Patent Document

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to band-gap reference circuits, and more specifically, to a low power, low noise, fast startup, 1-volt operation band-gap reference circuit using second order curvature correction. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Band-gap circuits are well known devices that are used to provide a reference voltage that is relatively constant across a wide temperature range. Exemplary band-gap circuits are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,863 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,320. The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,887,863 and 6,278,320 are hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure as if fully set forth herein. 
     The theory of operation of band-gap reference circuits is well known in the art. Two different sized base-emitter diodes are biased with the same current level. Since the diodes are the same size, the diodes operate in different current density. The differences in current density are used to generate a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) current. The PTAT current develops a voltage across a resistor, thereby creating a PTAT voltage. The PTAT voltage is proportional to absolute temperature and has a positive temperature coefficient. This voltage is then summed to a base-emitter junction voltage of a diode that has a negative temperature coefficient. The negative temperature coefficient and the positive temperature coefficient cancel each other out, so that the combined voltage across the resistor and the base-emitter junction is constant over temperature. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates conventional band-gap reference circuit  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the prior art. Band-gap reference circuit  100  comprises capacitor  195 , current sources  110  and  115 , amplifiers  120  and  125 , N-channel transistors  131 - 133 , resistors  140  and  145 , PNP bipolar junction transistors  151 - 153 , amplifier  160 , P-channel transistor  165 , and resistor  170 . PNP bipolar junction transistors  151 - 153  are connected as diodes and are referred to hereafter as PNP diodes  151 - 153 . According to an exemplary embodiment, PNP diode  151  has an area that is eight times larger than the area of PNP diode  152  (i.e., 8:1 ratio). 
     Current sources  110  and  115  are current mirrors that generate identical currents I 1  and I 2 , respectively. Amplifier 120 samples the voltage on the drain of N-channel transistor  131 , a high impedance node. Amplifier  125  converts the output of amplifier  120  to a control voltage that is applied to the gates of N-channel transistors  131 - 133 . The control voltage forces transistors  131  and  132 ,to deliver equal currents I 1  and I 2  to PNP diodes  151  and  152 , respectively. Capacitor  105  sets the dominant pole of the feedback loop formed by amplifiers  120  and  125  and N-channel transistor  131 . 
     A temperature independent band-gap reference voltage, V(bg), is established by summing the voltage across a resistor (having a positive temperature coefficient) and the base-emitter voltage, V(be), of a pn junction of a pnp diode having negative temperature coefficient. Typically, the sizes of the pnp diodes are chosen with an 8:1 area ratios (the result of using common centroid matching geometry throughout the industry), as in the case of PNP diodes  151  and  152 , so that the PNP diodes operate at unequal current densities. 
     Let: 
     1) PNP diode  151  be denoted as D 1 ; 
     2) PNP diode  152  be denoted as D 2 ; and 
     3) PNP diode  153  be denoted as D 3 . 
     From FIG. 1 it can be seen that: 
     
       
           V ( be ) D2   =V ( be ) D1   +I   1 ( Ri ),  [Eqn. 1] 
       
     
     where Ri is the resistance value of resistor  140 . 
     The current, i, in a PNP diode is given by the equation: 
       i=I   S ( e   V(be)/V     1   ),  [Eqn. 2] 
     where i is proportional to area. Rearranging terms in Equation 2 gives: 
     
       
           V ( be )= V   T [ln( i/I   S )].  [Eqn. 3] 
       
     
     Substituting V(be) in Equation 3 into Equation 1 gives the expression: 
     
       
           V ( be ) D2   −V ( be ) D1   =I   1 ( Ri )= V   T [ln(8 i   D1   /i   D1 ],  [Eqn. 4] 
       
     
     where i D1  is the current in D 1  (i.e., PNP diode  151 ) and i D2  is the current in D 2  (i.e., PNP diode  152 ). Since i D1  and i D2  are equal, Equation 4 reduces to: 
     
       
           I   1 ( Ri )= V   T (ln 8)  [Eqn. 5] 
       
     
     Thus, the current I 1  in PNP diode  151  is: 
     
