Patent ID: 8583249

Claim:
A method of operating an implantable pulse generator (IPG) for stimulation of tissue of a patient, the method comprising: generating a variable anode voltage by first circuitry to drive current during generation of respective electrical pulses, the first circuitry being programmable to generate the anode voltage from a plurality of voltages in response to a control signal; providing the anode voltage to a first circuit node during generation of the respective electrical pulses; operating a transistor to control current flow between the first circuit node and an output of the IPG during generation of the respective electrical pulses, wherein the transistor possesses a gate-to-source breakdown voltage and a maximum voltage from the plurality of voltages employed for the anode voltage exceeds the gate-to-source breakdown voltage of the transistor; generating a first supply signal that is maintained at a voltage level equal to the anode voltage plus or minus a predetermined amount; and selectively applying the first supply signal and a second supply signal to a gate of the transistor to connect or disconnect the first circuit node in a circuit path with the output of the IPG during generation of the respective pulses, wherein the difference between the first supply signal and the anode voltage is less than the gate-to-source breakdown voltage of the transistor.