The present technology relates to a comparator that can easily modify operating point potential of the comparator, and an imaging device. A pixel signal output from a pixel, and, a reference signal with changeable voltage are input to a differential pair. A current mirror connected to the differential pair, and a voltage drop mechanism allowed to cause a predetermined voltage drop is connected between a transistor that configures the differential pair, and a transistor that configures the current mirror. A switch is connected in parallel to the voltage drop mechanism. The present technology can be applied, for example, to an image sensor that captures an image.

This application provides an operational amplifier and a start-up circuit of the operational amplifier. The start-up circuit has advantages of simple structure and low power consumption. The operational amplifier includes a multi-stage amplifier and a start-up circuit, where the start-up circuit includes: a first start-up transistor M16 and a second start-up transistor M17, a source of the first start-up transistor M16 and a source of the second start-up transistor M17 are connected to a tail bias node of a first-stage amplifier in the multi-stage amplifier, a gate of the first start-up transistor M16 and a gate of the second start-up transistor M17 are configured to connect to a first bias voltage V.sub.b, and a drain of the first start-up transistor M16 and a drain of the second start-up transistor M17 are connected to input terminals of a second-stage or higher-stage amplifier.

The disclosure provides an amplifier. The amplifier includes a first transistor that receives a first input and generates a first load current. A first output node is coupled to a power supply through a first load resistor. The first load resistor receives the first load current. A first capacitor network is coupled to the first output node and draws a first capacitive current from the first output node. A first current buffer is coupled between the first output node and the first transistor. A current through the first current buffer is a summation of the first load current and the first capacitive current.

The present technology relates to a comparator that can easily modify operating point potential of the comparator, and an imaging device.

A pixel signal output from a pixel, and, a reference signal with changeable voltage are input to a differential pair. A current mirror connected to the differential pair, and a voltage drop mechanism allowed to cause a predetermined voltage drop is connected between a transistor that configures the differential pair, and a transistor that configures the current mirror. A switch is connected in parallel to the voltage drop mechanism. The present technology can be applied, for example, to an image sensor that captures an image.

A voltage generation circuit includes a driver configured to generate an internal voltage by driving an external voltage depending on a driving signal; an amplifier configured to generate the driving signal depending on a result of comparing a reference voltage and a feedback voltage; and a switch configured to delay a decrease of the internal voltage by precharging a node of the amplifier with a predetermined voltage depending on a control signal.

A variable gain amplifier circuit is disclosed. In one embodiment, an amplifier circuit includes first and second stages. Each stage includes one or more inverter pairs, with one inverter of each pair coupled to receive an inverting component of a differential signal and the other inverter of the pair coupled to receive a non-inverting component. The first stage receives a differential input signal and produces an intermediate differential signal. The second stage receives the intermediate differential signal and produces a differential output signal, the differential output signal being an amplified version of the differential input signal.

Methods, systems, and devices for differential amplifier schemes for sensing memory cells are described. In one example, a memory apparatus may include a differential amplifier having a first input node configured to be coupled with a memory cell and having an output node configured to be coupled with a sense component. In some examples, the memory apparatus may also include a capacitor having a first node coupled with the first input node, and a first switching component configured to selectively couple a second node of the capacitor with the output node. The differential amplifier may configured such that a current at the output node is proportional to a difference between a voltage at the first input node of the differential amplifier and a voltage at the second input node of the differential amplifier.

A voltage regulator and a power supply are provided. The voltage regulator includes an operational amplifier and an offset voltage control module. The offset voltage control module includes one or more stages of regulation branches connected in parallel, and controls an offset voltage of the operational amplifier with the one or more stages of regulation branches to regulate the output voltage. The offset voltage control module also includes a bandgap reference generation circuit, configured to generate a reference voltage irrelevant to a temperature coefficient that is received by the operational amplifier from the input terminal, wherein the bandgap reference generation circuit comprises at least one of: a V.sub.GS-based bandgap reference generation circuit having a full CMOS reference offset structure, a PTAT unit-based and V.sub.GS-based bandgap reference generation circuit having a full CMOS reference offset structure, and a PTAT unit-based and BJT-based bandgap reference generation circuit having a complementary structure.

A variable gain amplifier circuit is disclosed. In one embodiment, an amplifier circuit includes first and second stages. Each stage includes one or more inverter pairs, with one inverter of each pair coupled to receive an inverting component of a differential signal and the other inverter of the pair coupled to receive a non-inverting component. The first stage receives a differential input signal and produces an intermediate differential signal. The second stage receives the intermediate differential signal and produces a differential output signal, the differential output signal being an amplified version of the differential input signal.

A programmable transimpedance amplifier (TIA) includes a plurality of signal paths between an output of a common emitter amplifier and the output of the TIA. The TIA is programmed by selecting one of the signal paths, because the paths have different parameters (e.g. different bandwidth). Thus, the bandwidth can be programmed by selecting the appropriate path. The common emitter amplifier's output is coupled to the inputs of common base amplifiers in each path. The inputs have low impedance. Therefore, having multiple paths does not significantly degrade the amplifier performance. High bandwidth can be provided.