Patent ID: 7956676

Claim:
A semiconductor apparatus, comprising: a constant voltage circuit configured to receive an input voltage through an input terminal and output a prescribed constant voltage through an output terminal, said constant voltage circuit including an output transistor configured to receive a control signal and cause an output current to flow from said input terminal to said output terminal in accordance with the control signal, said constant voltage circuit further including an error amplifier circuit including an output amplifier circuit supplied with a negative side power source voltage and supplied with the input voltage as a positive side power source voltage, and configured to control the output transistor to allow said output current to flow so that an output voltage at the output terminal is in proportion to a reference voltage and becomes constant at a prescribed reference level; a direct current power source including a positive side terminal and a negative side terminal and configured to supply direct current power to the constant voltage circuit; and a voltage creating circuit configured to output a negative voltage higher in magnitude than that of the direct current power; wherein said negative voltage from said voltage creating circuit is a lower voltage than that at the negative side terminal of the direct current power source; wherein a difference between said input voltage and said negative voltage minimizes a turn-on resistance of the output transistor, and wherein said negative voltage from the voltage creating circuit is supplied as said negative side power source voltage of said output amplifier circuit in the error amplifier circuit.