Super source follower

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12199575-B2
Application number	US-202418417561-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2024
Priority date	Apr 6, 2022
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment, a circuit includes: a first super source follower; a compensation circuit having a compensating node configured to provide a voltage of opposite phase of a voltage of an internal node of the first super source follower; and a first compensation capacitor coupled between an input of the first super source follower and the compensating node of the compensation circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit comprising:
a first source follower transistor;
a first amplifier having an input coupled to a drain of the first source follower transistor and an output coupled to a source of the first source follower transistor;
a compensation circuit having a compensating node configured to provide a voltage of opposite phase of a voltage of the drain of the first source follower transistor; and
a first compensation capacitor coupled between a gate of the first source follower transistor and the compensating node of the compensation circuit.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a voltage divider coupled between the output of the first amplifier and the source of the first source follower transistor.

3. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first amplifier comprises:
a first amplifying transistor having a gate coupled to the drain of the first source follower transistor and a drain coupled to the source of the first source follower transistor.

4. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the compensation circuit comprises:
a second source follower transistor; and
a second amplifier having an input coupled to a drain of the second source follower transistor and an output coupled to a source of the second source follower transistor, wherein the compensating node is at the drain of the second source follower transistor.

5. The circuit of claim 4 , further comprising a second compensation capacitor coupled between a gate of the second source follower transistor and the drain of the first source follower transistor, wherein the drain of the second source follower transistor comprises the compensating node of the compensation circuit.

6. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a MEMS device coupled to the gate of the first source follower transistor.

7. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein the MEMS device comprises a MEMS acoustic sensor.

8. A circuit comprising:
a first transistor having a control node coupled to a first input node;
a first amplifier having an input coupled to an output node of the first transistor and an output coupled to a reference node of the first transistor;
a second transistor having a control node coupled to a second input node;
a second amplifier having an input coupled to an output node of the second transistor and an output coupled to a reference node of the second transistor;
a first capacitor coupled between the control node of the first transistor and the output node of the second transistor; and
a second capacitor coupled between the control node of the second transistor and the output node of the first transistor.

9. The circuit of claim 8 , wherein:
the first transistor comprises a first MOSFET, the control node of the first transistor comprises a gate of the first MOSFET, the output node of the first transistor comprises a drain of the first MOSFET, and the reference node of the first transistor comprises a source of the first MOSFET; and
the second transistor comprises a first MOSFET, the control node of the second transistor comprises a gate of the first MOSFET, the output node of the second transistor comprises a drain of the first MOSFET, and the reference node of the second transistor comprises a source of the first MOSFET.

10. The circuit of claim 8 , wherein:
the first amplifier comprises a first amplifying transistor having a control node coupled to the output node of the first transistor and an output node coupled to the reference node of the first transistor; and
the second amplifier comprises a second amplifying transistor having a control node coupled to the output node of the second transistor and an output node coupled to the reference node of the second transistor.

11. The circuit of claim 10 , further comprising
a first current source coupled to the reference node of the first transistor; a first cascode transistor coupled between the reference node of the first transistor and the control node of the first amplifying transistor;
a first amplifier current source coupled to the control node of the first amplifying transistor; a second current source coupled to the reference node of the second transistor;
a second cascode transistor coupled between the reference node of the second transistor and the control node of the second amplifying transistor; and
a second amplifier current source coupled to the control node of the second amplifying transistor.

12. The circuit of claim 11 , wherein:
the first transistor, the second transistor, the first amplifying transistor, the second amplifying transistor, the first amplifier current source, and the second amplifier current source each comprises a respective PMOS transistor; and
the first current source, the second current source, the first cascode transistor and the second cascode transistor each comprises a respective NMOS transistor.

13. The circuit of claim 8 , further comprising:
a first resistor coupled between the output of the first amplifier and the reference node of the first transistor;
a second resistor coupled between the reference node of the first transistor and the reference node of the second transistor; and
a third resistor coupled between the output of the second amplifier and the reference node of the second transistor.

14. The circuit of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first resistor, the second resistor or the third resistor comprises an adjustable resistor.

15. The circuit of claim 8 , wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor each comprises a respective programmable capacitor.

16. The circuit of claim 8 , further comprising a MEMS device having a first output node coupled to the first input node, and a second output node coupled to the second input node.

17. The circuit of claim 16 , wherein the MEMS device comprises a differential MEMS device.

18. The circuit of claim 8 , wherein a capacitance of the first capacitor and a capacitance of the second capacitor is set such that a first impedance at the first input node and a second impedance at the second input node comprises impedances having a positive real part.

19. A method comprising:
amplifying a first output signal from a MEMS device to produce a first amplified output signal using a first circuit comprising a first transistor having a control node coupled to a first input node, and a first amplifier having an input coupled to an output node of the first transistor and an output coupled to a reference node of the first transistor;
amplifying a second output signal from the MEMS device to produce a second amplified output signal using a second circuit comprising a second transistor having a control node coupled to a second input node, and a second amplifier having an input coupled to an output node of the second transistor and an output coupled to a reference node of the second transistor;
compensating a negative real input resistance of the first circuit by coupling a first compensating signal generated at the output node of the second transistor to the first input node; and
compensating a negative real input resistance of the second circuit by coupling a second compensating signal generated at the output node of the first transistor to the second input node.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein:
coupling the first compensating signal is performed using a first capacitor; and
coupling the first compensating signal is performed using a second capacitor.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Ceballos Jose Luis
• Ciciotti Fulvio
• Muehlbacher Benno
• Wiesbauer Andreas

Classifications

• H04R2201/003

  Mems transducers or their use · CPC title

• H04R19/04

  Microphones (H04R19/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R3/00

  Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title

• H03F2200/03

  the amplifier being designed for audio applications · CPC title

• H03F3/45192

  Folded cascode stages · CPC title