Patent ID: 8742803

Claim:
An output driver, comprising: a first p-channel transistor having a drain, a source, and a gate, wherein the source of the first p-channel transistor is coupled to a first voltage bus; a first n-channel transistor having a drain, a source, and a gate, wherein the drains of the first p-channel transistor and the first n-channel transistor are coupled to an output of the output driver, and the source of the first n-channel transistor is coupled to a second voltage bus; a second p-channel transistor coupled between an input and the gate of the first p-channel transistor in a source-follower configuration; and a second n-channel transistor coupled between the input and the gate of the first n-channel transistor in a source-follower configuration, wherein the drain of the second n-channel transistor is coupled to a third voltage bus, and wherein the first voltage bus is different from the third voltage bus, and wherein the first and the third voltage buses are configured such that the output driver is enabled to provide an output voltage that exceeds breakdown voltages of the first p-channel transistor and the first n-channel transistor.