Patent ID: 7847534

Claim:
A reference current circuit comprising: a voltage generating circuit configured to generate, from a reference voltage which is temperature-compensated, a predetermined voltage at an output point; and a current source circuit including a current mirror composed of a first semiconductor device connected to the output point via a resistor and a second semiconductor device which, as a result of receiving a voltage equal to a voltage across terminals of the first semiconductor device, generates a current corresponding to the received voltage, wherein: the voltage generating circuit (i) includes a third semiconductor device, a voltage across terminals of which has a temperature characteristic identical to the temperature characteristic of the voltage across the terminals of the first semiconductor device, an amplifier circuit, a first resistor, and a second resistor, the amplifier circuit having an inverting input terminal, a non-inverting input terminal, and an output terminal, and (ii) is configured such that (a) the reference voltage is input to the non-inverting input terminal, (b) a voltage at the output terminal is output as the predetermined voltage, (c) the first resistor is inserted in a first wiring connecting the inverting input terminal and a ground terminal, (d) the second resistor is inserted in a second wiring connecting the output terminal and the inverting input terminal, and (e) the third semiconductor device is inserted in the second wiring.