Current Reference Circuits: A Tutorial

Abstract

This tutorial introduces and compares current reference circuits. To give meaningful insights to readers, we categorize current reference circuits into five types: a) $\Delta {V}_{\mathrm{ BE}}$ -based current references; b) beta-multiplier-based current references; c) smart-bias-based current references; d) division-based current references; e) calibration-based current references. For each type of current reference, limitations and research progress are summarized. Finally, this tutorial compares the five types of current references and concludes which types are more suitable depending on the need of applications.