapted to control biasing voltages to the low voltage transistors such as not to exceed operating voltages of the low voltage transistors while allowing for DC to high speed operation of the driver at high voltage. A stackable and modular architecture of the driver and biasing stages is provided which can grow with a higher voltage requirement of the driver. Capacitive voltage division is used for high speed bias voltage regulation during transient phases of the driver, and resistive voltage division is used to provide bias voltage at steady state. A simpler open-drain configuration is also presented which can be used in pull-up or pull-down modes.

Claims

1. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a first stack of transistors of a first type coupled between a high voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a second stack of transistors of a second type opposite the first type coupled between the output node and a reference voltage;

a first biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the first stack, the first biasing circuit comprising a first biasing stack of transistors of the second type; and

a second biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the second stack, the second biasing circuit comprising a second biasing stack of transistors of the first type,

wherein;

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the first stack, the second stack, the first biasing stack and the second biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of each of the first stack, the first biasing stack, the second stack and the second biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

a gate node of the first transistor of the first stack is configured to receive a level shifted version of the input signal,

a gate node of the first transistor of the second stack is configured to receive the input signal,

a source node of the first transistor of the first stack is coupled to the high voltage;

a source node of the first transistor of the second stack is coupled to the reference voltage;

a drain node of the last transistor of the first stack and a drain node of the last transistor of the second stack are coupled to the output node;

gate nodes of a first to a last transistor of the first stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of a first to a last transistor of the first biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the first stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the first biasing stack,

gate nodes of a first to a last transistor of the second stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of a first to a last transistor of the second biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the second stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the second biasing stack,

the first biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected resistors configured as a first resistive voltage divider between the high voltage coupled to the source node of the first transistor of the first stack and the output node coupled to the drain node of the last transistor of the first stack, where resistive nodes of the first resistive voltage divider connecting two consecutive resistors of the plurality of series connected resistors are coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the first stack in a one to one relationship, and

the second biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected resistors configured as a second resistive voltage divider between the reference voltage coupled to the source node of the first transistor of the second stack and the output node coupled to the drain node of the last transistor of the second stack, where resistive nodes of the second resistive voltage divider connecting two consecutive resistors of the plurality of series connected resistors are coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the second stack in a one to one relationship.

2. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein the HSHV driver operates in:

an ON mode, wherein a voltage at the output node of the HSHV driver is substantially equal to the high voltage, and

an OFF mode, wherein the voltage at the output node of the HSHV driver is substantially equal to the reference voltage,

wherein operation in one of the ON mode and the OFF mode is based on a voltage level of the input signal to the HSHV driver.

3. The HSHV driver of claim 2, wherein in the ON mode, all transistors of the first stack and the first biasing stack are ON and all transistors of the second stack and second biasing stack are OFF, and in the OFF mode, all transistors of the first stack and the first biasing stack are OFF and all transistors of the second stack and second biasing stack are ON.

4. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein the first stack or second stack comprise a number of stacked transistors equal to or higher than three.

5. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein the first type is P-type and the second type is N-type.

6. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein:

the input signal is configured to switch between the reference voltage and a voltage higher than the reference voltage, and

the level shifted version of the input signal is equal to the sum of the input signal and a DC voltage substantially equal to the high voltage minus the voltage higher than the reference voltage.

7. The HSHV driver of claim 6, wherein the voltage higher than the reference voltage is not greater than each of the desired operating voltages.

8. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein the biasing voltages to the first and the second stacks are provided by coupling of the first biasing circuit and the second biasing circuit to the gate nodes and common source-drain nodes of the first stack and the second stack, respectively.

9. The HSHV driver of claim 8, wherein a transition of the first stack between an ON mode and an OFF mode comprises a sequential turning ON of the first transistor to the last transistor of the second stack responsive to the biasing voltages to the second stack, in synchrony with a sequential turning OFF of the first transistor to the last transistor of the first stack responsive to the biasing voltages to the first stack.

10. The HSHV driver of claim 8, wherein a transition of the first stack between an OFF mode and an ON mode comprises a sequential turning ON of the first transistor to the last transistor of the first stack responsive to the biasing voltages to the first stack, in synchrony with a sequential turning OFF of the first transistor to the last transistor of the second stack responsive to the biasing voltages to the second stack.

11. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein the coupling from the resistive nodes of the resistive voltage dividers to the common source-drain nodes is one or more of a) a direct coupling, b) a resistive coupling, and c) a transistor coupling.

