Theory of operation and design criteria for a MOS peaking current source

A constant current source in MOS integrated circuits often uses ill-characterized parasitic elements, such as diodes, as references, and relies on feedback techniques to achieve regulation. This paper describes a current source that uses exclusively MOS transistors and resistors, and can be used in its simplest implementation without feedback. The reference can be incorporated in more complex designs, that can use established techniques to improve its stability, temperature characteristics and sensitivity to tolerance