Driver circuit and method of operating the same

1. A circuit comprising:

a power supply voltage node configured to have a power supply voltage level;

a protection circuit comprising:

first and second n-type high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) coupled in series between the power supply voltage node and a power supply reference node;

a voltage divider configured to output a first voltage having a voltage level based on the power supply voltage level; and

a third n-type HEMT configured to control a second voltage at a gate of one of the first or second n-type HEMTs based on the voltage level,

the protection circuit thereby being configured to

generate a first signal at a first node between the first and second n-type HEMTs,

generate the first signal having a first logical voltage level when the power supply voltage level is equal to or greater than a threshold voltage level, and

generate the first signal having a second logical voltage level different from the first logical voltage level when the power supply voltage level is less than the threshold voltage level; and

a gate driver configured to

receive the first signal and a second signal,

when the first signal has the first logical voltage level, output a third signal based on the second signal, and

when the first signal has the second logical voltage level, output the third signal having a predetermined one of the first or second logical voltage levels.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein

the first n-type HEMT is a depletion-mode HEMT configured as a diode and coupled between the power supply voltage node and the first node, and

the second n-type HEMT is an enhancement-mode HEMT coupled between the first node and the power supply reference node.

3. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the voltage divider comprises:

at least one first diode device coupled between the power supply voltage node and a voltage tap configured to generate the first voltage; and

at least one second diode device coupled between the voltage tap and the power supply reference node.

4. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the at least one first diode device or the at least one second diode device comprises an enhancement-mode n-type HEMT configured as a diode.

5. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein

the voltage divider comprises a fourth n-type HEMT configured to bypass at least one series component of the voltage divider, and

a gate of the fourth n-type HEMT is configured to receive the second voltage.

6. The circuit of claim 5 , wherein each of the third n-type HEMT and the fourth n-type HEMT is an enhancement-mode HEMT.

7. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein

the first and second n-type HEMTs comprise a first enhancement-mode n-type HEMT and a first depletion-mode n-type HEMT,

the gate driver comprises second and third enhancement-mode n-type HEMTs coupled in series between the power supply voltage node and the power supply reference node, and

the gate driver is configured to generate the third signal at a second node between the second and third enhancement-mode n-type HEMTs.

8. The circuit of claim 7 , wherein the gate driver further comprises:

a fourth enhancement-mode n-type HEMT configured as a diode and a capacitive device coupled in series between the power supply voltage node and the second node; and

a second depletion-mode n-type HEMT and a fifth enhancement-mode n-type HEMT coupled in series between the power supply reference node and a third node between the fourth enhancement-mode n-type HEMT and the capacitive device.

9. The circuit of claim 7 , wherein

the gate driver further comprises a second depletion-mode n-type HEMT configured as a diode and fourth and fifth enhancement-mode n-type HEMTs coupled in series between the power supply voltage node and the power supply reference node,

the fourth enhancement-mode n-type HEMT comprises a gate configured to receive the first signal,

the fifth enhancement-mode n-type HEMT comprises a gate configured to receive the second signal, and

the second or third enhancement-mode n-type HEMT comprises a gate configured to receive a voltage generated between the fourth and fifth enhancement-mode n-type HEMTs.

10. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein

the power supply voltage node is a first power supply voltage node configured to have the power supply voltage level being a first power supply voltage level, and

the circuit further comprises:

a second power supply voltage node configured to have a second power supply voltage level greater than the first power supply voltage level; and

a switching device coupled between the second power supply voltage node and the power supply reference node, the switching device being configured to receive the third signal.

11. An integrated circuit (IC) comprising:

a protection circuit coupled to a first power supply voltage node, the protection circuit comprising:

a voltage divider configured to generate a first voltage based on a first power supply voltage level on the first power supply voltage node; and

a detection circuit comprising:

a first enhancement-mode n-type high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) configured to control a second voltage on a first node responsive to the first voltage; and

a second enhancement-mode n-type HEMT configured to generate a first signal responsive to the second voltage on the first node;

a gate driver coupled to the first power supply voltage node and the protection circuit; and

a switching device coupled to the gate driver and to a second power supply voltage node configured to have a second power supply voltage level greater than the first power supply voltage level,

wherein the protection circuit and the gate driver are configured to

control the switching device based on an input signal received by the gate driver when the first power supply voltage level is equal to or greater than a threshold voltage level, and

switch off the switching device when the first power supply voltage level is less than the threshold voltage level.

12. The IC of claim 11 , wherein

each of the first and second enhancement-mode n-type HEMTs comprises gallium nitride (GaN), and

each of the gate driver and the switching device comprises an enhancement-mode n-type HEMT comprising GaN.

13. The IC of claim 11 , wherein

the gate driver comprises:

third and fourth enhancement-mode n-type HEMTs configured to control a third voltage on a second node responsive to the first signal and the input signal;

a fifth enhancement-mode n-type HEMT configured to generate a fourth voltage on a third node responsive to the third voltage on the second node; and

sixth and seventh enhancement-mode n-type HEMTs configured to generate a second signal responsive to the third and fourth voltages, and

the switching device is configured to receive the second signal.

14. The IC of claim 13 , wherein the gate driver further comprises an eighth enhancement-mode n-type HEMT and a capacitive device arranged as a bootstrap circuit configured to cause the fourth voltage to have a voltage level greater than the first power supply voltage level.

15. The IC of claim 11 , wherein the detection circuit further comprises:

a first depletion-mode n-type HEMT coupled between the first power supply voltage node and the first node: and

a second depletion-mode n-type HEMT coupled between the first power supply voltage node and the second enhancement-mode n-type HEMT.

16. A method of operating a driver circuit, the method comprising:

receiving a first power supply voltage level at the driver circuit;

generating a first signal having a logically high voltage level in response to the first power supply voltage level being equal to or greater than a threshold voltage level and a logically low voltage level in response to the first power supply voltage level being less than the threshold voltage level; and

outputting a second signal by tracking an input signal in response to the first signal having the logically high voltage level and by generating a predetermined voltage level in response to the first signal having the logically low voltage level,

wherein

the receiving the first power supply voltage level comprises dividing the first power supply voltage level using a voltage divider to generate a first voltage, and

the generating the first signal comprises:

receiving the first voltage at a gate of a first n-type high electron mobility transistor (HEMT); and

using the first n-type HEMT to control a second voltage at a gate of a second n-type HEMT.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the dividing the first power supply voltage level using the voltage divider comprises bypassing at least one series component of the voltage divider in response to the first power supply voltage level being less than the threshold voltage level.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the bypassing the at least one series component of the voltage divider comprises switching on a third n-type HEMT configured in parallel with the at least one series component.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein

the tracking the input signal comprises using a bootstrap circuit to drive a gate of a third n-type HEMT to a voltage level greater than the first power supply voltage level, and

the generating the predetermined voltage level comprises switching off the third n-type HEMT.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

receiving a second power supply voltage level at a second circuit comprising a switching device, the second power supply voltage level being greater than the first power supply voltage level;

operating the switching device in response to the second signal tracking the input signal; and

switching off the switching device in response to the second signal having the predetermined voltage level.