12. The HSHV driver of claim 1, comprising:

coupling from the resistor nodes to the gate nodes of the first and second transistor stacks.

13. The HSHV driver of claim 12, wherein the coupling comprises a transistor arranged as a source-follower circuit.

14. The HSHV driver of claim 12, wherein:

the first biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of capacitors coupled between the resistive node of the first resistive voltage divider and the high voltage, and

the second biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of capacitors coupled between the resistive node of the second resistive voltage divider and the reference voltage.

15. The HSHV driver of claim 14, wherein:

each of the plurality of capacitors of the first biasing circuit is connected between a resistive node of the first resistive voltage divider and the high voltage, and

each of the plurality of capacitors of the second biasing circuit is connected between a resistive node of the second resistive voltage divider and the reference voltage.

16. The HSHV driver of claim 15, further comprising:

a fourth biasing circuit coupling the source node of each of the transistors of the first stack to the gate node of the next transistor in the first stack, and

a fifth biasing circuit coupling the source node of each of the transistors of the second stack to the gate node of the next transistor in the second stack.

17. The HSHV driver of claim 16, wherein the fourth and fifth biasing circuits comprise capacitive coupling.

18. The HSHV driver of claim 13 or claim 14, further comprising:

a third biasing circuit that couples the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the first stack to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the second stack, wherein the third biasing circuit comprises capacitive coupling.

19. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein:

the first biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected capacitors configured as a first capacitive voltage divider between the high voltage coupled to the source node of the first transistor of the first stack and the output node coupled to the last transistor of the first stack, where capacitive nodes of the first capacitive voltage divider connecting two consecutive capacitors of the plurality of series connected capacitors are coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the first stack in a one to one relationship, and

the second biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected capacitors configured as a second capacitive voltage divider between the reference voltage coupled to the source node of the first transistor of the second stack and the output node coupled to the last transistor of the second stack, where capacitive nodes of the second capacitive voltage divider connecting two consecutive capacitors of the plurality of series connected capacitors are coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the second stack in a one to one relationship.

20. The HSHV driver of claim 19, wherein:

the plurality of series connected capacitors from the first biasing circuit are resistively coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the first stack, and

the plurality of series connected capacitors from the second biasing circuit are resistively coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the second stack.

21. The HSHV driver of claim 20, further comprising:

coupling between the plurality of series connected capacitors from the first biasing circuit and the gate nodes of the transistors of the first stack, and

coupling between the plurality of series connected capacitors from the second biasing circuit and the gate nodes of the transistors of the second stack.

22. The HSHV driver of claim 21, wherein:

the coupling between the plurality of series connected capacitors from the first biasing circuit and the gate nodes of the transistors of the first stack is through a transistor, and

the coupling between the plurality of series connected capacitors from the second biasing circuit and the gate nodes of the transistors of the second stack is through a transistor.

23. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein the first biasing circuit and the second biasing circuit are configured to provide the biasing voltages of the HSHV driver at an output switching frequency of 0 Hz to 20 MHz.

24. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein the first biasing circuit and the second biasing circuit are configured to provide the biasing voltages of the HSHV driver at an output switching frequency of 0 Hz to 100 MHz.

25. The HSHV driver of claim 1, wherein the first biasing circuit and the second biasing circuit are configured to provide the biasing voltages of the HSHV driver at an output switching frequency above 100 MHz.

26. The HSHV driver of any one of claims 23-25, wherein biasing of the transistors of the first and the second stack does not exceed the desired operating voltages across any two terminals of the transistors.

27. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a first stack of transistors of a first type coupled between a high voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a second stack of transistors of a second type opposite the first type coupled between the output node and a reference voltage;

a first biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the first stack, the first biasing circuit comprising a first biasing stack of transistors of the second type; and

a second biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the second stack, the second biasing circuit comprising a second biasing stack of transistors of the first type,

wherein;