       
           I   1 = V   T (ln 8)/ Ri.   [Eqn. 6] 
       
     
     It is noted that V T , the thermal voltage has a positive temperature coefficient, V T =+26 mV, at room temperature. Thus, the current I 1  is proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT). 
     The current I 1  is mirrored by the current I 3  in N-channel transistor  133 . The current I 3  may be used to establish a band-gap reference voltage, V(bg) for use in biasing, where: 
     
       
           V ( bg )= I   3 ( k*Rr )+ V ( be ) D3 .  [Eqn. 7] 
       
     
     By selecting a suitable multiplier, k, such that dV(bg)/dT=0, V(bg) becomes independent of temperature. 
     Furthermore, it is possible to generate a reference current, I 4 , that is proportional to V(bg). This is achieved by the feedback loop formed by amplifier  160 , P-channel transistor  165  and resistor  170 , which generate I 4 =V(bg)/Ro, where Ro is the resistance value of resistor  170 . 
     As FIG. 1 shows, the band-gap circuit provides a temperature compensated reference voltage output for use by other circuits in a system. A temperature insensitive, high-tolerance band-gap reference circuit is an indispensable building block in modern chip level integrated circuits (ICs). Band-gap reference circuits are used for biasing analog circuits, as a reference level for data converters, to set trip points for comparators and sensors, and the like. 
     Some applications, such as data converters and low drop-out (LDO) voltage regulators, require low-noise characteristics and a high PSRR (power supply rejection ratio). Prior art devices may employ large value filter capacitor to improve noise and PSRR performance. However, this impacts system cost and board size and, worst of all, slows down turn-on time (i.e., the time it takes for the band-gap reference circuit to stabilize the output voltage after being turned on). For example, many cellular telephones conserve battery power by periodically turning off various circuit-blocks. If the turn-on time is too long, it is not practical to shut off these circuits. This wastes power and impacts system performance. Since band-gap reference circuits are relatively slow to startup, it is necessary that a faster startup technique be incorporated to meet the current needs of cellular telephone and other similar power critical applications. 
     As mentioned, conventional band-gap reference circuit  100  consumes a relatively large amount of current (&gt;100 microamperes) and is slow to start up (&gt;100 microseconds). Additionally, many modern portable applications, such as cellular telephones and pagers, operate from a +1.2 power supply rail. The V(be) base-emitter voltage drops in band-gap reference circuit  100  leave very little voltage margin with which to operate. 
     Furthermore, the current (i) in a PNP diode, as defined in Equation 2, exhibits non-linear behavior at high temperature. This is a key element that leads to large variation of band-gap voltage over temperature. Reducing such a variation often requires the introduction of a suitable correction current. Prior art current correction devices require elaborate circuitry and trimming techniques to generate an appropriate non-linear correction current that mitigates the nonlinear behavior of the PNP diode current at high temperature. The result is a flatter band-gap voltage profile over temperature. 
     Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved band-gap reference circuit that is capable of operating from a low voltage (e.g., +1.2 volts) power supply rail. More particularly, there is a band-gap reference circuit that uses a simple circuit to generate an appropriate non-linear correction current to correct the nonlinear behavior of the PNP diode current at high temperature. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved band-gap reference circuit. According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the band-gap reference circuit comprises: 1) a first current source for generating a first reference current; 2) a first circuit branch for receiving a portion of the first reference current, the first circuit branch comprising a first resistor having a positive temperature coefficient connected in series with a base-emitter junction of a first PNP diode having a negative temperature coefficient, wherein an emitter current of the first PNP diode develops a first combined voltage across the series connection of the first resistor and the base-emitter junction of the first PNP diode; 3) a comparison circuit for comparing the first combined voltage to a base-emitter voltage of a second PNP diode and, in response to the comparison, adjusting a band-gap reference voltage; and 4) a correction current generating circuit capable of injecting a correction current into an emitter of the second PNP diode, wherein the injected correction current at least partially offsets a non-linear drop-off in the band-gap reference voltage caused by the second PNP diode as temperature increases. 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention, the band-gap reference circuit further comprises a second current source for generating a second reference current equal to the first reference current, wherein the emitter of the second PNP diode receives at least a portion of the second reference current. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, the correction current generating circuit comprises a first biased-off P-channel transistor, wherein a first leakage current of the first biased-off P-channel transistor comprises at least a portion of the correction current. 
     According to still another embodiment of the present invention, the first leakage current increases non-linearly as temperature increases. 
     According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the correction current generating circuit comprises a second biased-off P-channel transistor, wherein a second leakage current of the second biased-off P-channel transistor comprises at least a portion of the correction current. 
     According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the second leakage current increases non-linearly as temperature increases. 
     According to a still further embodiment of the present invention, the band-gap reference circuit further comprises a correction current control circuit for combining the first and second leakage currents to form the correction current. 
     According to a yet further embodiment of the present invention, the correction current control circuit combines the first and second leakage currents according to a process corner of the band-gap reference circuit. 
     Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional band-gap reference circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the prior art; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a cellular telephone containing a band-gap reference circuit according to the principles of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a band-gap reference circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a second order curvature correction circuit for use in the band-gap reference circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 5A through 5D illustrate the effect of the second order curvature correct circuit; and 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a fast start-up circuit for use in the band-gap reference circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIGS. 2 through 6, discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present invention in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present invention may be implemented in any suitably arranged electronic device that requires a band-gap reference voltage. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates cellular telephone  200 , which contains band-gap reference circuit  240  according to the principles of the present invention. Cellular telephone  200  contains printed circuit board (PCB)  201 , which comprises analog-to-digital converter (ADC)  205 , low-drop-out (LDO) voltage regulator  210 , audio amplifiers  215 , codec  220 , controller  225 , battery  230 , and band-gap reference circuit  240 . The V(bg) reference output from band-gap reference circuit  240  provides the voltage reference for ADC  205 , LDO voltage regulator  210 , audio amplifiers  215  and codec  220 , among other circuits. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, controller  230  of cellular telephone  200  is capable of conserving power and prolonging the operating life of battery  220  by periodically shutting down band-gap reference circuit  240 , and many of the other electrical circuits in cellular telephone  200 . If the turn-on time of band-gap reference circuit  240  is made extremely short (e.g. 2 microseconds) compared to the 100+microseconds of conventional designs, cellular telephone  200  can be powered back up without any significant delay, thereby saving considerable power over time. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the fast startup of band-gap reference circuit  240  is accomplished by injecting a suitable pre-charge current within 0.5 microseconds after power-up into the output of amplifier  310 , which drives the common gate nodes of PMOS transistors  301 - 304  shown in FIG.  3 . This pre-charge current is injected using a simple pre-charge circuit, such as the circuit shown in FIG.  6 . The pre-charge circuit opens a switch that injects a large amount of current during a short window of time generated by a one-shot circuit formed by an ex-OR gate, a capacitor, and inverters. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates band-gap reference circuit  240  in greater detail according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Band-gap reference circuit  240  comprises P-channel transistors  301 - 304 , amplifier  310 , PNP bipolar junction transistors  320  and  325 , and resistors  331 - 334 . PNP bipolar junction transistors  320  and  325  are connected as diodes and are referred to hereafter as PNP diodes  320  and  325 . According to an exemplary embodiment, PNP diode  320  has an area that is eight times larger than the area of PNP diode  325  (i.e., 8:1 ratio). As will be explained in FIG. 4 in greater detail, the accuracy of the V(bg) reference voltage may be significantly enhanced by a second order curvature correction circuit  400  (shown in FIG. 4) that injects a correction current, I(CORR), into the node at the emitter of PNP diode  325 . Also, as will be explained in FIG. 6 in greater detail, the startup speed of band-gap reference circuit  240  may be greatly decreased by fast start-up circuit  600  (shown in FIG.  6 ), which initially injects a pre-charge current at the output of amplifier  310  forcing this node to attain its equilibrium voltage value almost instantly. Nominally, within a short period of time (e.g., less than 2 microseconds), the gate voltage of P-channel transistors  301 - 304  is rapidly pulled to its final operating state. 
     A conventional band-gap circuit typically employs a startup circuit to ensure the band-gap circuit is correctly powered up. This is due to the fact that a band-gap circuit has two stable states. That is, the band-gap circuit may startup with V(bg)=0 volts and may remain in that state. Alternatively, the band-gap circuit may start up to the desired band-gap voltage level. Thus, an auxiliary circuit is almost always incorporated to ensure that a band-gap circuit starts up to the desired voltage. In the exemplary embodiment, the startup circuit senses the V(bg) node of the band-gap reference circuit for a low voltage (i.e., 0 volts) and forces a small amount of current to the v-(i.e., inverting) input of amplifier  310 , which develops a positive voltage and thus starts up band-gap reference circuit  240 . Once V(bg) becomes non-zero, the start up circuit is shut off. 
     Both the startup circuit and the pre-charge (fast start) circuit work together initially during the power-on sequence to ensure the band-gap circuit powers up correctly and, more importantly, powers up quickly to improve system performance. The latter is a feature that has not been incorporated in conventional designs. The fast start-up circuit  600  generates a pre-charge current which causes the bias voltage, V(PC), node to initially go very low to rapidly turn on P-channel transistors  301 - 304 . 
     The gates of P-channel transistors  301 - 304  are connected together at the output of amplifier  310 . The sources of P-channel transistors are all connected to the VDD supply rail. Thus, P-channel transistors  301 - 304  all have the same gate-to-source voltage (Vgs) and have the same drain-to-source currents. This means that P-channel transistors  301 - 304  are current mirrors and currents I 5 , I 6 , I 7 , and I 8  are identical. 
     The non-inverting input of amplifier  310  samples the voltage on the drain of P-channel transistor  301  and the inverting input of amplifier  310  samples the drain voltage of P-channel transistor  302 . Current I 5  is forced into the circuit branch formed by resistors  331  and  332  and PNP diode  320 . Current I 6 , which is equal to current I 5 , is forced into the circuit branch formed by resistor  333  and PNP diode  325 . Thus, the sum of the currents in resistors  331  and  332  equal the sum of the currents in resistor  333  and PNP diode  325 . 
     Let PNP diode  320  be denoted as “D 3 ” and let PNP diode  325  be denoted as “D 4 ”. Also, let R 331 , R 332 , R 333  and R 334  denote the resistance values of resistors  331 - 334 , respectively. 
     From FIG. 3 it can be seen that, since the non-inverting input voltage v+ and the inverting input voltage v− of amplifier  310  are equal, then: 
     
