# Patent

## Title
Error amplifier structures

## Abstract

Error amplifier structures are provided to generate an error signal in response to the difference between an input signal (e.g., a feedback current) and a reference signal (e.g., a bias current). Amplifier embodiments generally include a reference generator and a differencing amplifier. In at least one embodiment, the error generator is arranged to generate first and second bias voltages that correspond to the bias current. In at least one embodiment, the differencing amplifier is configured to provide a reference current to an output node in response to the first bias voltage, provide a feedback current to the output node in response to the second bias voltage, and generate an error current in response to a voltage at the output node. The error amplifier structures are suited for use in various systems such as negative switching regulators.

## Background
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to error amplifiers and more particularly to error amplifiers for use in voltage boosting circuits such as negative switching regulators and charge pumps.
2. Description of the Related Art
Error amplifiers are configured to provide an error signal in response to the difference between an operational signal (e.g., a feedback signal) and a reference signal. They are especially suited for use in feedback systems that control an output signal to have a desired correspondence to a reference.
Exemplary feedback systems are negative switching regulators that are powered by a supply voltage and provide a controlled output voltage with a polarity opposite that of the supply voltage. Error amplifiers for such systems have generally included an input stage, a gain stage, and an output stage. The input stage is typically configured to symmetrically compare signals at a pair of input nodes to thereby generate a difference signal. The gain stage provides a single-ended error signal with gained response to the difference signal and the output stage provides buffering while delivering the error signal to a system port.
Although such error amplifiers can be configured to provide excellent performance, they typically have a number of disadvantages that limit their use in integrated circuits, e.g., they are complex, expensive, and require large compensation capacitors.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure is generally directed to error amplifier embodiments. The drawings and the following description provide an enabling disclosure and the appended claims particularly point out and distinctly claim disclosed subject matter and equivalents thereof.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic that illustrates an error amplifier embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a schematic that illustrates another error amplifier embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a schematic that illustrates an error amplifier embodiment that includes more than one differencing amplifier output;
FIG. 4 is a schematic that illustrates a comparator application of the error amplifier of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a schematic of a switching regulator system that includes the error amplifier of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 6 is a schematic of a switching regulator system that includes the error amplifier of FIG. 2.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 illustrates an error amplifier 20 that is formed with a reference generator 24 and a differencing amplifier 44 that are arranged to provide an error current 21 in response to a feedback current 23. The error amplifier 20 is especially suited for use with voltage boosting circuits such as negative switching regulators and charge pumps.
The reference generator 24 is arranged to provide first and second bias voltages to the differencing amplifier (at bias pins 37 and 38). The differencing amplifier 44 is arranged to provide the reference current 22 to an output node 49 in response to the first bias voltage, provide a feedback current 23 to the output node 49 in response to the second bias voltage, and generate the error current 21 in response to a voltage at the output node.
It is important to note that although the error amplifier of FIG. 1 is realized with metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors, it can, in general, be realized with any transistors in which currents at current terminals (e.g., sources and drains) respond to signals at control terminals (e.g., gates).