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the first stack, the second stack, the first biasing stack and the second biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of each of the first stack, the first biasing stack, the second stack and the second biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

a gate node of the first transistor of the first stack is configured to receive a level shifted version of the input signal,

a gate node of the first transistor of the second stack is configured to receive the input signal,

a source node of the first transistor of the first stack is coupled to the high voltage;

a source node of the first transistor of the second stack is coupled to the reference voltage;

a drain node of the last transistor of the first stack and a drain node of the last transistor of the second stack are coupled to the output node;

gate nodes of a first to a last transistor of the first stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of a first to a last transistor of the first biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the first stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the first biasing stack,

gate nodes of a first to a last transistor of the second stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of a first to a last transistor of the second biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the second stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the second biasing stack,

the first biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected resistors configured as a first resistive voltage divider between the high voltage coupled to the source node of the first transistor of the first stack and the output node coupled to the drain node of the last transistor of the first stack, where resistive nodes of the first resistive voltage divider connecting two consecutive resistors of the plurality of series connected resistors are coupled to the gate nodes of the transistors of the first stack, and

the second biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected resistors configured as a second resistive voltage divider between the reference voltage coupled to the source node of the first transistor of the second stack and the output node coupled to the drain node of the last transistor of the second stack, where resistive nodes of the second resistive voltage divider connecting two consecutive resistors of the plurality of series connected resistors are coupled to the gate nodes of the transistors of the second stack.

28. The HSHV driver of claim 27, wherein the coupling from the resistor nodes to the gate nodes of the transistors in the first and second stacks is through a source-follower circuit.

29. The HSHV driver of claim 28, further comprising a current limiting circuit, wherein the current limiting circuit is coupled from the first biasing circuit to the second biasing circuit.

30. The HSHV driver of claim 29, wherein the current limiting circuit is a resistor.

31. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a first type coupled between a reference voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a second type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors adapted to be coupled to a high voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage, and

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the reference voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

the biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected resistors configured as a resistive voltage divider between the source node of the first transistor of the stack and the drain node of the last transistor of the stack, and

resistive nodes of the resistive voltage divider connecting two consecutive resistors of the plurality of series connected resistors are coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the stack in a one to one relationship.

32. The HSHV driver of claim 31, wherein the HSHV driver operates in:

an ON mode, wherein a voltage at the output node is substantially equal to the reference voltage, and

an OFF mode, wherein the voltage at the output node is substantially equal to the high voltage,

wherein operation in one of the ON mode and the OFF mode is based on a voltage level of the input signal to the HSHV driver.

35. The HSHV driver of claim 32 or claim 34, wherein in the ON mode, all transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are ON, and in the OFF mode, all transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are OFF.

36. The HSHV driver of claim 31 or claim 33, wherein the stack comprises a number of stacked transistors equal to or higher than three.

37. The HSHV driver of claim 31 or claim 33, wherein the first type is N-type and the second type is P-type.

38. The HSHV driver of claim 31 or claim 33, wherein the input signal is configured to switch between the reference voltage and a voltage higher than the reference voltage and lower than each of the desired operating voltages.

39. The HSHV driver of claim 31 or claim 33, wherein the biasing voltages to the stack are provided by coupling of the biasing circuit to the gate nodes and common source-drain nodes of the stack.

40. The HSHV driver of claim 31 or claim 33, wherein the coupling from the resistive nodes of the resistive voltage dividers to the common source-drain nodes is one or more of a) a direct coupling, b) a resistive coupling, and c) a transistor coupling.

41. The HSHV driver of claim 31 or claim 33, further comprising:

coupling from the resistor nodes to the gate nodes of the transistor stack.

42. The HSHV driver of claim 41, wherein the coupling comprises a transistor arranged as a source-follower circuit.

43. The HSHV driver of claim 41, wherein the biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of capacitors coupled between the resistive node of the resistive voltage divider and the source node of the first transistor of the stack.

44. The HSHV driver of claim 43, wherein each of the plurality of capacitors is connected between a resistive node of the resistive voltage divider and the source node of the first transistor of the stack.

45. The HSHV driver of claim 44, further comprising coupling between the plurality of series connected capacitors from the first biasing circuit and the gate nodes of the transistors of the stack.

46. The HSHV driver of claim 45, wherein the coupling between the plurality of series connected capacitors from the biasing circuit and the gate nodes of the transistors of the stack is through a transistor.

47. The HSHV driver of claim 31 or claim 33,

wherein the biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected capacitors configured as a capacitive voltage divider between the source node of the first transistor of the stack and the output node coupled to the drain of the last transistor of the stack,

wherein capacitive nodes of the capacitive voltage divider connecting two consecutive capacitors of the plurality of series connected capacitors are coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the stack in a one to one relationship, and

wherein the plurality of series connected capacitors from the biasing circuit are resistively coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the stack.

33. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a second type coupled between a high voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a first type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors, adapted to be coupled to a reference voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage, and

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal, the input signal being a level shifted signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the high voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack

the biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected resistors configured as a resistive voltage divider between the source node of the first transistor of the stack and the drain node of the last transistor of the stack, and

resistive nodes of the resistive voltage divider connecting two consecutive resistors of the plurality of series connected resistors are coupled to the common source-drain nodes of the transistors of the stack in a one to one relationship.

34. The HSHV driver of claim 33, wherein the HSHV driver operates in:

an ON mode, wherein a voltage at the output node is substantially equal to the high voltage, and

an OFF mode, wherein the voltage at the output node is substantially equal to the reference voltage,

wherein operation in one of the ON mode and the OFF mode is based on a voltage level of the input signal to the HSHV driver.

48. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a first type coupled between a reference voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a second type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors adapted to be coupled to a high voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the reference voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

the biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected resistors configured as a resistive voltage divider between the source node of the first transistor of the stack and the drain node of the last transistor of the stack, and

resistive nodes of the resistive voltage divider connecting two consecutive resistors of the plurality of series connected resistors are coupled to the gate nodes of the transistors of the stack.

49. The HSHV driver of claim 48, wherein the coupling from the resistor nodes to the gate nodes of the transistors in the stack is through a source-follower circuit.

50. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a first type coupled between a reference voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a second type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors adapted to be coupled to a high voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the reference voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack, and

the biasing circuit is configured to provide the biasing voltages of the HSHV driver at an output switching frequency of 0 Hz to 20 MHz.

51. The HSHV driver of claim 50, wherein biasing of the transistors of the stack does not exceed the desired operating voltages across any two terminals of the transistors.

52. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a first type coupled between a reference voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a second type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors adapted to be coupled to a high voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the reference voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack, and

the biasing circuit is configured to provide the biasing voltages of the HSHV driver at an output switching frequency of 0 Hz to 100 MHz.

53. The HSHV driver of claim 52, wherein biasing of the transistors of the stack does not exceed the desired operating voltages across any two terminals of the transistors.

54. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a first type coupled between a reference voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a second type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors adapted to be coupled to a high voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the reference voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack, and

the biasing circuit is configured to provide the biasing voltages of the HSHV driver at an output switching frequency above 100 MHz.

55. The HSHV driver of claim 54, wherein biasing of the transistors of the stack does not exceed the desired operating voltages across any two terminals of the transistors.

56. A method for biasing a high speed high voltage HSHV driver, the method comprising:

providing a first stack of transistors of a first type coupled between a high voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

providing a second stack of transistors of a second type opposite the first type coupled between the output node and a reference voltage;

providing biasing voltages to the first stack by way of a first biasing circuit coupled to the first stack, the first biasing circuit comprising a first biasing stack of transistors of the second type; and

providing biasing voltages to the second stack by way of a second biasing circuit coupled to the second stack, the second biasing circuit comprising a second biasing stack of transistors of the first type,

wherein;

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the first stack, the second stack, the first biasing stack and the second biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

responsive to a change of state of the input signal, a transition phase of the first stack between an ON mode and an OFF mode comprises a sequential turning ON of a first transistor to a last transistor of the second stack responsive to the biasing voltages to the second stack, in synchrony with a sequential turning OFF of a first transistor to a last transistor of the first stack responsive to the biasing voltages to the first stack,

the sequential turning ON of the first transistor to the last transistor of the second stack is in synchrony with a sequential turning ON of a first transistor to a last transistor of the second biasing stack,

the sequential turning OFF of the first transistor to the last transistor of the first stack is in synchrony with a sequential turning OFF of a first transistor to a last transistor of the first biasing stack, and

the providing of the biasing voltages to the first and the second stack comprises;

responsive to a change of state of the input signal, controlling the biasing voltages by way of capacitive coupling during the transition phase of the first stack, and controlling the biasing voltages by way of resistive coupling after the transition phase.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the capacitive coupling comprises strapping capacitors to strap low impedance and high impedance node pairs of the first and the second stacks which have a same voltage swing during the transition phase.

58. The method of claim 56, wherein the capacitive coupling comprises capacitors coupled between gate and source nodes of adjacent transistors of the first and the second stacks.