       
           V ( be ) D4   =V+=V−.   [Eqn. 8] 
       
     
     since resistor  331  is coupled between v+ and ground, resistor  333  is coupled between v− and ground, and v+ and v− are equal, the same voltage drop exists across resistors  331  and  333 . If resistors  331  and  333  are chosen so that R 333 =R 331 , then the current I(R 331 ) through resistor  331  is equal to the current I(R 333 ) through resistor  333 . Since I 5 =I 6  and I(R 331 )=I(R 333 ), then [I 5 -I(R 331 )]=[I 6 -I(R 333 )]. 
     Since i D4 =[I 5 -I(R 331 )] and i D3 =[I 6 -I(R 333 )], then: 
     
       
           i   D4   =i   D3   [Eqn. 9] 
       
     
     and 
     
       
           V ( be ) D4   =V ( be ) D3   +i   D3 ( R   332 ).  [Eqn. 10] 
       
     
     Regrouping terms gives: 
     
       
           i   D3   =[V ( be ) D4   −V ( be ) D3 ]/( R   332 ).  [Eqn. 11] 
       
     
     The current, i, in a PNP diode is given by the equation: 
     
       
           i=I   S ( e   V(be)/V     T   ),  [Eqn. 12] 
       
     
     where i is proportional to area. Rearranging terms in Equations 11 and 12 gives: 
     
       
           i   D3   =i   D4   =[V   T (ln 8)/( R   332 )  [Eqn. 13] 
       
     
     where i D3  is the current in D 3  (i.e., PNP diode  320 ) and i D4  is the current in D 4  (i.e., PNP diode  325 ). 
     It is again noted that: 
     
       
           I   5 = i   D3   +I ( R   331 ). 
       
