Voltage regulator with virtually zero power dissipation

摘要

A voltage regulator for coupling to an unregulated power source and regulating a voltage and conveying a current received from such source includes a bias voltage generator and a voltage translator which together dissipate virtually zero power while providing such voltage regulation and current conveyance. The bias voltage generator produces a stable reference current for purposes of generating stable bias voltages for the voltage translator. The voltage translator generates a regulated output voltage by translating a reference voltage potential (e.g., circuit ground) upwards by an amount equal to multiple depletion mode transistor threshold voltages.