
ML65T541
6
REV. 1.0 10/25/2000
However, in this particular circuit, all of the active
devices are NPNs — the fastest devices available in the
process.
In this circuit, there are two paths to the output. One path
sources current to the load capacitance when the signal is
asserted, and the other path sinks current from the output
when the signal is negated.
The assertion path is the emitter follower path consisting
of the level shift transistor Q1, the output transistor Q2,
the pull-up helper M1 (static RON 200), and the bias
resistor R8. It sources current to the output through the
resistor R7 which is bypassed by another NPN (not shown)
during fast input transients, and M1 pull-up drives the
output toward the rail once the output reaches one VBE
within the rail. The negation path is a current differencing
op amp connected in a follower configuration. The active
components in this amplifier are transistors Q3–Q7. R3–
R6 are bias resistors, and R1 and R2 are the feedback
resistors. The key to understanding the operation of the
current differencing op amp is to know that the current in
transistors Q3 and Q5 are the same at all times and that
the voltages at the bases of Q4 and Q6 are roughly the
same. If the output is higher than the input, then an error
current will flow through R2. This error current will flow
into the base of Q6 and be multiplied by
β squared to the
collector of Q7, closing the loop. The larger the discrepancy
between the output and input, the larger the feedback
current, and the harder Q7 sinks current from the load
capacitor.
A number of MOSFETs are not shown in Figure 5. These
MOSFETs are used to three-state dormant buffers. For
instance, the feedback resistors R1 and R2 were
implemented as resistive transmission gates to ensure that
disabled buffers do not load the lines they are connected
to. Similarly, there is a PMOS in series with R8 that is
normally on but shuts off for disable. Other MOSFETs
have been included to ensure that disabled buffers
consume no power.
Applications
There are a wide variety of needs for an extremely fast
buffers in high speed processor system designs like
Pentium, PowerPC, Mips, Sparc, Alpha and other RISC
processors. These applications are either in the cache
memory area or the main memory (DRAM) area. In
addition, fast buffers find applications in high speed
graphics and multimedia applications. The high capacitive
loading due to multiplexed address lines on the system bus
demand external buffers to take up the excess drive
current. The needed current to skew the transitions between
rise and fall times must be done without adding excessive
propagation delay. The ML65T541 is equipped with
Schottky diodes to clean up ringing from overshoot and
undershoot caused by reflections in unterminated board
traces.