A current mirror circuit and a current generation circuit are connected in series between a power supply node and a ground node through a first node and a second node. Gates of transistors constituting the current mirror circuit are connected to the node that supplies an off-voltage of the transistors through a first switch, and is connected to the second node through a second switch. The second node is connected to the node that supplies an on-voltage of the transistors through a third switch. Before starting of the circuit, the first switch and the third switch are turned on while the second switch is turned off. After starting of the circuit, on and off of the first to third switches are switched.

A reference current source includes a reference current path, a first output current path and a second output current path. The reference current path includes a diode-connected first transistor, a diode-connected second transistor, and a first resistor that are connected in series between a first fixed potential and a second fixed potential. The first output current path includes a third transistor having a gate connected to a gate of the second transistor, forming a current mirror together with the second transistor, and a second resistor interposed between the third transistor and the first fixed potential. The second output current path includes a voltage-current conversion circuit to which a potential of a third node between the third transistor and the second resistor in the first output current path is applied and through which a reference current flows.

A constant voltage generation circuit includes a depression type first transistor and an enhancement type second transistor that constitute an ED type reference voltage source, and a resistor connected between gate and source of the first transistor. For instance, the first transistor and the second transistor are NMOSFETs. In addition, for example, the first transistor has a drain connected to an application terminal of an input voltage, and the second transistor has a source connected to a reference potential terminal. Further, gates of the first transistor and the second transistor and a drain of the second transistor are connected to an output terminal of a constant voltage.

There is provided a current limiting diode comprising a gate, a source, and a drain electrically connected to the source by an n-channel or p-channel; wherein the source and the gate are electrically connected by a fill structure comprising a phase-change fill material, and wherein the phase-change fill material is configured to absorb heat from the n-channel or p-channel by changing phase.

Disclosed are a temperature compensation apparatus and method. The apparatus includes a reference signal generator that supplies at least one of a first current which is constant regardless of temperature variation and a second current which is proportional to temperature variation, a slope amplifier that determines a first output current having a second temperature coefficient which is a multiple of a first temperature coefficient of the second current, based on the first current and the second current, and a slope controller that determines a second output current having a third temperature coefficient, using a weighted average of the first current and the second current.

A voltage generation circuit generates a first current having a first temperature-dependent characteristic in which a current value thereof changes with a predetermined change in temperature, and a second current having a second temperature-dependent characteristic different from the first temperature-dependent characteristic. The voltage generation circuit includes a first variable resistor and a second variable resistor connected in series. The second current flows through the first variable resistor, and a third current having a current value that is based on a difference between a current value of the first current and a current value of the second current, flows through the second variable resistor.

For example, a constant voltage generating circuit includes a first transistor and a second transistor, a first resistor configured to be connected between the gate and the source of the first transistor, a second resistor configured to pass a current with a value equal to that of the current flowing through the first resistor. A first constant voltage is generated by using the difference between the gate-source voltages of the first and second transistors and the terminal-to-terminal voltage across the second resistor.

Systems and methods are provided for generating a temperature compensated reference voltage. A temperature compensation circuit may include a proportional-to-absolute temperature (PTAT) circuit, and a complementary-to-absolute temperature (CTAT) circuit, with the PTAT circuit and the CTAT circuit including at least one common metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) and being configured to collectively generate a reference voltage in response to a regulated current input. The PTAT circuit may be configured to produce an increase in magnitude of the reference voltage with an increase of temperature, and the CTAT circuit may be configured to generated a decrease in magnitude of the reference voltage with the increase of temperature, wherein the increase in magnitude of the reference voltage produced by the PTAT circuit is at least partially offset by the decrease in magnitude of the reference voltage produced by the CTAT circuit.

A reference voltage generator includes a depletion NMOS transistor of a first conductivity type for causing a constant current to flow, and an enhancement NMOS transistor of the first conductivity type diode-connected to the depletion NMOS transistor to generate a reference voltage. A resistor surrounds the periphery of the depletion NMOS transistor and the periphery of the enhancement NMOS transistor. A diode is connected in series to a constant current source and provides a voltage that controls current flowing through the resistor when the environment temperature is lower than a preset temperature. The reference voltage generator can operate under a given preset temperature environment because a voltage consumed in the resistor becomes approximately constant in accordance with the voltage provided from the diode.

A circuit includes: a cascode current source comprising: a current mirror transistor; and a cascode transistor; and a bias circuit coupled to the cascode current source, the bias circuit comprising: a current source; a first transistor coupled in series to the current source to form a first current path through the current source and the first transistor; a second transistor coupled in series to the current source; and a third transistor coupled in series to the second transistor and the current source to form a second current path through the current source and the second and third transistors, wherein the third transistor has a channel size greater than a channel size of the second transistor by a multiple determined according to a design factor of the bias circuit.