1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of bandgap voltage reference circuits, and particularly to circuits and methods that compensate for the bandgap curvature term in the outputs of such circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Voltage reference circuits generate one or more reference voltages that are ideally stabilized over process, supply voltage, and temperature variations. Reference circuits which create an output based on the bandgap voltage of silicon largely achieve these ideals, and are one of the most popular types of voltage reference circuit.
The output of a conventional bandgap reference circuit is about 1.25 volts. This typically requires that the supply voltage for the reference circuit be no lower than 1.25 volts. However, there is an ever-increasing demand for low power and low voltage operation, which may make this limitation unacceptable.
A number of bandgap references have been proposed which overcome this supply voltage limitation. One such circuit is described in “A CMOS Bandgap Reference Circuit with Sub-1-V Operation”, Banba et al., JSSC Vol. 34, No. 5, May 1999, pp 670-674. This reference circuit provides a temperature compensated reference voltage with a supply voltage of less than 1 volt. However, the output of a basic bandgap reference circuit compensates for the temperature dependencies of the output voltage only to a first order. One reason for this is that the base-emitter voltage (Vbe) of a bipolar transistor does not change linearly with temperature. This nonlinearity results in a “bandgap curvature” error in the output voltage which varies over temperature. The circuit described in Banba does not address this error, and as such, its reference voltage output may not be adequate for some applications.
Various approaches to compensate for the nonlinearity of Vbe have been proposed. One such approach is described in “Curvature-Compensated BiCMOS Bandgap with 1-V Supply Voltage”, Malcovati et al., JSSC Vol. 36, No 7, May 1999, pp 1076-1081. Here, additional transistors and resistors are added to the reference circuit to provide curvature compensation. However, the additional components have relatively large values and require relatively large areas, adding cost and complexity to the design.
A curvature corrected bandgap reference circuit and method are presented, which provide a curvature compensated reference voltage with a low overhead voltage and a small total resistance.
The present reference circuit comprises a first bipolar transistor having a base-emitter voltage Vbe1 and operated such that it has a constant operating current, and a second bipolar transistor having a base-emitter voltage Vbe2 and operated such that it has an operating current consisting of an approximately temperature proportional component and a non-linear component. The circuit is arranged such that the ratio of the current densities in the first and second bipolar transistors varies with temperature such that the difference voltage ΔVbe=Vbe1−Vbe2 includes a residual component which approximately compensates bandgap curvature error.
In one embodiment, first and second bipolar transistors (Q1 and Q2)—which can be CMOS— parasitic substrate transistors—have their respective bases and collectors connected to first and second circuit common points, respectively. First and second current sources provide currents I1 and I2 to first and second nodes, respectively. The emitter of Q1 is coupled to the first node. A resistor R1 is connected between the second node and a third node, a resistor R2 is connected between the third node and the emitter of Q2, and a resistor R3 is connected between the second node and a reference potential. A differential amplifier is connected to the first and second nodes at its inputs, and its output is arranged to control the first and second current sources such that the voltages at the first and second nodes are equal and I1 and I2 are maintained in a fixed ratio.
The circuit is arranged such that I1 and I2 are substantially temperature invariant when the voltages at the first and second nodes are equal, such that the signal across R2 includes a temperature proportional component and a residual component, wherein the residual component is of the form:
(kT/q)ln((T0−Tx)/(T−Tx)
where T0 is a normalizing measurement temperature and Tx is the zero intercept of the temperature proportional component. The circuit is arranged such that this residual component compensates bandgap curvature error.
Several variants are described, including an embodiment which employs at least one current source that can be selectively connected to the first node to adjust current I1 and thereby trim the ratio of I1 to I2.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.
The present curvature corrected bandgap reference circuit requires operating a first bipolar transistor (Q1) having a base-emitter voltage Vbe1 such that it has a constant operating current, and operating a second bipolar transistor (Q2) having a base-emitter voltage Vbe2 such that it has an operating current consisting of an approximately temperature proportional component and a non-linear component. This results in a ratio of current densities in Q1 and Q2 which varies with temperature. When properly arranged, the difference voltage ΔVbe=Vbe1−Vbe2 will include a residual component of the form:
(kT/q)ln((T0−Tx)/(T−Tx)) where T0 is a normalizing measurement temperature and Tx is the zero intercept of the temperature proportional component; this residual component can be used to approximately compensate bandgap curvature error.
One possible circuit-embodiment which implements this approach is shown in
A differential amplifier 16 is connected to nodes 10 and 12 at its inputs, and its output controls current sources 6 and 8 such that the voltages at nodes 10 and 12 are equal and I1 and I2 are maintained in a fixed ratio. As described in more detail below, the circuit is arranged such that IMP1 and IMP2 are substantially temperature invariant when the voltages at nodes 10 and 12 are equal, such that the signal across R2 includes a temperature proportional component and a residual component. This residual component is of the form:
(kT/q)ln((T0−Tx)/(T−Tx)), where T0 is a normalizing measurement temperature and Tx is the zero intercept of the temperature proportional component. When the resistor ratios are properly set, the residual component substantially compensates the base-emitter voltage (Vbe) curvature term present in the current in R3.
