Patent ID: 8610469
Filing Date: 2013-12-17
Classification: H03G

Abstract:
1. A switching circuit for switching a time-varying input signal, the switching circuit comprising: at least one switch including a N-channel MOSFET and a P-channel MOSFET, each having a gate configured to receive a drive signal to change the ON/OFF state of the switch; and a drive circuit configured and arranged so as to selectively apply a pair of drive signals to change the ON/OFF state of the switch, the drive circuit being configured and arranged to generate the drive signals as a function of (a) a pair DC signal components sufficient to change the ON/OFF state of the switch and (b) a pair of time-varying signal components as at least a partial replica of the signal present on the source terminal of each MOSFET so that when applied with the DC signals to the gates of the n-channel MOSFET and p-channel MOSFET respectively, the drive signals will be at the appropriate level to maintain the ON/OFF state of the switch and keep the gate-source voltages of each MOSFET within the gate-source breakdown limit of the MOSFETs; wherein each of the MOSFETs includes two source-drain terminals, and the MOSFETs are configured so that one source-drain of one MOSFET is coupled to one source-drain of the other MOSFET to form a first coupled pair of MOSFET source-drain terminals, and the remaining source-drain terminals of the MOSFETs are coupled to each other for form a second coupled pair of MOSFET source-drain terminals; and wherein the drive circuit includes a first buffer amplifier with an input coupled to one coupled pair of MOSFET source-drain terminals, and a second buffer amplifier with an input coupled to the second pair of MOSFET source-drain terminals, each of the buffer amplifiers having an output terminal configured so as to produce an output signal that is substantially a replica of the time-varying input signal.