Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Kazuyuki Moritake

Takuya Ishii

Kazuhito Kimura

Masaaki Koto

An output circuit includes an output block and a predrive block for driving the output block based on an input signal. The predrive block has a clamp unit connected between the gate terminal of a first output transistor and the gate terminal of a second output transistor to limit the potential of the gate terminal of the first output transistor to a value of not more than a first potential and limit the potential of the gate terminal of the second output transistor to a value of not less than a second potential.

Output circuit for outputting a signal with a high-voltage amplitude

A level shift circuit has a driving circuit and an output circuit. The driving circuit has a clamp circuit for receiving first and second bias potentials, outputting first and second drive signals which are not less than a reference potential, less than the first bias potential, and complementary to each other, and also outputting third and fourth drive signals which are higher than the second bias potential, not more than a power source potential, and complementary to each other. The output circuit has a first output transistor of a first conductivity type and a second output transistor of a second conductivity type which are connected in series to each other. The first output transistor has a gate for receiving the first drive signal and one electrode for receiving the reference potential. The second output transistor has a gate for receiving the third drive signal and one electrode for receiving the power source potential.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Kazuyuki Moritake