59. The method of claim 56, wherein the capacitive coupling comprises capacitors coupled between the high voltage and nodes of the first stack, and capacitors coupled between the reference voltage and nodes of the second stack.

60. The method of claim 56, wherein the resistive coupling comprises a first resistive voltage divider coupled between the high voltage and nodes of the first stack, and a second resistive voltage divider coupled between the reference voltage and nodes of the second stack.

61. The method of claim 56, wherein the first stack or second stack comprise a number of stacked transistors equal to or higher than three.

62. A method for biasing a stack of transistors of a first type for operation at a high voltage substantially higher than desired operating voltages of the transistors, the method comprising:

coupling nodes of a biasing stack of transistors of a second type to nodes of the stack of transistors in a one to one relationship;

based on the coupling, connecting gate nodes of the stack of transistors to source nodes of the biasing stack of transistors;

based on the coupling, connecting gate nodes of the biasing stack of transistors to drain nodes of the stack of transistors;

coupling a resistor network to the nodes of the stack of transistors;

coupling a capacitor network to the nodes of the stack of transistors;

during a transition phase of the stack of transistors, controlling biasing voltages to the stack of transistors by way of the coupled capacitor network; and

after the transition phase, controlling the biasing voltages by way of the coupled resistor network,

wherein;

the transition phase is responsive to a change of state of an input signal to a first transistor of the stack of transistors,

during the transition phase, transistors of the stack of transistors and the biasing stack of transistors sequentially change state, from an ON state to an OFF state, or vice versa, and

the biasing voltage are controlled such as to not exceed desired operating voltages of the transistors of the stack of transistors during and after the transition phase.

63. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a second type coupled between a high voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a first type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors, adapted to be coupled to a reference voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal, the input signal being a level shifted signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the high voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

the biasing circuit further comprises a plurality of series connected resistors configured as a resistive voltage divider between the source node of the first transistor of the stack and the drain node of the last transistor of the stack, and

resistive nodes of the resistive voltage divider connecting two consecutive resistors of the plurality of series connected resistors are coupled to the gate nodes of the transistors of the stack.

64. The HSHV driver of claim 63, wherein the coupling from the resistor nodes to the gate nodes of the transistors in the stack is through a source-follower circuit.

65. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a second type coupled between a high voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a first type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors, adapted to be coupled to a reference voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal, the input signal being a level shifted signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the high voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack, and

the biasing circuit is configured to provide the biasing voltages of the HSHV driver at an output switching frequency of 0 Hz to 20 MHz.

66. The HSHV driver of claim 65, wherein biasing of the transistors of the stack does not exceed the desired operating voltages across any two terminals of the transistors.

67. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a second type coupled between a high voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a first type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors, adapted to be coupled to a reference voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal, the input signal being a level shifted signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the high voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack, and

the biasing circuit is configured to provide the biasing voltages of the HSHV driver at an output switching frequency of 0 Hz to 100 MHz.

68. The HSHV driver of claim 67, wherein biasing of the transistors of the stack does not exceed the desired operating voltages across any two terminals of the transistors.

69. A high speed high voltage (HSHV) driver comprising:

a stack of transistors of a second type coupled between a high voltage and an output node of the HSHV driver;

a biasing circuit configured to provide biasing voltages to the stack, the biasing circuit comprising a biasing stack of transistors of a first type;

wherein;

the output node is a drain node of an output transistor of the stack of transistors, adapted to be coupled to a reference voltage,

the HSHV driver operates as an inverter with an input signal having a low voltage and an output signal at the output node having the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack having desired operating voltages substantially smaller than the high voltage,

transistors of the stack and the biasing stack are coupled in series with common source-drain nodes, forming a sequence of coupled transistors with a first transistor and a last transistor,

the last transistor of the stack is the output transistor and the first transistor of the stack is an input transistor of the HSHV driver,

a gate node of the input transistor is configured to receive the input signal, the input signal being a level shifted signal,

a source node of the input transistor is coupled to the high voltage;

gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to source and/or drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack,

common source-drain nodes of the first to the last transistor of the stack are coupled sequentially and in a one to one relationship to gate nodes of the first to the last transistor of the biasing stack, and

the biasing circuit is configured to provide the biasing voltages of the HSHV driver at an output switching frequency above 100 MHz.

70. The HSHV driver of claim 69, wherein biasing of the transistors of the stack does not exceed the desired operating voltages across any two terminals of the transistors.