In detail, FIG. 1 shows that the reference generator 24 includes a reference resistor 26 with resistance Rref, a differential amplifier 27 and a current transistor 28. The differential amplifier has an inverting input port coupled to the top of the reference resistor and a non-inverting input port coupled to receive a reference voltage Vref at a reference port 29. The current transistor has a drain coupled to the top of the reference resistor and a gate coupled to the output port of the differential amplifier. The reference generator 24 also has first and second reference transistors 31 and 32 whose drains are coupled together. The second reference transistor is diode-coupled and the first reference transistor is gate-coupled to the current transistor 28.
In operation, the current transistor 28 is biased on by the differential amplifier and the high gain of the differential amplifier causes the voltage at the top of the reference resistor to substantially equal the reference voltage Vref. A bias current Ibias equal to Vref/Rref is thereby driven through the reference resistor 26 by the current transistor 28. Because the first reference transistor 31 is gate-coupled and source-coupled to the current transistor, it carries a bias current 34 with amplitude substantially equal to Ibias and directs this current through the diode-coupled second reference transistor 32. Accordingly, the control terminals of the first and second reference transistors 31 and 32 provide first and second bias signals at bias ports 37 and 38 of the reference generator 24 wherein these bias signals correspond to the reference current Iref.
The differencing amplifier 44 includes first and second amplifier transistors 47 and 48 whose gates are respectively coupled to the bias ports 37 and 38. The first amplifier transistor 47 is also source-coupled to the first reference transistor 31. In addition, the drains of the first and second amplifier transistors are coupled together to form an output node 49 and the source of the second amplifier transistor 48 is coupled to a feedback port 50. The differencing amplifier also includes a third amplifier transistor 52 that is arranged to provide the error current 21 at an output port 54 in response to an error signal at the output node 49.
In an exemplary operation of the differencing amplifier 44, the source of the second amplifier transistor 48 is coupled through a feedback resistor 55 to an output voltage Vout which might, for example, be the negative output voltage of a negative switching regulator. In this example, the error current 21 would represent a feedback signal that can be processed (e.g., through a pulse-width modulator) into a gate signal for a transistor switch of the negative switching regulator.
If the feedback current 23 exceeds the reference current 22 (i.e., the amplitude of the output voltage Vout is greater than desired), the output node 49 drops so that the third amplifier transistor 52 is commanded to decrease the error current 21. If the feedback current 23 drops below the reference current 22 (i.e., the amplitude of the output voltage Vout is less than desired), the output node 49 rises so that the third amplifier transistor 52 is commanded to increase the error current 21.
If the first and second amplifier transistors 47 and 48 are configured to have the same size (e.g., equal gate widths) as the transistors in the reference generator 24, the amplitude of the reference current 22 will substantially equal the amplitude of bias current 34 through the first and second reference transistors 31 and 32. If the voltage drop in the feedback resistor 55 equals the output voltage Vout, then the gate-to-source voltage of the second amplifier transistor 48 will match that of the second reference transistor 32 so that the feedback current 23 also substantially equals the amplitude of bias current 34. In this case, the voltage at the output node 49 will substantially be one-half of the voltage supply Vsply.
Preferably, however, the transistors in the reference generator 24 (current transistor 28 and first and second reference transistors 31 and 32) are configured with a size substantially less than that of the transistors of the differencing amplifier. This does not alter the operation described above but significantly reduces the current drawn from the voltage source V to thereby substantially enhance the amplifier's efficiency.
From the detailed description above, it is apparent that the reference generator 24 is arranged to generate the bias current 34 through its first and second reference transistors 31 and 32 to thereby provide first and second bias signals at the bias ports 37 and 38 that correspond to the bias current. The error amplifier 44 is then configured to:

    
    
        a) provide the reference current 22 to the output node 49 in response to the bias signal at bias port 37;
        b) provide a feedback current 23 to the feedback port 50 in response to the bias signal at bias port 38; and
        c) generate the error current 21 in response to a voltage at the output node 49.
    
    


These basic amplifier structures can be augmented to form other error amplifier embodiments as indicated in FIG. 2 which illustrates an error amplifier embodiment 60 which includes elements of the amplifier 20 with like elements indicated by like reference numbers. In the error amplifier embodiment 60, the reference generator 24 has been altered to a reference generator 62 that includes transistors 65 and 66. These transistors are respectively coupled in cascode arrangements with the current transistor 28 and the first reference transistor 31. In addition, the differencing amplifier 44 has been modified to a differencing amplifier 65 that couples a transistor 67 in a cascode arrangement with the first amplifier transistor 47. Transistor 65 is arranged as a diode-coupled transistor to properly bias currents in transistors 66 and 67. In these cascode arrangements, the current transistor 28, first reference transistor 31 and first amplifier transistor 47 act as common-gate stages to significantly increase output impedances at their drains and, thereby, increase amplifier gain.
The differencing amplifier 64 also includes a buffer transistor 68 that is inserted as a source follower to drive the base of the third amplifier transistor 52. Current through the buffer transistor is provided via an offset transistor 69 that is biased by the second bias signal at the bias port 38 of the reference generator 62. The buffer transistor 68 can be used to substantially reduce capacitive loading on the output node 37.
When the error amplifier 60 is used, for example, in the feedback path of a negative switching regulator, this loading reduction can move a feedback pole (associated with the first and second amplifier transistors 47 and 48) to higher frequencies which significantly enhances feedback bandwidth. In addition, the buffer transistor 68 lowers the voltage at the gate of the third amplifier transistor 52 so that this transistor can be safely realized as a low threshold voltage (low Vt) transistor whose faster response time can be advantageously used in feedback uses of the error amplifier 60.
The differencing amplifier 64 also inserts an output cascode transistor 71 into a cascode arrangement with the third amplifier transistor 52. This insertion facilitates higher output voltage swings and significantly increases the output impedance at the output port 54 which reduces the feedback degradation of Miller capacitance when the error amplifier 60 is arranged in a feedback path (e.g., the feedback path of a negative switching regulator).
When the error amplifier 60 is used in a feedback path, a compensation capacitor 74 can be inserted in shunt before the feedback resistor 55 to insert a dominant feedback pole that selectively determines the feedback bandwidth. A second compensation capacitor 75 can be arranged in parallel with the feedback resistor 55 to insert a feedback zero that can be positioned to substantially cancel an undesired feedback pole and thereby enhance feedback stability.
Although FIG. 2 illustrates the addition of several structures to the error amplifier 20 of FIG. 1, it should be understood that each can be used separately from the others or they can be used in various combinations to form different error amplifier embodiments.
The novel structure of the error amplifier 20 of FIG. 1 also facilitates the use of a single reference generator 24 for driving N differencing amplifiers 44. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates an error amplifier system 80 in which N is 2 so that differencing amplifiers 44A and 44B are both coupled to the bias ports 37 and 38 of a single reference generator 24. Each of the error amplifiers 44A and 44B can form a portion of a respective feedback loop in which a feedback current (e.g., from a negative switching regulator) is conducted through the feedback port 50 and, in response, an error current 21 is generated. It is apparent that the parts count can be significantly reduced as the number N of differencing amplifiers increases.
FIG. 4 illustrates a comparator 90 that includes elements of the error amplifier 60 of FIG. 2 with like elements indicated by like reference numbers. The comparator 60, however, eliminates the buffer transistor 68, offset transistor 69, and output cascode transistor 71 and, instead, inserts a fourth amplifier transistor 53. This fourth amplifier transistor is drain-coupled to the third amplifier transistor 52 and has its gate driven by the drain of the first amplifier transistor 47. The third and fourth amplifier transistors 52 and 53 are thus arranged to form a complementary common-source output stage 94 that drives the output port 54. More particularly, they form an inverter whose output at the output port 54 moves oppositely to input voltages across the first amplifier transistor 47.
