Transmission Logic Circuits

What is a Transmission Gate (Analog Switch)?
Abstract: This application note describes the purpose and basic operation of a

transmission gate. The article explains how a transmission gate can be used to
quickly isolate multiple signals with a minimal investment in board area and with a
negligible degradation in the characteristics of those critical signals. The DS3690 is
the example device.
Basic Operation
A transmission gate, or analog switch, is defined as an electronic element that will
selectively block or pass a signal level from the input to the output. This solid-state
switch is comprised of a pMOS transistor and nMOS transistor. The control gates are
biased in a complementary manner so that both transistors are either on or off.
When the voltage on node A is a Logic 1, the complementary Logic 0 is applied to

node active-low A, allowing both transistors to conduct and pass the signal at IN to
OUT. When the voltage on node active-low A is a Logic 0, the complementary Logic
1 is applied to node A, turning both transistors off and forcing a high-impedance
condition on both the IN and OUT nodes. This high-impedance condition represents
the third "state" (high, low, or high-Z) that the DS3690 channel may reflect
downstream.
The schematic diagram (Figure 1) includes the arbitrary labels for IN and OUT, as
the circuit will operate in an identical manner if those labels were reversed. This
design provides true bidirectional connectivity without degradation of the input signal.
Figure 1. Schematic representation of a transmission gate.
The common circuit symbol for a transmission gate depicts the bidirectional nature of
the circuit's operation (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Circuit symbol.

What Are Transmission Gates Used for?
Transmission gates are typically used as building blocks for logic circuitry, such as a
D Latch or D Flip-Flop. As a stand-alone circuit, a transmission gate can isolate a
component or components from live signals during hot insertion or removal. In a
security application, they can selectively block critical signals or data from being
transmitted without proper hardware-controlled authorization.
The connection scheme in Figure 3 is designed to isolate the I/O bus between the
microprocessor and the memory component, in case the memory is removed. The
SRAM is physically mounted on a removable memory card; the DS3690
transmission gate is used to isolate the various signals routed through the connector.
Figure 3. Typical DS3690 application circuit.
The ground connection from the SRAM is fed back through the connector to pull
down the DS3690 Chip Enable (active-low CE) pin. This action enables the
transmission gate when the memory card is installed.
What Is So Unique About the DS3690?

High Number of Independent Channels Reduces Component Count
The DS3690, with 26 independent channels, has the highest bus width available on
the market today. Most commercially available transmission gates are configured to
accommodate 2, 4, or 8 discrete signals. Using the Figure 3 example, this SRAM
requires 25 discrete signals to be isolated when the card is removed. Using
conventional 8-bit transmission gates, the designer would have to place four
separate components to isolate this SRAM, significantly increasing the final
component count and dedicated PC-board area.
Small Package Saves Board Space
The DS3690 is packaged in a 5mm x 11mm TQFN, requiring a mere 55mm² of PC-
board area for this entire bus-isolation effort. If the designer had selected 8-bit
transmission gates, the most aggressive packaging available is an SSOP that
occupies 51.5mm² each. Given a minimal allowance for signal routing, the four 8-bit
components would occupy well over 200mm² to accomplish the same function as a
single DS3690.
Efficient Signal Routing for Better Performance
The additional board area required for multiple 8-bit components also complicates
the PC-board layout effort: dissimilar trace lengths can result in dissimilar signal
skew on critical timing events. Additionally, the four 8-bit components selected may
not have identical propagation delays, further aggravating the operational margin of
the final system. The DS3690's 26 parallel data channels (Figure 4) result in no
more than 1ns of channel-to-channel deskew.
Using the TQFN package, all signals can be conveniently routed in the physical
direction of the bus. Finally, for convenience and application flexibility, the designer
decides the assignment of a signal to one of the DS3690's 26 channels.
Figure 4. Suggested signal routing.
Added Security for Applications
In certain security-based applications, the leadless TQFN package adds another

layer of physical security from external probing, since there are no exposed pins
available to contact.
We usually see MOSFETs arranged with their sources and drains connected—
either directly or through, for example, a resistor or active load—to positive and
negative supply rails, with the gate acting as the input terminal. This is true in both
analog circuits, such as the common-source amplifier, and digital circuits, such as
the ubiquitous CMOS inverter. It’s good to remember, though, that the MOSFET is
not limited to configurations such as these.
The channel created by a sufficiently high gate-to-source voltage allows current to
flow between the source and drain terminals, and in this sense the MOSFET is a
voltage-controlled switch. Thus, there is no law that prevents us from using the
source and drain as input and output terminals, with the control voltage applied to
the gate.
A single NMOS (or PMOS) transistor can be used as a voltage-controlled switch.
The “circuit” (really just a single transistor) is the following:

Note that I have removed the arrow that usually identifies the source. This is
because the source terminal actually changes according to whether V 1 is higher
than V2 or V2 is higher than V1. Also, the use of V1 and V2 instead of VIN and VOUT is
intended to emphasize that this single NMOS transistor can indeed conduct
current in both directions.
As you probably expected, this circuit is far from a perfect switch. One problem is
the source voltage: The current through the MOSFET is influenced by the source
voltage, and the source voltage depends on whatever signal is passing through
the switch. Indeed, if the gate is controlled by a driver that cannot exceed V DD, the
transistor can pass signals only as high as VDD minus the threshold voltage. This
threshold-voltage limitation is made even worse by the body effect, which comes
into play when the FET’s source and body terminals are not at the same potential.
When you analyze and ponder this switch, you recognize a certain asymmetry. For
example, if we are using this switch for pass-transistor logic, the NMOS can
effectively pass a logic-low signal but not a full logic-high signal. Is it possible to
modify the circuit in a way that will redress this asymmetry? If you are maintaining
a good CMOS mentality, your intuition might tell you that we could achieve better
overall performance by incorporating a PMOS transistor to compensate for the
deficiencies of the NMOS. In this case, your intuition is correct.

Here we have a PMOS in parallel with the NMOS; I used an “invert” circle to
identify the PMOS transistor. Note that the control signal applied to the PMOS is
the complement of the control signal applied to the NMOS; this is reminiscent of
the CMOS inverter, where a logic-high voltage turns on the NMOS and a logic-low
voltage turns on the PMOS.
This CMOS transmission gate is a synergistic system—the NMOS provides good
switch performance under conditions that are favorable for itself but not for the
PMOS, and the PMOS provides good switch performance under conditions that
are favorable for itself but not for the NMOS. The result is a simple yet effective
bidirectional voltage-controlled switch that is suitable for both analog and digital
applications.

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What is a Transmission Gate (Analog Switch)?

Abstract: This application note describes the purpose and basic operation of a

When the voltage on node A is a Logic 1, the complementary Logic 0 is applied to

Figure 1. Schematic representation of a transmission gate.

Figure 2. Circuit symbol.

Figure 3. Typical DS3690 application circuit.

What Is So Unique About the DS3690?

Efficient Signal Routing for Better Performance

Figure 4. Suggested signal routing.

Added Security for Applications

In certain security-based applications, the leadless TQFN package adds another

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