     
     Furthermore: 
     
       
           i   D3   =[V   T (ln 8)/( R   332 ) 
       
     
     has a positive temperature coefficient and 
     
       
           I ( R   331 )= V ( be ) D4 /( R   331 ) 
       
     
     has a negative temperature coefficient (i.e., V(be) is −2 mv/degree Celsius). 
     Since I 7  is equal to I 5 , and I 5 =i D3 +I(R 331 ), substituting terms gives: 
     
       
           V ( bg ) =I   7 ( R   334 )=[[ V   T  (ln 8)/( R   332 )]+ V ( be ) D4 /( R   331 )]( R   334 ).  [Eqn. 14] 
       
     
     Therefore, it can be seen (to a first order of effects) that the band-gap circuit depends only on the ratio of the resistors value and PNP diode sizes, and is proportional to V T  and V(be). 
     A band-gap current reference, I 8 , equal to I 5 , I 6 , and I 7  is provided by P-channel transistor  304 . This is the key application requirement related to the present invention. 
     Band-gap reference circuit  240  has numerous advantages over conventional band-gap reference circuit  100 : 
     1) band-gap reference circuit  240  is capable of operating at VDD=1 Volt (or lower). 
     2) The band-gap reference voltage, V(bg), may be less than +1.2 volts and any desirable V(bg) reference value may be tapped off resistor  334 . 
     3) The band-gap reference current, I 8 , is simply mirrored out by P-channel transistor  304  and no additional amplifiers or other circuitry are needed. 
     4) A lower operating current (&lt;10 microamperes) is possible with larger current setting resistors (mega-ohm range). Thus, branch currents are 1 microampere or less. 
     5) The noise current is made smaller with larger resistors, since the square of the noise current is equal to 4 kT/R (i.e., noise current is inversely proportional to R). 
     However, band-gap reference circuit  240  may be further improved by taking advantage of the process device leakage current characteristics. This may be done by implementing a second order curvature correction circuit that can significantly enhance the accuracy of the V(bg) reference voltage. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates second order curvature correction circuit  400  for use with band-gap reference circuit  240  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The accuracy of the V(bg), reference voltage in FIG. 3 may be significantly enhanced by second order curvature correction circuit  400 , which injects a correction current, I(CORR), into the node at the emitter of PNP diode  325  in FIG.  3 . Second order curvature correction circuit  400  comprises P-channel transistors  411 - 413 , P-channel transistors  421 - 423  and P-channel transistors  431 - 433 . Second order curvature correction circuit  400  further comprises inverters  441 - 444 , NAND gate  450 , NOR gate  444 , and NAND gate  460 . 
     The correction current, I(CORR), is determined by the leakage current characteristics of P-channel transistors  411 ,  421  and  431 . It is noted that the gates and sources of P-channel transistors  411 ,  421  and  431  are connected to the VDD power supply rail. Hence, P-channel transistors  411 ,  421  and  431  are biased OFF and only the leakage currents of these devices contribute to I(CORR). Properly sizing each one of P-channel transistors  411 ,  421  and  431  enables second order curvature correction circuit  400  to generate the proper non-linear connection current, I(CORR) for different process corners. In principle, one and only one of P-channel transistors  412 ,  422  and  423  are enabled at the same time, so that only one of P-channel transistors  411 ,  421  and  431  generates I(CORR). In practice, however, the correction current, I(CORR), may be generated by selectively combining currents from two or more of transistors  411 ,  421 , and  431  (for different process corners) as depicted in Table 1, thereby saving silicon area. This is a more practical and efficient implementation. 
     Inverter  442  ensures that when P-channel transistor  412  is ON, P-channel transistor  413  is OFF, and also ensures that when P-channel transistor  412  is OFF, P-channel transistor  413  is ON and shunts the leakage current of P-channel transistor  411  to ground. Inverter  443  ensures that when P-channel transistor  422  is ON, P-channel transistor  423  is OFF and also ensures that when P-channel transistor  422  is OFF, P-channel transistor  423  is ON and shunts the leakage current of P-channel transistor  421  to ground. Finally, inverter  444  ensures that when P-channel transistor  432  is ON, P-channel transistor  433  is OFF and also ensures that when P-channel transistor  432  is OFF, P-channel transistor  433  is ON and shunts the leakage current of P-channel transistor  431  to ground. 
     P-channel transistors  412 ,  422  and  432  are used to select P-channel transistors  411 ,  421  and  431  according to the desired process corner (i.e., fast, typical, or slow). The correction current control bits B 1  and B 0  determine which ones of P-channel transistors  412 ,  422  and  432  are ON according to Table 1 below: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 B1 
                 B0 
                 T432 
                 T412 
                 T422 
                 Corner 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 0 
                 0 
                 OFF 
                 ON 
                 ON 
                 slow 
               
