PUSH PULL OUTPUT CIRCUIT

A low voltage sixteen bit digital-to-analog converter operable between +5 and -5 volt power supplies and capable of providing output voltage levels to within about 1.4 volts of +VCC and -VCC includes a push-pull output stage with only a pullup transistor and a pulldown transistor connected in series between the positive and negative supply voltages. The output stage includes circuitry that reduces the base voltage of the pullup transistor or pulldown transistor enough to reduce its collector current to near zero, greatly increasing its effective collector-to-emitter breakdown voltage.