To generate a reference voltage output, the reference circuit can include a third current source 20 arranged to track currents IMP1 and IMP2 and provide a third current IMP3 to a fourth node 22. A load resistor R4 is connected between node 22 and a reference point 23, with the voltage developed at node 22 being the reference circuit's output voltage Vref. The reference point 23 to which R4 returns could be circuit common point 4; alternatively, R4 could return to an entirely different reference potential (V2), with Vref developed with respect to that potential. When the Vbe voltage curvature term present in the R3 current is compensated as described above, the accuracy of reference voltage Vref is substantially improved.
Bipolar transistors Q1 and Q2 are suitably CMOS parasitic substrate transistors, though conventional bipolar transistors can also be used. The emitter area of Q2 is preferably—though not necessarily—larger than that of Q1. When the present reference circuit is fabricated as part of a CMOS circuit, current sources 6 and 8 are preferably implemented with PMOS FETs MP1 and MP2, respectively. The ratio between the currents IMP1 and IMP2 provided by MP1 and MP2 is fixed by their relative widths; MP1 is preferably made larger than MP2, though this is not essential. Amplifier 16 drives the common gate of MP1 and MP2. Increasing the matched currents increases the voltages at nodes 10 and 12. The relative impedance at these nodes is different and so the voltage difference between nodes 12 and 10 changes with the common mode voltage. Amplifier 16 is connected to drive nodes 10 and 12 until they are at equal voltages, and will stabilize the operating point at this condition independently of temperature.
In prior art circuits similarly arranged, but without R3, the resulting IMP1 and IMP2 currents would be proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT), since Q1 and Q2 would operate at an invariant current density ratio. However, adding R3 at node 14 without a corresponding load on the emitter of Q1 emitter causes Q2 and Q1 to operate at a current density ratio which changes with temperature; the current density in Q1 is preferably higher than that in Q2. The current from MP2 divides at node 14, with some going to Q2 via R2, and the rest going to circuit common via R3. The voltage at node 14 differs by only a fixed amount from the Vbe of Q1 (Vbe1), so that as temperature rises and the voltages at nodes 10 and 14 fall, the current in R3 will decrease.
As the current in R3 falls, the current from MP2 must either fall by the same amount, or the difference—which will increase with temperature—will flow through R2 to Q2. If the MP2 current is made temperature invariant, then the current in R2 must increase in proportion to temperature, though not necessarily in proportion to absolute temperature; as is well known, Vbe does not fall perfectly linearly with temperature, but rather has a small additional component of non-linear behavior that manifests as curvature of the output voltage over temperature in uncompensated bandgaps.
The present invention causes the current in R2 to be largely temperature proportional, but with a small non-linear addition that can be used to compensate the curvature of current in R3 over temperature. The result is that the operating point stabilized by the amplifier will occur when the currents in all top branches (i.e., IMP1 and IMP2 in the exemplary embodiment shown in
For the analysis below, it is initially assumed that currents IMP1 and IMP2 are temperature invariant; this is then shown to be correct. “N1” and “N2” are the emitter areas of Q1 and Q2, respectively. A reference temperature “T0” is invoked at which the circuit may be examined. Since the currents are assumed to be temperature invariant, the current in Q1 is referred to as I10 (i.e., I1 at T0, which is, in fact, the same at all temperatures.) However, the current in Q2 changes with temperature, so-is-referred to as I2 at temperatures other than T0, and I20 whenever Q2 is at T0.
At any temperature in the operating range, the actual difference in the Vbe's of Q1 and Q2 (ΔVbe=Vbe1−Vbe2) is given by the following relation to their actual current density ratio:
ΔVbe=(kT/q)ln((I10*N2)/(I2*N1)) (1)
where I10/N1 is the current density in Q1 and I2/N2 is the current density in Q2. In a conventional bandgap reference circuit, the current density ratio is kept constant, but here the circuit is arranged so that the ratio varies with temperature as I2 changes with temperature. Thus, both the (kT/q) and the ln((I10*N2)/(I2*N1)) factors vary with temperature.
Since the voltage across R3 is approximately complementary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT), the current in Q2 should be temperature proportional, though not necessarily PTAT, and should be of the form:
I2=I20(T−Tx)/(T0−Tx), where Tx is the zero intercept of the temperature proportional voltage across R2. Thus, I2 is proportional to T, falling linearly from I20 at T=T0 to zero at T=Tx.