               
                   
                 0 
                 1 
                 OFF 
                 OFF 
                 OFF 
                 bypass 
               
               
                   
                 1 
                 0 
                 OFF 
                 ON 
                 OFF 
                 fast 
               
               
                   
                 1 
                 1 
                 ON 
                 ON 
                 OFF 
                 typical 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The correction current, I(CORR), injected at the node at the drain of P-channel transistor flows through resistor  333  and changes the voltage on the inverting node of amplifier  310 . As I(CORR) increases, the voltage across resistor  333  increases and the output of amplifier  310  drives the gates of P-channel transistors  301 - 304  lower, thereby increasing currents I 5 , I 6 , I 7  and I 8 . The increase in current I 7  increases the voltage at V(bg) in FIG.  3 . Conversely, if I(CORR) decreases, the output of amplifier  310  increases, currents I 5 , I 6 , I 7  and I 8  decrease, and the voltage V(bg) decreases. 
     FIGS. 5A through 5D illustrate the effect of second order curvature correct circuit  400  in FIG. 4 on the band-gap reference voltage, V(bg). 
     FIG. 5A illustrates curve  501 , which depicts V(bg) across the temperature range from T 1 =−40° C. to T 2 =+120° C. before curvature correction is applied. Without curvature correction, the first order band-gap reference circuit (shown in FIG. 3) has a V(bg) vs. temperature profile having a parabola-like shape, with a peak-to-peak amplitude variation of about +/−3 mV relative to a nominal value of V(bg)=+1.200 volts. 
     However, the V(bg) vs. temperature profile in FIG. 5A may be intentionally skewed by trimming resistor R 332  in FIG.  3 . FIG. 5B illustrates curve  502 , which depicts a skewed V(bg) profile across the temperature range from T 1 =−40° C. to T 2 =+120° C. before curvature correction is applied. The V(bg) vs. temperature profile is not symmetrical, as in FIG. 5A, but rather rolls off more rapidly as temperature increases. However, the positive peak value is not at as great (i.e., about +1.226) as in FIG.  5 A. 
     FIG. 5C illustrates curve  503 , which depicts the leakage current profile of P-channel transistors  411 ,  421  and  431  across a range of temperature from T 1 =−40° C. to T 2 =+120° C. Leakage current has a non-linear characteristic over temperature. As FIG. 5C illustrates, the leakage current has an exponential rise over temperature. However, the leakage current is well modeled and is based on the reverse current (JS), junction areas, etc. The present invention takes advantage of this normally undesirable effect and turns it into a useful, simple curvature correction current generator to enhance the accuracy of the band-gap reference circuit. Specifically, the rising exponential of the leakage current is used to offset the steep roll-off of the V(bg) reference voltage shown in FIG.  5 B. 
     FIG. 5D illustrates curve  504 , which depicts V(bg) across the temperature range from Ti=−40° C. to T 2 =+120° C. after curvature correction is applied. As FIG. 5D illustrates, as temperature increases, the leakage current from one or more of P-channel transistors  411 ,  421  and  431  increases and is injected as I(CORR) in FIG.  3 . The increasing leakage current offsets the increasing steepness of the roll-off of V(bg) in FIG.  5 B. Thus, curve  504  has less variation across the temperature range from T 1 =−40° C. to T 2 =+120° C. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates fast start-up circuit  600  for use with band-gap reference circuit  240  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Fast start-up circuit  600  comprises exclusive-OR (XOR) gate  605 , inverters  610  and  615 , capacitor  620 , pre-charge bias generator  625 , P-channel transistors  641 ,  642  and  643 , and N-channel transistors  651  and  652 . 
