Patent ID: 9344078
Filing Date: 2016-05-17
CPC Classification: H01L,H03K

Claim Text:
1. A device, comprising: a monolithic integrated circuit, including: a low-voltage control circuit; a vertical power transistor comprising a drain and a gate; a source follower including a drain that is coupled to the drain of the vertical power transistor, a gate that is coupled to a limit voltage node, and a source that is coupled to a high impedance node, wherein the source follower is arranged such that a source voltage at the source of the source follower is a voltage-limited version of a voltage at the drain of the vertical power transistor, wherein the low-voltage control circuit includes a driver and protection circuit that is arranged to detect the source voltage, to drive the vertical power transistor through the gate of the vertical power transistor, and to adjust how the vertical power transistor is biased based, at least in part, on the source voltage and wherein the driver and protection circuit is arranged such that adjusting how the vertical power transistor is biased based, at least in part, on the source voltage includes: outputting a comparison output signal such that the comparison output signal has a first logic level if the source voltage exceeds a voltage threshold, and such that the comparison output signal has a second logic level otherwise; and adjusting how the vertical power transistor is biased based, at least in part, on the comparison output signal.