Patent ID: 7123092

Claim:
A differential amplifier comprising: a differential pair of transistors comprising a first transistor including a first conduction terminal, and a second conduction terminal forming a first output node of the differential amplifier, and a second transistor including a first conduction terminal connected to the first conduction terminal of said first transistor, and a second conduction terminal forming a second output node of the differential amplifier; a first inductive load connected between the first output node and a supply reference, and a second inductive load connected between the second output node and the supply reference; a limiting network for limiting output voltages on the first and second output nodes, and comprising a first resistor connected to the first output node, and a second resistor connected to the second output node, said first and second resistors also connected together in series at a common intermediate node, and a first analog switch connected to said first resistor and to the supply reference, and a second analog switch connected to said second resistor and the supply reference, said first and second analog switches being connected together at a common node also connected to the supply reference, and said first and second analog switches being turned on when a voltage on the common intermediate node exceeds a threshold; and a third resistor connected between the common intermediate node and the common node.