     Initially, the V(bg) signal from FIG. 3 is zero volts and the Band-Gap Enable signal is also zero volts. Since Band-gap Enable is low, the output of inverter  601  is high and the output of inverter  615  is low. Thus, the charge on capacitor  620  is zero volts and the two inputs of XOR gate  605  are both low. This means that the Start signal at the output of XOR gate  605  is low (i.e., OFF), pre-charge bias generator  625  is off, and the pre-charge voltage, V(PC), is off (i.e., high impedance state). 
     The high at the output of inverter  610  biases P-channel transistor  641  off. Since V(bg) is low, N-channel transistor  651  also is off. Since P-channel transistor  641  and N-channel transistor  651  are both off, N-channel transistor  652  also is off. Since N-channel transistor  652  is off, P-channel transistors  642  and  643  are both off. 
     When the Band-Gap Enable signal finally goes high, the output of inverter  610  instantly goes low, but the output of inverter  615  is prevented from instantly going high by capacitor  620 . Thus, the inputs of XOR gate  605  are temporarily different so that the output of XOR gate  605  (i.e. the Start signal) temporarily goes high. This enables pre-charge bias generator  625  to briefly generate a low voltage (i.e., zero) at V(PC) that is used to rapidly turn on P-channel transistors  301 - 304 . 
     Also, when the Band-Gap Enable signal goes high and causes the output of inverter  610  to instantly go low, P-channel transistor  641  turns on, thereby increasing the gate voltage on N-channel transistor  652  and turning on N-channel transistor  652 . When N-channel transistor  652  turns on, P-channel transistors  642  and  643  also turn on. The drain current of P-channel transistor  643  is the start-up current, I(SU), which is injected at the node of resistor  333  and the inverting input of amplifier  310 . The current I(SU) increases the voltage across resistor  333  and biases the inverting input of amplifier  310  so that the output of amplifier  310  is driven low. 
     Thus, the combined effects of I(SU) and V(PC) are: (a) to ensure V(bg) is non-zero; and (b) to rapidly turn on P-channel transistors  301 - 304 . The rapid turn on of P-channel transistor  303  means that V(bg) begins to rise very quickly after the Band-Gap Enable signal goes high. As V(bg) rises, N-channel transistor  651  turns on and shorts the gate of N-channel transistor  652  to ground, thereby shutting N-channel transistor  652  off. When N-channel transistor  652  turns off, P-channel transistors  642  and  643  also turn off, thereby shutting off the start-up current, I(SU). 
     Also, as the output current of inverter  615  charges the voltage on capacitor  620  to a high state, both inputs of XOR gate  605  become high and the Start signal at the output of ZOR gate  605  becomes low again. This turns off pre-charge bias generator  625 , so that the V(PC) output goes back to a high impedance state. 
     Thus, the start-up current, I(SU) and the bias voltage, V(PC), are only active for a very brief period of time (i.e., less than 0.5 microseconds) after the Band-Gap Enable signal goes high. The duration of V(PC) is controlled by the charge time of capacitor  620 , which is determined by the output current of inverter  615  and the value of capacitance of capacitor  620 . The duration of I(SU) is determined by how fast the band-gap reference voltage, V(bg), rises and turns on N-channel transistor  651 . 
     Although the present invention has been described with an exemplary embodiment, various changes and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the present invention encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Category: 3