Patent ID: 8723573

Claim:
An output driver having a reduced crowbar current and a controlled slew rate, the output driver comprising: a pull-up network comprising a first plurality of resistive branches forming a first R-2R resistive ladder structure, wherein each of the first plurality of resistive branches of the pull-up network is coupled to a high voltage supply through one of a plurality of pull-up switching transistors; a pull-down network comprising a second plurality of resistive branches forming a second R-2R resistive ladder structure, wherein each of the second plurality of resistive branches of the pull-down network is coupled to a low voltage supply through one of a plurality of pull-down switching transistors; and a control circuit coupled to a gate of each of the plurality of pull-up switching transistors and pull-down switching transistors, the control circuit to selectively activate or deactivate each of the first plurality of resistive branches through the pull-up switching transistors and to selectively activate or deactivate each of the second plurality of resistive branches through the pull-down switching transistors to reduce the crowbar current of the output driver when switching between complementary logic states.