JP2005149338A - Reference voltage circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reference voltage circuit with a comparator that reduces current consumption. <P>SOLUTION: A bias circuit is disposed between an output terminal of the reference voltage circuit and a reference potential, and the bias circuit output limits a bias current of the comparator. A starting circuit is provided to excite the bias circuit when the reference voltage circuit is started. The bias circuit, which is powered by the output terminal of a constant voltage, can easily produce a constant current in the bias circuit. The constant current generates a reference voltage that can be applied as the bias circuit output to the comparator to keep the bias current of the comparator constant and reduce current consumption. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a reference voltage circuit, and more particularly to a reference voltage circuit suitable for incorporation in a semiconductor integrated circuit device requiring low current consumption.

  A band gap reference circuit is used as a reference voltage circuit that obtains a constant voltage output with respect to power supply voltage and temperature fluctuation. As an example, FIG. 3 shows a bandgap reference circuit described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-149252.

  In FIG. 3, the source and drain of the PMOS transistor P1 are connected between the power supply VCC and the output terminal OUT, respectively. In addition, between the output terminal OUT and a reference potential (hereinafter referred to as GND), a series circuit of a resistor R1 and a diode D1 in which the direction from the output terminal OUT to GND is an energization direction, and similarly a resistor R2 and a resistor R3 And a series circuit of the diode D2 are connected in parallel, and a connection point between the resistor R1 and the diode D1 and a connection point between the resistor R2 and the resistor R3 are connected to the inputs S4 and S5 of the comparator 4, respectively. The output S3 of the comparator 4 is connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor P1.

  The operation will be described below.

When the junction area ratio of the diode D2 to the diode D1 is n, the currents flowing through the diodes D1 and D2 are I1 and I2, and the forward voltage drops of the diodes D1 and D2 are Vd1 and Vd2, Vd1 = (k · T / q) · ln [I1 / Is] (1)
Vd2 = (k · T / q) · ln [I2 / (n · Is)] (2)
It becomes. Here, k is a Boltzmann constant, T is an absolute temperature, q is an elementary charge amount, and Is is a reverse saturation current of the diode. When the offset voltage of the comparator 4 is 0, I2 · R3 + Vd2 = Vd1 (3)
If R1 = R2 is set, I1 = I2 = I, and from the expressions (1) and (2), I · R3 = (k · T / q) · {ln [I / Is] −ln [I / (n · Is)]}
= (K · T / q) lnn (4)
Thus, the voltage (hereinafter referred to as VREF) at the output terminal OUT of this bandgap reference circuit is expressed by the following equation (5).

VREF = (R1 / R3). (K.T / q) .lnn + Vd1 (5)
The temperature dependence of VREF is expressed by the following equation (6) by differentiating equation (5) with temperature.

dVREF / dT = (R1 / R3) · (k / q) · lnn + dVd1 / dT (6)
Since the equation (5) does not have a coefficient of the power supply VCC, VREF does not depend on the power supply voltage. In addition, since the first term of the expression (6) is positive and the second term is a negative temperature coefficient, the diode D1 is set so that (R1 / R3) · (k / q) · lnn = | dVd1 / dT | , D2 and the resistance ratio of resistors R1 and R3 can be set to obtain a reference voltage circuit having no temperature dependence.

JP 2002-149252 A

  In the above conventional circuit, in order to reduce the current consumption, it is necessary to set the values of the resistors R1, R2, and R3 to be large so as to reduce the bias current and reduce the bias current of the comparator 4. Since these currents are supplied from the power supply VCC, they tend to increase as the power supply VCC voltage increases, which is an obstacle to lowering the current consumption.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a reference voltage circuit suitable for reducing current consumption by preventing an increase in the bias current.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a reference voltage circuit that prevents an increase in start-up time of the reference voltage circuit due to the reduction of the bias current.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, in a reference voltage circuit including an output terminal for outputting a predetermined voltage and a comparator circuit element, a bias circuit is provided between the output terminal and the reference potential. The comparator circuit element bias current is controlled by the circuit output.

  The reference voltage circuit of the present invention is characterized in that the bias current of the bias circuit output is controlled to a constant current.

  Furthermore, the reference voltage circuit of the present invention is characterized in that a starting circuit for exciting the bias circuit when the reference voltage circuit is started is provided.

