Hyun Bin Shin

US Patent:

51626683, Nov 10, 1992

Filed:

May 4, 1992

Appl. No.:

7/880286

Inventors:

Chih-Liang Chen - Briarcliff NY
Sang H. Dhong - Mahopac NY
Hyun J. Shin - Mahopac NY

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

H03K 301

US Classification:

3072968

Abstract:

Novel boosted power supplies are disclosed for an internal, on-chip regulator circuit which includes a differential amplifier coupler to a series regulating element operating as a source follower, and in which a voltage pump circuit is provided to generate a boosted power supply for the differential amplifier. The voltage pump preferably includes a ring oscillator for supplying pulses for the voltage pump. The new on-chip voltage regulators are designed for n-well CMOS technology circuits, and can be applied to BiCMOS as well as n-well CMOS circuits. The new circuits utilize voltage boosting techniques to increase the potential at the gate of the series regulating element operating as a source follower, and also improve the power supply rejection. Furthermore, these circuits preferably use clamping diodes to limit negative voltage swings at the gate of the series regulating element and to improve the settling time of the voltage regulator circuit. The on-chip regulator circuits are well suited for small dropout voltage regulator applications, have less external power supply sensitivity, use a clamping diode to improve the settling time of the feedback loop, and can utilize either static or dynamically controlled pump circuitry.