Integrated circuit with automatic start-up function

Abstract

The invention relates to integrated electronic circuits, and notably to those comprising analog functions. The invention relates more particularly to a starter circuit designed to ensure the automatic start-up of a biasing circuit following an interruption in the operation of the latter. The starter circuit comprises, in an integrated circuit substrate of a first type of conductivity comprising at least one well of an opposite type of conductivity and a semiconductor region of the same type of conductivity as the substrate, formed within the well and forming a p-n junction with the well, a first transistor, or transistor for detecting the operating condition of the biasing circuit, connected to the biasing circuit so as to be in the on state when the biasing circuit is operating normally and turned off when it is not operating normally, this transistor being placed in series with the p-n junction between two power supply terminals, the semiconductor region being connected to one of the power supply terminals, the drain of the first transistor being connected to the well by a conductor and being connected to the gate of a second transistor, or restart activation transistor, the second transistor being turned off by the switching on of the first transistor and being turned on by the existence of leakage currents in the p-n junction when the first transistor is in the off state.