Push-pull output stage of integrated circuit for reducing ground bounce noise

Claim 1

A push-pull output stage of an integrated circuit for generating a pulse-like output signal in dependence upon a pulse-like input signal susceptible to high switching speeds in which the pulse-like signal varies between high and low voltage levels while inhibiting the overshoot of the pulse-like signal leading to inaccurate interpretation of the pulse-like signal as having a high voltage level when the pulse-like signal actually has a low voltage level, said push-pull output stage comprising: a first plurality of output field effect transistors having respective source and drain regions and gate electrodes extending therebetween, said first plurality of output field-effect transistors being connected in parallel and having their gate electrodes connected together to define a first group of subtransistors; a second plurality of output field-effect transistors having respective source and drain regions and gate electrodes extending therebetween, said second plurality of output field-effect transistors being connected in parallel and having their gate electrodes connected together to define a second group of subtransistors; each of said subtransistors of said first group of subtransistors being connected in series to the corresponding subtransistor of said second group of subtransistors; said first and second groups of subtransistors being respectively provided with the input signal; an output line connected between each subtransistor of said first group of subtransistors and the corresponding subtransistor of said second group of subtransistors and terminating in an output terminal; a current grounding field-effect transistor having source and drain regions and a gate electrode extending therebetween connected to the connected gate electrodes of the subtransistors of at least one of the two groups of subtransistors; a current mirror circuit including a plurality of serially connected field-effect transistors, one of said plurality of serially connected field-effect transistors of said current mirror circuit defining an input transistor and said current grounding field-effect transistor defining an output transistor of the current mirror circuit, the gate electrodes of said input and output transistors of said current mirror circuit being connected to each other; and said input transistor of said current mirror circuit being provided with a current dependent upon the input signal for controlling said current grounding field-effect transistor.