Substituting the I2 expression into equation (1) provides:
ΔVbe=(kT/q)ln((I10*N2)/(I20((T−Tx)/(T0−Tx))N1)
Rearranging:
ΔVbe=(kT/q)ln(((T0−Tx)/(T−Tx))(I10*N2)/(I20*N1))
Invoking logarithmic identity:
ΔVbe=(kT/q)ln((T0−Tx)/(T−Tx))+(kT/q)ln((I10*N2)/(I20*N1)) (2)
The first term of this result is a in of a reciprocal T function, which has a curvature opposite to that of ln(T0/T), at least for Tx in the range of about 170 degrees Kelvin (outside the temperature range at which the circuit is operated).
A base-emitter voltage Vbe can be expressed as a function of temperature and current in terms of its value Vbe0 at T0 by the well known relationship:
Vbe=VG0+(T/T0)(Vbe0−VGO)+(kT/q)ln(I/I0)+(mkT/q)ln(T0/T) (3)
where VG0 is the bandgap voltage of silicon extrapolated to 0 degrees Kelvin. The term (mkT/q)ln(T0/T) is the bandgap curvature, and causes simple bandgaps to have a non-linear error over temperature. This is the error that the invention compensates.
The current in R3 (IR3) is determined by Vbe1−V1, where V1 is the presumed invariant voltage across R1. Thus, IR3 is given by:
IR3=(VGO+(T/T0) (Vbe10−VGO)+(kT/q)ln(I1/I10)+(mkT/q)ln(T0/T)−V1)/R3
where Vbe10 is Vbe1 at T0. Since I1 is presumed to be always equal to I10, the (kT/q)ln(I1/I10) term drops out and:
IR3=(VGO+(T/T0)(Vbe10−VGO)+(mkT/q)ln(T0/T)−V1)/R3
The current in Q2 and R2 is determined by V1 and ΔVbe as expressed in (2) by:
I2=((kT/q)ln((T0−Tx)/(T−Tx))+(kT/q)ln((I10*N2)/(I20*N1))−V1)/R2
The term (kT/q)ln((I10*N2)/(I20*N1)) is PTAT since it is based only on the ratio of the current densities at T0. But, when V1 is subtracted from it, the temperature at which the combination goes to zero is shifted to a temperature greater than zero degrees Kelvin. This shift is to the temperature Tx. If the (kT/q) ln((T0−Tx)/(T−Tx)) expression is neglected, then I2 extrapolates to zero at this temperature. Near Tx, ln((T0−Tx)/(T−Tx)) becomes large, but Tx is made to be so far below the operating range that (kT/q)ln((T0−Tx)/(T−Tx)) will remain small.
This means that the voltage across R2 consists of a temperature proportional part, which is complemented by the linear portion of Vbe, and an additional logarithmic part that adds a non-linear component to I2. The non-linear portion of the current in R2 can be sized by choosing V1 and the value of R2 relative to R3, so that the nonlinearity approximately compensates the nonlinearity of the current in R3 due to the curvature of Vbe.
Results obtained by the invention are illustrated with the circuit simulation plots shown in
The upper plot in
The circuit can be simply realized using only the parasitic bipolar transistors available in CMOS processes. The present invention requires fewer resistors and less total resistance than prior art approaches, thereby reducing IC cost.
When arranged as shown, reference voltage output Vref can be set as needed by selecting the resistance of R4, and can thus be smaller than the extrapolated bandgap voltage (−1.2 volts). The circuit's supply voltage can be less than that required for a conventional bandgap: at the lowest planned operating temperature, the supply must exceed Vbe by enough voltage to enable MP1 and MP2 to operate. If M1 and M2 are sized so as to require only a small difference in source-to-drain voltage for operation, the supply voltage need only be as large as Vbe1 plus this small difference, rather than being limited by the extrapolated bandgap voltage. When employing this minimum supply voltage, other transistors driven by the output of amplifier 16 (such as MP3) must be properly proportioned to MP1 and MP2, and amplifier 16 must also be designed to operate within this supply voltage.
The temperature intercept point Tx can be set by adjustment of V1. By so doing, the shape and proportion of the compensating voltage can be adjusted to fit the curvature component of Vbe, and that due to the temperature coefficients of the circuit's resistors if necessary.
A PMOS FET MP7 may be interposed between current source 20 and load resistor R4 to provide a cascode function. As illustrated in
When amplifier 16 is biased with a current proportional to temperature invariant currents IMP1 and IMP2, as shown in
Another possible embodiment is shown in
Another embodiment is shown in
As with most self-biased circuits, the circuit arrangements described herein require starting. This can be accomplished in many different ways. For example, a FET can be connected between the common gates of MP1 and MP2 and node 10. Turning on this FET starts the biasing, and the circuit comes on regeneratively. The FET is then turned off when the circuit reaches a steady state ON condition, so as not to disturb normal operation.
The circuit embodiments shown in
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only in terms of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 60/550,590 to Brokaw, filed Mar. 4, 2004.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60550590 | Mar 2004 | US |