Design of a Current-Mode Trapezoidal Waveform Generator in High-Voltage SOI Technology with Modifications Based on Safe Operating Area Limits

Integrated circuits are the core building components of virtually all communication systems. Wireless communication systems are becoming increasingly common. They require specialized transmission components to reduce electromagnetic interference. This paper presents the design of a trapezoidal waveform generator intended for generation of waveforms with limited level and spectrum of radiated interference This limitation is important because the discussed circuit is a high-voltage function block that can drive the output antenna with relatively high-power pulses. The introduced design is based on a mix of low- and high-voltage devices; however, most of them operate in low-voltage steady and near steady conditions. The implemented design flow includes safe operating area controls, which result in the implementation of a set of overvoltage devices. The designed generator provides means of frequency and slew rate control and can produce high-quality output waveforms. The results show that this type of design can be further optimized for generating waveforms with a limited range of slew rate values. Moreover, this paper presents some operational aspects and phenomena that must be addressed to provide a design that can be practically implemented in modern high-voltage integrated circuits.