The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 08, 2005
Filed:
Oct. 10, 2003
Applicant:
Jonathan S. Mccalmont, Ames, IA (US);
Inventor:
Jonathan S. McCalmont, Ames, IA (US);
Assignee:
Micrel Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G05F003/16 ; G05F001/10 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
Abstract
A reference circuit provides a reference electrical characteristic such as a current or voltage using a low-threshold field effect transistor (FET) for improved start-up operation. The use of a low-threshold FET eliminates a stable operating point from occurring at zero current allowing the elimination of additional startup circuitry thereby providing power and space savings, particularly in analog CMOS circuitry. Additionally, the use of a low-threshold FET allows a lower voltage requirement from the power supply providing additional power savings.