Because the first and second reference transistors 31 and 32 and the first, second and third amplifier transistors 47, 48 and 52 can be sized to operate with substantially the same current density (to thereby have substantially the same gate-to-source voltage Vgs), the output node 49 is at the same voltage level as the coupled drains of the first and second reference transistors. Accordingly, the potential at the output node 49 is on the verge of turning on the third amplifier transistor 52 when the voltage at the inverting input 50 is at the comparator's ground level (level of the sources of the second reference transistor 32 and the third amplifier transistor 52).
As the inverting input voltage drops and rises from the comparator's ground level, the output of the inverter (that is formed by the third and fourth amplifier transistors 52 and 53, moves oppositely. That is, the output voltage Vout at the output port 54 rapidly transitions in the opposite direction to thereby provide knowledge of the voltage at the inverting input port 50. Essentially, the voltage at the inverting input 50 is compared to the comparator's ground level.
The comparator 90 is especially useful in hysteric mode control (sometimes called bang-bang control) in which the output voltage of a switching regulator is controlled by a control loop. In hysteric loop control, however, the control loop includes a comparator rather than an error amplifier. If the regulator's output voltage is too small, the regulator's power transistor is turned on by the comparator—if it is too large, the transistor is turned off by the comparator. Accordingly, the output window of the regulator can be controlled to be within a hysteric window.
Error amplifier embodiments of the disclosure can be used to facilitate control of a variety of negative switching regulators. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates a switching regulator system 100 that includes the error amplifier 20 of FIG. 1, a negative switching regulator 102, and a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) generator 103.
The regulator includes a transistor switch 104 and a diode 105 arranged in series between regulator input and output ports 107 and 108. A capacitor 109 shunts the output port and an inductor 110 is arranged in shunt between the transistor and the capacitor. An output load 111 can be driven at the output port with the feedback resistor 55 (introduced in FIG. 1) coupled between the feedback port 50 of the regulator 20 and the top of the output port 108 of the regulator.
In operational cycles of the system 100, the transistor 104 turns on in a first portion of each cycle to thereby increase current along an inductor charging path 112 which passes through the inductor 110. In a second portion of each operational cycle, the transistor 104 is turned off so that the inductor is free to discharge energy along an inductor discharging path 114 to thereby transfer energy to the capacitor 109 and the load 111.
Current ramps up in the inductor during the first portion of each operational cycle and ramps down during the second portion. Energy stored in the inductor during the first portion is transferred to the capacitance and the load in the second portion. The capacitor 109 supports the load and sustains the output voltage Vout across the output port 108 during the first portion while the inductor is charging. The transistor 104 switches a positive voltage to the inductor to store energy but, because the inductor discharges along the discharge path 110, a negative voltage is sustained across the load 111.
The magnitude of the output voltage at the output port 108 determines the magnitude of the feedback current 23 in the second-amplifier transistor 48 of the error amplifier 20. This, in turn, determines the magnitude of the feedback current 21 that flows out of the PWM generator 102. This generator is configured to vary the pulse width applied to the switch transistor 104 in response to the magnitude of the feedback current. The signal out of the PWM generator varies the duty cycle (ratio of off time to on time) of the switch transistor 104. That is, the PWM generator has a transfer function of an output duty cycle in response to an input current.
Thus, the PWM generator biases on the switch transistor 104 during the first portion of each operational cycle and bias it off during the second portion wherein the duration of the first portion is a function of the feedback current 21. If the magnitude of the output voltage Vout across the load 111 is too large, for example, the feedback current 23 increases to thereby increase the error current 21 and reduce the duty cycle of the switch transistor 104.
