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Bandgap voltage references
14.1 Bandgap voltage references
While working on further op amp development at National Semiconductor in the late
1960s, the legendary Bob Widlar began looking into the subject of the silicon band-
gap (V
go
) and how currents and voltages were dependent on absolute temperature
(today we refer to these as I
PTAT
and V
PTAT
). As mentioned in Chapter 4, it is remark-
able to note that with the addition of two components, Widlar was able to transform
his basic ratioed current source into a simple bandgap voltage reference (see Chap-
ter 4, Figure 4.21).
Widlar not only invented the op amp, the high-power linear regulator ...