Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
149 words
A reset circuit for providing a reset signal for at least one portion of an integrated circuit containing a semiconductor substrate region at a substrate bias voltage, the reset circuit comprising: a pair of like-polarity depletion field-effect transistors, each having a gate responsive to the substrate bias voltage, one of the pair having a channel coupled between a first voltage supply and a first junction point, and the other of the pair having a channel coupled between the first junction point and a second junction point at which an intermediate signal is provided ; load means coupled between the second junction point and a second voltage supply; a like-polarity enhancement field-effect transistor having a gate coupled to the second junction point and having a channel coupled between the first junction point and the second voltage supply; and buffer means responsive to the intermediate signal for generating the reset signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
149 words
A reset circuit for providing a reset signal for at least one portion of an integrated circuit containing a semiconductor substrate region at a substrate bias voltage, the reset circuit comprising: a pair of like-polarity depletion field-effect transistors, each having a gate responsive to the substrate bias voltage, one of the pair having a channel coupled between a first voltage supply and a first junction point, and the other of the pair having a channel coupled between the first junction point and a second junction point at which an intermediate signal is provided ; load means coupled between the second junction point and a second voltage supply; a like-polarity enhancement field-effect transistor having a gate coupled to the second junction point and having a channel coupled between the first junction point and the second voltage supply; and buffer means responsive to the intermediate signal for generating the reset signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
58 words
A circuit as in claim 1 wherein the reset signal changes (a) from a first value to a second value as the substrate bias voltage rises above a first trigger level and (b) from the second value to the first value as the substrate bias voltage drops below a second trigger level less than the first trigger level.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
A circuit as in claim 1 wherein the buffer means comprises an inverter for producing the reset signal as the inverse of the intermediate signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A circuit as in claim 3 wherein the load means comprises a like-polarity resistively connected load field-effect transistor having a channel coupled between the second junction point and the second voltage supply.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
A circuit as in claim 4 wherein the load transistor is a depletion transistor having a gate coupled to the second junction point.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
A circuit as in claim 4 wherein the load transistor is an enhancement transistor having a gate coupled to the second voltage supply.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
A circuit as in claim 4 wherein the load transistor is smaller in size than the other transistors.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
A circuit as in claim 4 further including a like-polarity depletion field-effect transistor having a gate coupled to the second junction point and having a channel coupled between the first junction point and the second voltage supply.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
A circuit as in claim 4 wherein the transistors are MOS transistors.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
A circuit as in claim 9 wherein the transistors are N-channel transistors.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
A circuit as in claim 4 further including means coupling the gates of the pair of depletion transistors to an input terminal for receiving the substrate bias voltage.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
148 words
A circuit as in claim 4 wherein the inverter comprises four field-effect transistors of the same polarity as the other transistors, two of the four being enhancement transistors each having a gate coupled to the second junction point, one of these two having a channel coupled between the first voltage supply and a third junction point, the other of these two having a channel coupled between the first voltage supply and a fourth junction point from which the reset signal is provided, another of the four being a depletion transistor having a gate coupled to the third junction point and having a channel coupled between the third junction point and the second voltage supply, and the last of the four being an enchancement transistor having a gate coupled to the third junction point and having a channel coupled between the fourth junction point and the second voltage supply.