In a system embodiment, the PWM generator may receive an additional feedback signal from a current sensor 115 that senses variations in the current of the inductor charging path 112. This allows the system 100 to respond more quickly to input current variations than it would otherwise.
FIG. 6 illustrates another regulator system 120 that combines the error amplifier 60 of FIG. 2 with a negative switching regulator 121 that is configured as a charge pump. The charge pump includes diodes 122 and 123 arranged in series between the output port 54 of the amplifier and a load 124 which is arranged across an output port 125 of the regulator. A capacitor 127 is coupled across the load, a voltage oscillator 128 is coupled to ground and another capacitor 126 is coupled between the oscillator and a junction between the diodes 122 and 123. The top of the load 124 is coupled to the feedback port 50 of the error amplifier 60 via the resistor 55 and shunt capacitor 75 that were introduced in FIG. 5.
The voltage oscillator 128 is configured to provide a first voltage in the first portion of each operational cycle and a second voltage in the second portion. For illustrative purposes, assume the first and second voltages are +10V and 0V. Also assume that the output port 54 of the amplifier 60 is controlled to be +3V and that the first and second portions are equal. In the first portion, the diode 122 is forward biased and −7V is established across the first capacitor 126. In the second portion, the voltage across the first capacitor 126 is transferred to be across the second capacitor 127. Accordingly, −7V is established across the load 124.
In operation of the system 120, a voltage at the output node 49 is established by the difference between the reference current 22 and the feedback current 23 that flows to the top of the second capacitor 127. The error current 21 is pulled from the first capacitor 126 in response to the voltage at the output node 49 of the amplifier 60. The error current 21 and the feedback current 23 establish voltages across the first and second capacitors 126 and 127 in the first and second portions of each operational cycle and this process establishes and controls the steady-state negative output voltage Vout across the output load 124. Although the diodes 122 and 123 do not respond to signals at control terminals (as in transistors), they essentially act as switching devices in the regulator 121.
Although the regulator system 100 has been configured with a buck-boost regulator 102, error amplifier embodiments (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 1-4) may be used with various negative switching regulator structures (e.g., offset buck and 'Cuk regulators) and also with negative charge pumps (such as the embodiment of FIG. 6). When the error amplifier embodiments are powered, instead, by a positive supply, they may be used with various positive switching regulators (e.g., buck, boost, non-inverting buck-boost, Sepik, inverse Sepik, and buck2) and also with positive charge pumps.
As previously noted, the amplifier embodiments of FIGS. 1-6 are illustrated with the use of MOS transistors but they can also be realized with other transistor families. The embodiments provide high gain (e.g., >50 dB), have a low parts count, can be fabricated with low voltage MOS technologies (e.g., 0.35 μm) are especially suited for realization as an integrated circuit with a limited number of elements (e.g., the compensation capacitors 74 and 75 of FIG. 1) positioned externally to the integrated circuit.
The amplifier and comparator embodiments provide excellent load transient response and, in contrast to many error amplifier configurations, the circuit arrangement is simple and only a single feedback resistor is needed (which further reduces the parts count). As shown in FIG. 3, a number of switching regulators can be controlled with respective differencing amplifiers that each interfaces with a single reference generator. Because only a single Vref pin (29 in FIG. 1) is required, this feature frees up a number of integrated circuit pins for other uses.
Another advantage of this disclosure's amplifier embodiments is related to Miller effect which refers to an increase in the equivalent input capacitance of an inverting voltage amplifier due to amplification of amplifier capacitance. The presence of the Miller effect complicates the stability compensation required by a control loop. Because the present amplifier embodiments do not generate signal inversion, this problem is avoided and loop compensation is significantly simplified.
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the appended claims

