CMOS cascode structure current reference for low power temperature sensor

This paper proposes a low power CMOS temperature-to-current generator (TCG) for voltage-mode smart temperature sensor which is composed of bias circuit, proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) current generator, and differential current generator. The multiple-block system is to obtain a reference voltage which is dependent on temperature and is applied for a temperature sensor. The current references and cascode structure are applied in PTAT current generator. In differential current generator, current mirror and reference current are used to obtain a temperature sensing current. Low power TCG is designed with 0.35-μm CMOS process. Simulation test shows that the proposed TCG is operated up to 120 μA with power dissipation of 2 mW. The sensing current shows to increase linearly with increase of temperature in the ranges of -30 ~ 80°C.