Output driver using low voltage transistors

摘要

Aspects of the subject technology allow an output driver to be implemented using one or more transistors having an oxide-breakdown voltage below the output voltage swing of the output driver. The output driver can include one or more source followers, where a source follower provides voltage-level shifting of a voltage before the voltage is supplied to a gate of a transistor to prevent a source-to-gate voltage or a gate-to-source voltage of the transistor from exceeding the oxide-breakdown voltage of the transistor.

主权项

1. An output driver, comprising:
a first p-channel transistor having a drain, a source, and a gate, wherein the source of the first p-channel transistor is coupled to a first voltage bus; a first n-channel transistor having a drain, a source, and a gate, wherein the drains of the first p-channel transistor and the first n-channel transistor are coupled to an output of the output driver, and the source of the first n-channel transistor is coupled to a second voltage bus; a second p-channel transistor coupled between an input and the gate of the first p-channel transistor in a source-follower configuration; and a second n-channel transistor coupled between the input and the gate of the first n-channel transistor in a source-follower configuration, wherein the drain of the second n-channel transistor is coupled to a third voltage bus, and wherein the first voltage bus is different from the third voltage bus, and wherein the first and the third voltage buses are configured such that the output driver is enabled to provide an output voltage that exceeds breakdown voltages of the first p-channel transistor and the first n-channel transistor.