US 12,119,639 B2
Bipolar junction transistor heater circuit
Aref Kahaei, Cambell, CA (US); James Vincent Sousae, Redwood City, CA (US); Carl T. Nelson, San Jose, CA (US); and Robert Dobkin, Monte Sereno, CA (US)
Assigned to Analog Devices International Unlimited Company, Limerick (IE)
Filed by Analog Devices International Unlimited Company, Limerick (IE)
Filed on Jun. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/214,405.
Application 18/214,405 is a division of application No. 16/828,336, filed on Mar. 24, 2020, granted, now 11,735,902.
Prior Publication US 2023/0352928 A1, Nov. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. G01K 7/01 (2006.01); G06F 1/20 (2006.01); H02H 5/04 (2006.01)
CPC H02H 5/044 (2013.01) [G01K 7/01 (2013.01); G06F 1/206 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating an integrated circuit (IC) heater circuit, the method comprising:
consuming power using a drive circuit of the IC;
activating and deactivating the drive circuit using a temperature sensor included in the IC to control temperature of the IC, wherein deactivating the drive circuit includes providing a pull down current to a control node of the drive circuit using a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) included in the temperature sensor circuit, and the pull down current of the BJT varies with temperature; and
adjusting the variation in temperature sensitivity of the current of the temperature sensor including forcing a bias voltage at a base region of the BJT to vary with temperature inversely with the pull down current of the BJT using the control circuit.