Patent ID: 7053655
Filing Date: 2006-05-30
Classification: H03K

Abstract:
1. A driver stage for driving an output on one of n levels, which are each spaced from each other by a voltage difference of ΔV, comprising: a plurality of field effect transistors for driving the output by leading a current to or away from the output; a control means for turning the field effect transistors on and off, depending on a plurality of input bit signals in accordance with an allocation rule, which associates a selection of field effect transistors to be turned on and off with each bit combination of bit values of the input bit signals; with the relationship of the channel widths of at least two field effect transistors, which both act either for leading current to or away from, being set in dependence on the value of the voltage difference; the at least two field effect transistors comprise two field effect transistors of the n-channel or p-channel type, which comprise a threshold voltage U with W 1 being the transistor width of the first one of the two field effect transistors, W 2 being the transistor width of the other of the two field effect transistors, V DDQ being the supply voltage, ΔV being the voltage difference, V th being the threshold voltage and V G being the predetermined source/gate voltage.