Rothermel, AlbrechtAlbrechtRothermel2022-03-082022-03-081992https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/302654In digital circuit technology, bipolar transistors are used to great advantage for switching operations due to their high transconductance. Since a transistor operated at saturation has a slower switching characteristic, saturation must be avoided for fast switching operations. With Schottky diodes, saturation is avoided by switching a Schottky diode in parallel to the base collector barrier. However, the production of Schottky diodes in integrated circuit technology requires additional process steps. The circuit according to the invention avoids these additional process steps by replacing the Schottky diode by a unidirectional semiconductor component composed of field effect transistors. BICMOS technology methods, which permit the monolithic integration of bipolar and MOS transistors, is particularly suited for producing the circuit.de608621patent1988-3824694