Cascode circuits for switched current copiers

Various cascode circuits are investigated with regard to their suitability for switched current copier applications. Generalized circuit representations are introduced and different cascode circuits are compared and discussed. A method called "reference voltage and current tracking" for dynamic output range improvement is proposed. An improved regulated cascode circuit with extended dynamic output range is presented. The use of cascode circuits in switched current copiers and the dynamic output ranges of these circuits are discussed and the corresponding saturation operating areas are compared.