  Since the bias circuit uses a constant voltage output terminal as a power source, a constant current can be easily generated in the bias circuit. By generating a reference voltage using the constant current and supplying it to the comparator as a bias circuit output, the bias current of the comparator can be made constant and the current consumption can be reduced. Further, when the reference voltage circuit is activated, the reference voltage circuit internal comparator needs to operate in order for the output terminal to reach a predetermined voltage output. However, as described above, the bias current of the comparator is defined by the bias circuit, and since the bias circuit uses the voltage at the output terminal as a power source, it takes time for the output terminal to reach a predetermined voltage output. Become. This problem was solved by providing a startup circuit. In other words, the bias circuit is forcibly operated by the starting circuit, so that the comparator is reliably operated at the time of starting so that the output terminal can be quickly risen. In addition, the startup circuit can be set to the minimum required startup period by automatically transitioning to the stop state upon receiving the operation start of the output terminal or the bias circuit, and thereby the reactive current related to startup. Reduction and easy control can be realized.

  According to the present invention, a bias circuit that generates a constant current using the voltage of the output terminal is provided, and the comparator bias current is defined by the output voltage of the bias circuit, so that it does not depend on the magnitude of the power supply voltage. A reference voltage circuit capable of always reducing current consumption can be obtained. Further, by providing a starter circuit, a reference voltage circuit that realizes a rapid rise in output voltage while reducing current consumption can be obtained.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 1, a PMOS transistor P4 whose source is connected to the power supply VCC, PMOS transistors P2 and P3 whose sources are commonly connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor P4, the drain and gate are short-circuited, and the drain is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor P2. The comparator 4 is composed of an NMOS transistor N2 whose source is connected to GND, a drain to the drain of the PMOS transistor P3, a gate to the gate of the NMOS transistor N2, and an NMOS transistor N3 whose source is connected to GND. The gates of the transistors P2 and P3 are comparator inputs S4 and S5, respectively, and the drain of the PMOS transistor P3 is a comparator output S3.

The PMOS transistor P6 has a source connected to the output terminal OUT of the reference voltage circuit and a gate connected to the GND, and a drain and a gate are short-circuited, the drain is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor P6, and the NMOS transistor N5 is connected to the GND. And an NMOS transistor N4 having a gate connected to the gate of the NMOS transistor N5 and a source connected to the GND, and a PMOS transistor P5 having a drain and a gate short-circuited, the drain connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor N4, and the source connected to the power supply VCC. And the bias circuit 2 is configured, and the gate / drain of the PMOS transistor P5 is the output node S1 of the bias circuit 2.

A NOR gate G2 having one input terminal connected to the control terminal STB, a NOR gate G1 having one input terminal connected to the output of the NOR gate G2, and an output connected to the other input terminal of the NOR gate G2. One input terminal is connected to the control terminal STB, the other input terminal is connected to the output terminal of the NOR gate G2, respectively, the source is connected to the power supply VCC, and the drain is connected to the other input terminal of the NOR gate G1. The PMOS transistor P7 connected, the drain connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor P7, the NMOS transistor N6 connected the source to GND, the source to the power supply VCC, the drain connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor P7, and the gate to the inverter Connect to control terminal STB via G4 To constitute a starting circuit 3 at the PMOS transistor P8, an output terminal of the NOR gate G3 is an output node S2.

  Further, the PMOS transistor P1 has a source connected to the power supply VCC, a drain connected to the output terminal OUT, a gate connected to the output S3 of the comparator 4, a drain connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor P1, and a source connected to GND. Is connected to the start-up circuit output node S2, the source is connected to the power supply VCC, the drain and gate are connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor N1, the PMOS transistor P9 is connected to the output of the inverter G4, and the output terminal OUT is connected to the output terminal OUT. Resistors R1 and R2 having one end connected in common, a diode D1 having an anode connected to the other end of resistor R1, a cathode connected to GND, a resistor R3 connected in series with resistor R2, a resistor R3 having an anode, and a GND Da each connected cathode The diode D2 is provided with an NMOS transistor N7 having a drain connected to the output terminal, a source connected to GND, and a gate connected to the control terminal STB. The anode of the diode D1 is connected to the input S4 of the comparator 4, and the resistors R2 and R3. Is connected to the input S5 of the comparator 4, the gate of the PMOS transistor P1 is connected to the output S3 of the comparator 4, and the output S1 of the bias circuit 2 is connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor P7 in the starting circuit 3 and the PMOS in the comparator 4 The transistor P4 is connected to the gate.

  Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  When the control terminal STB is at a high level input, the output of the NOR gate G3 is low, so the NMOS transistor N1 is off, the PMOS transistor P9 is on, and the PMOS transistor P1 is off. Further, when the PMOS transistor P8 in the activation circuit 3 is turned on, the node S1 becomes High, and both the PMOS transistor P4 in the comparator 4 and the PMOS transistor P5 in the bias circuit 2 are turned off. Further, when the NMOS transistor N7 is turned on, the output terminal OUT becomes the GND level, the current in the bias circuit 2 becomes 0, and the reference voltage circuit is stopped. Here, the fixing of the output terminal OUT to the GND potential by the NMOS transistor N7 is for setting the operating current of the bias circuit 2 to 0. For example, the gate of the PMOS transistor P6 is controlled by the control terminal STB. Other configurations may be used as long as the same function can be achieved.

  At this time, the NOR gate G1 in the starter circuit 3 is low on the input side connected to the NMOS transistor N6, and the output of the NOR gate G2 is also low output. The output becomes High. This state is latched by a flip-flop circuit composed of NOR gates G1 and G2.

Next, when the control terminal STB becomes a low level input, the NMOS transistor N7 and the PMOS transistor P8 in the startup circuit 3 are turned off. Further, the NOR gate G3 in the activation circuit 3 has the NOR gate G2 output in the Low state, so both inputs are Low, and the output node S2 is High. The NMOS transistor N1 is turned on in response to the high of the node S2, and the gate potential of the PMOS transistor P1 is lowered, thereby turning on the PMOS transistor P1. When the PMOS transistor P1 is turned on, the potential of the output terminal OUT rises, and a current begins to flow through the series circuit of the PMOS transistor P6 and the NMOS transistor N5 in the bias circuit 2. When a current flows through the NMOS transistor N5, the NMOS transistor N4 having a current mirror connection configuration also flows a current according to the mirror ratio, and the current flows from the PMOS transistor P5 connected to the power supply VCC to the NMOS transistor N4. Will flow. When a current flows through the PMOS transistor P5, a current corresponding to the mirror ratio also flows through the PMOS transistor P4 in the comparator 4 and the PMOS transistor P7 in the starter circuit 3 connected to the PMOS transistor P5. The NMOS transistor N6 in the starter circuit 3 is in an off state because the control terminal STB is at the low level, and when a current flows through the PMOS transistor P7, the connection point with the NMOS transistor N6, that is, the NOR gate G1 input is raised to the high level. Let As a result, the NOR gate G1 output becomes Low, and in response to this, the NOR gate G2 output becomes High. In response to the High of the NOR gate G2 output, the NOR gate G3 output, that is, the node S2 becomes Low, and the NMOS transistor N1 is turned off. Since the NMOS transistor N1 is turned off, the gate of the PMOS transistor P1 is controlled by the output S3 of the comparator 4, and the steady state in which the predetermined potential VREF as described in the conventional example is sent to the output terminal OUT. Transition to.

  In the steady state, since the bias circuit 2 operates at the VREF potential, the operating current is a constant current regardless of the magnitude of the power supply VCC. Further, the bias source of the comparator 4, which is a current mirror connection from the circuit, that is, the PMOS transistor P4 portion also becomes a constant current. The constant current value can be easily set by setting the constant of the PMOS transistor P6 in the bias circuit 2 and setting the mirror ratio, and a desired low current can be achieved. The output voltage of the bandgap circuit is normally a constant voltage of about 1.1 V, and it is easy to obtain a low current even with a relatively low impedance. This means that it is easy to produce a low current with a small device area on an integrated circuit. For example, when the on-resistance of the PMOS transistor P6 is 50 kΩ and the gate-source voltage VGS of the NMOS transistor N5 is 0.5 V, (1.1V−0.5 V) / 50 kΩ = 12 μA is obtained.

  Here, it has been described that the operating current of the bias circuit 2 is determined by the PMOS transistor P6. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the PMOS transistor P6 may be a resistor, and the NMOS transistor The current value may be set by the constant setting of N5. Further, the configuration of the starting circuit 3 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and other configurations may be used as long as they have equivalent functions.

  In addition, as described above, the start circuit 3 automatically cancels the pull-up operation of the output terminal OUT by the PMOS transistor P1 when the bias circuit 2 starts to operate. It can be started. Usually, if the bias current of the comparator 4 is reduced, the voltage rise at the output terminal OUT is delayed, but this can be improved by the start-up circuit 3.