## Claims

1. An amplifier to provide an error current in response to a feedback current, the amplifier comprising:
a reference generator arranged to generate a bias current in first and second reference transistors;
a first amplifier transistor coupled to generate a reference current in response to a control terminal of said first reference transistor;
a second amplifier transistor coupled through second control terminals to said second reference transistor, coupled through current terminals to said first amplifier transistor to define an output node, and having a second current terminal to receive said feedback current; and
a third amplifier transistor to provide said error current in response to an error signal at said output node;
wherein said reference generator includes:
a reference resistor;
a differential amplifier having a first input port coupled to said reference resistor and a second input port to receive a reference voltage; and
a current transistor coupled through control terminals with said first reference transistor and coupled to drive a current through said reference resistor in response to a signal at an output port of said amplifier.

2. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein said second reference transistor is a diode-coupled transistor that is coupled to said first reference transistor through current terminals.

3. The amplifier of claim 1, further including first, second and third cascode transistors coupled together through control terminals and inserted in a cascode relationship with said current transistor, said first reference transistor, and said first amplifier transistor respectively wherein said first cascode transistor is diode-coupled.

4. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein said first and second reference transistors and said first, second and third amplifier transistors are metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors.

5. The amplifier of claim 1, further including:
a buffer transistor inserted to drive said third amplifier transistor in response to said error signal at said output node; and
an offset transistor coupled through current terminals to said buffer transistor and coupled through control terminals to said second amplifier transistor.

6. The amplifier of claim 1, further including an output cascode transistor inserted in a cascode relationship with said third amplifier transistor.

7. An amplifier to provide an error current in response to a feedback current, the amplifier comprising:
a reference generator having first and second reference transistors and arranged to generate a bias current through said first and second reference transistors; and
a differencing amplifier configured to:
provide a reference current to an output node in response to a signal at a first control terminal of said first reference transistor;
provide a feedback current to said output node in response to a signal at a second control terminal of said second reference transistor; and
generate said error current in response to a voltage at said output node;

wherein said differencing amplifier includes:
a first amplifier transistor having a control terminal coupled to said first control terminal and a current terminal coupled to said output node;
a second amplifier transistor having a control terminal coupled to said second control terminal, a first current terminal coupled to said output node, and a second current terminal positioned to receive said feedback current; and
a third amplifier transistor to provide said error current.

8. The amplifier of claim 7, further including:
a buffer transistor inserted to drive said third amplifier transistor in response to said error signal at said output node; and
an offset transistor coupled through current terminals to said buffer transistor and coupled through control terminals to said second amplifier transistor.

9. The amplifier of claim 7, further including an output cascode transistor inserted in a cascode relationship with said third amplifier transistor.

10. An amplifier to provide an error current in response to a feedback current, the amplifier comprising:
a reference generator having first and second reference transistors and arranged to generate a bias current through said first and second reference transistors; and
a differencing amplifier configured to:
provide a reference current to an output node in response to a signal at a first control terminal of said first reference transistor;
provide a feedback current to said output node in response to a signal at a second control terminal of said second reference transistor; and
generate said error current in response to a voltage at said output node;

wherein said second reference transistor is a diode-coupled transistor that is coupled to said first reference transistor through current terminals and wherein said reference generator further includes:
a reference resistor;
a differential amplifier having a first input port coupled to said reference resistor and a second input port to receive a reference voltage; and
a current transistor coupled through control terminals with said first reference transistor and coupled to drive a current through said reference resistor in response to a signal at an output port of said amplifier.

11. The amplifier of claim 10, further including first, second and third cascode transistors coupled together through control terminals and inserted in a cascode relationship with said current transistor, said first reference transistor, and said first amplifier transistor respectively wherein said first cascode transistor is diode-coupled.

12. The amplifier of claim 11, further including a fourth amplifier transistor coupled to be driven by said third cascode transistor and said first amplifier transistor and drain-coupled to said third amplifier transistor.

13. An amplifier to provide an error current in response to a feedback current, the amplifier comprising:
first and second drain-coupled reference transistors;
a reference generator gate-coupled to said first reference transistor to thereby generate a bias current in said first and second reference transistors;
a first amplifier transistor coupled through first gate terminals to said first reference transistor to thereby generate a reference current;
a second amplifier transistor coupled through second gate terminals to said second reference transistor, coupled through drain terminals to said first amplifier transistor to thereby define an output node, and arranged to provide a source terminal to receive said feedback current; and
a third amplifier transistor gate-coupled to said output node and having a drain terminal arranged to provide said error current in response to an error signal at said output node generated by a difference between said reference current and said feedback current.

14. The amplifier of claim 13, wherein said second reference transistor is a diode-coupled transistor.

15. The amplifier of claim 13, wherein said reference generator includes:
a reference resistor;
a differential amplifier having a first input port coupled to said reference resistor and a second input port to receive a reference voltage; and
a current transistor coupled through gate terminals with said first reference transistor and coupled to drive a current through said reference resistor in response to a signal at an output port of said amplifier.