Patent ID: 7397278

Claim:
A level shifting circuit including: (A) a first MOS transistor of a P-channel type, whose source is connected to a power supply of a first electric potential which is higher than a GND electric potential; and (B) a second MOS transistor of an N-channel type, whose source is connected to a GND, and whose drain is connected to a drain of the first MOS transistor, the level shifting circuit performing a level shifting process with respect to an input signal, by (a) inputting, to a gate of the second MOS transistor, a gate signal which corresponds to the input signal to be subjected to the level shifting process, and (b) charging a first load capacitor up to the first electric potential, or discharging the first load capacitor down to the GND level, the first load capacitor being connected to a connection point of respective drains of the first and the second MOS transistors, wherein: the first MOS transistor receives the first control signal inputted to the gate thereof as a gate signal, the first control signal being a binary signal which takes, as binary values, (i) the first electric potential and (ii) a second electric potential which is lower than the first electric potential; the first MOS transistor charges the first load capacitor up to the first electric potential, when the first MOS transistor receives the first control signal of the second electric potential; the second MOS transistor receives a second control signal inputted to a gate thereof as a gate signal, the second control signal being a binary signal which takes, as binary values, (i) the GND electric potential and (ii) a third electric potential which is higher than the GND electric potential, the second control signal being independent from the first control signal; and the second MOS transistor discharges the first load capacitor down to the GND electric potential when the second MOS transistor receives the second control signal of the third electric potential; and both the second electric potential and the third electric potential are electric potentials between the first electric potential and the GND potential.