Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices – circuits – and – Signal converting – shaping – or generating – Amplitude control
Patent
1996-08-07
1998-07-07
Callahan, Timothy P.
Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices, circuits, and
Signal converting, shaping, or generating
Amplitude control
327328, 327381, 327427, H03K 508, H03K 17687
Patent
active
057775028
ABSTRACT:
A circuit (10) and method for protecting the gate-source elements of an FET includes a circuit (12, 13) for providing a pullup gate drive current to the gate-source elements. A voltage sensing circuit (45) senses a voltage on the gate-source elements to produce an indication if the voltage has exceeded a predetermined level. The voltage sensing circuit (45) has a zener diode (48) and a current mirror with first (52) and second (51) current flow paths. The zener diode (48) and the first flow path (52) are connected between the gate and a source of the FET. When a voltage between the gate and source of the FET exceeds the breakdown voltage of the zener diode (48) and one V.sub.gs in the current mirror, a current flows in the first flow path (52) producing a current flow in the second flow path (51). A circuit (20, 23, 62, 58, 60) reduces the pullup gate drive current in response to the current in the second flow path (51).
REFERENCES:
patent: 4890009 (1989-12-01), Miyazaki et al.
patent: 5369308 (1994-11-01), Schoofs et al.
patent: 5387830 (1995-02-01), Kukimoto
patent: 5422593 (1995-06-01), Fujihira
Chen Wayne T.
Jones Steven C.
Kwan Stephen C.
Brady III W. James
Callahan Timothy P.
Donaldson Richard L.
Lam T. T.
Texas Instruments Incorporated
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