  According to the present embodiment, the bias current of the comparator 4 is determined by the output voltage of the bias circuit 2 provided between the output terminal OUT and GND, so that the bias current becomes a constant current independent of the magnitude of the power supply VCC. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a reference voltage circuit that can easily reduce current consumption. In addition, the starter circuit 3 can provide a reference voltage circuit that can realize a rapid rise in output voltage and a rise in the minimum necessary start-up period.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 shows only the configuration of the bias circuit in FIG. That is, an NMOS transistor N8 having a drain connected to the power supply VCC and a gate connected to the output terminal OUT, an NMOS transistor N5 short-circuited between the drain and gate, the drain connected to the source of the NMOS transistor N8, and the source connected to GND, An NMOS transistor N4 having the gate connected to the gate of the NMOS transistor N5 and the source connected to GND, and a PMOS transistor P5 having the drain and gate short-circuited, the drain connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor N4, and the source connected to the power supply VCC. The bias circuit 2A is configured, and the gate / drain of the PMOS transistor P5 is the output node S1 of the bias circuit 2A.

  Since the NMOS transistor N8 is used in the bias circuit 2A, the drain potential of the NMOS transistor N5 becomes a voltage lower than the output terminal OUT potential by the threshold voltage Vth of the NMOS transistor N8, so that further low current setting is easy. It becomes possible.

  As described above, according to this embodiment described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to easily set a low current and to obtain a reference voltage circuit advantageous for integration.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to measure low current consumption in a reference voltage circuit for semiconductor integrated circuit devices.

It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the 1st Example of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the conventional structure.

Explanation of symbols

2,2A Bias circuit 3 Start-up circuit 4 Comparator VCC Power supply OUT Output terminal STB Control terminal D1, D2 Diodes R1-R3 Resistors P1-P8 PMOS transistors N1-N8 NMOS transistors G1-G3 NOR gate G4 Inverter

Claims (7)

An output terminal for outputting a predetermined voltage;
In a reference voltage circuit comprising a comparator circuit element,
A reference voltage circuit, wherein a bias circuit is provided between the output terminal and a reference potential, and the comparator circuit element bias current is controlled by the bias circuit output. The reference voltage circuit of claim 1,
A reference voltage circuit characterized by controlling a bias current of the bias circuit output to a constant current. The reference voltage circuit of claim 2,
A reference voltage circuit comprising a start circuit for exciting the bias circuit when the reference voltage circuit is started. An output terminal;
A first resistor;
A first semiconductor element connected in series to a first resistor;
A second resistor and a third resistor connected in series;
A second semiconductor element connected in series with a third resistor;
Voltage comparison means having a connection point between the first resistor and the first semiconductor element and a connection point between the second resistor and the third resistor as comparison inputs;
Bias current supply means for supplying a bias current to the first resistor and the second resistor in accordance with an output of the voltage comparison means;
A bias circuit connected between the output terminal and a reference potential to generate a reference current;
A reference voltage circuit characterized in that an operating current of the voltage comparison means is defined in accordance with a reference current in the bias circuit. An output terminal;
A control terminal;
A first resistor;
A first semiconductor element connected in series to a first resistor;
A second resistor and a third resistor connected in series;
A second semiconductor element connected in series with a third resistor;
Voltage comparison means having a connection point between the first resistor and the first semiconductor element and a connection point between the second resistor and the third resistor as comparison inputs;
Bias current supply means for supplying a bias current to the first resistor and the second resistor in accordance with an output of the voltage comparison means;
A bias circuit connected between the output terminal and a reference potential to generate a reference current;
A startup circuit that pulls up the potential of the output terminal in response to an input signal of the control terminal;
An operating current of the voltage comparing means is defined in accordance with a reference current in the bias circuit, and the starting circuit is controlled to stop in response to the start of the flow of the reference current in the bias circuit. Voltage circuit. An output terminal;
A first resistor;
A first semiconductor element connected in series to a first resistor;
A second resistor and a third resistor connected in series;
A second semiconductor element connected in series with a third resistor;
Bias control means functioning to match the current values flowing through the first resistor and the second resistor;
A bias circuit connected between the output terminal and a reference potential to generate a reference current;
A reference voltage circuit characterized in that an operating current of the bias control means is defined in accordance with a reference current in the bias circuit. An output terminal;
A control terminal;
A first resistor;
A first semiconductor element connected in series to a first resistor;
A second resistor and a third resistor connected in series;
A second semiconductor element connected in series with a third resistor;
Bias control means functioning to match the current values flowing through the first resistor and the second resistor;
A bias circuit connected between the output terminal and a reference potential to generate a reference current;
A startup circuit that pulls up the potential of the output terminal in response to an input signal of the control terminal;
An operating current of the bias control means is defined in accordance with a reference current in the bias circuit, and the start-up circuit is controlled to stop in response to the start of the flow of the reference current in the bias circuit. Voltage circuit.

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