A bootstrap voltage reference based upon an N-type negative resistance device

A circuit that develops a reference voltage based upon the stability of the current of an N-type negative-resistance device (NNRD) in the neighborhood of the current peak is described. The NNRD is self-driven in a bootstrap configuration utilizing a single operational amplifier, with the bias circuit acting as a stiff voltage source having a negative Thevenin equivalent DC resistance. The analysis is specialized to the case of a particular NNRD, a p-n junction tunnel diode (TD), and a series of matching networks coupling the TD to the remainder of the bootstrap circuit are analyzed to demonstrate that a properly matched TD, biased by this bootstrap circuit, can be made stable against oscillation. The regulation of bias fluctuations, noise performance, temperature stability, and immunity to neutron damage are reviewed. Comparison is made to avalanche-diode-based bootstrap references. NNRD-based voltage references may have an impact in circuits and material systems where fabrication of high-quality Zener devices is not possible