United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Rockwell International Corporation

John J Ennis

Gary L Heimbigner

Robert K Booher

The invention comprises a gallium arsenide driver with float capability for logic high and logic low signals including logic means for receiving an input signal and providing logic high and low signals therefrom. Level shift means responsive to the high and low signals downshift the voltage levels thereof. Common gate means responsive to the downshifted signal voltage levels amplify these signals, and output source-follower means responsive to the amplified signals provide output signals to a pad.

GaAs driver circuit

An FET complementary pair provides the output to a data line. A data input line is coupled to the gate of the P-FET via an OR gate configuration, and to the gate of the N-FET via an AND gate configuration. The output of each gate configuration is cross-connected to an input of the other. When the input data state changes, the two gate configurations provide delays which are effectively in tandem, so that the FET which was ON is first turned OFF, and after a short delay the other is turned ON. This delay ensures that both FET's are not ON at the same time, which prevents an undesirable power flow. To provide a high impedance 'float' state, an enable input and its complement are connected to the AND and OR gate configurations respectively.

Growing community of inventors

Corona, CA, United States of America

John J Ennis