Voltage control circuit

Abstract: The present invention relates to a circuit arrangement integrated in a semiconductor circuit. In modern microprocessor systems with high clock rates (50 MHz and more) special chips with narrow tolerance ranges as regards their switching speed are required. The circuit arrangement (10) according to the invention compensates the switching speed fluctuations due to temperature fluctuations and process spread by generating an internal operating voltage (Vib) and controlling said voltage in such a manner that it counteracts the fluctuations of the switching speed due to temperature changes and process spread and compensates said fluctuations.

Description: The present invention relates to a voltage control circuit of the type defined in the precharacterizing part of claim 1. Essential factors which influence the switching time of CMOS and BIC-MOS circuits and increase or decrease said switching time are the operating voltage, the ambient temperature and the channel length of the transistors contained in the circuits. "Switching time" here is understood to be the delay period which occurs between a change of the input signal of the circuit and a thereby initiated change of the output signal. However, high demands are made on modules or chips of microprocessor systems as regards their switching times, in particular of clock drivers of such systems: Firstly, various gates accommodated in the package of a clock driver must satisfy narrow switching time tolerances (< 0.5 ns). Secondly, switching times of various chips or modules originating from different fabrication series and consequently subjected to a fabrication process spread must lie within narrow tolerance ranges (< 1.0 ns) as regards the switching times. Thirdly, switching times of the chips of modern microprocessor systems with high clock rates should be only slightly influenced by temperature fluctuations and fluctuations in the operating voltage. Chips with all gates accommodated in one package and having switching times in a tolerance range of about 0.5 ns can already be made by conventional fabrication methods. However, narrow tolerance ranges for the switching times of chips of different production series cannot be achieved with the conventional production methods. A further disadvantage of conventional microprocessor systems resides in that the switching times of different chips of the system are changed to different extents by the ambient temperature and by operating voltage fluctuations so that narrow tolerance intervals of less than 1.0 ns cannot be observed. If chips having switching times lying in the necessary tolerance range are made by conventional methods, only a small yield is obtained from large production batches. In addition, there is a very high test expenditure which makes the chips even more expensive. However, such a fabrication method is extremely uneconomical both to the manufacturer and to the user. The problem underlying the invention is therefore to provide a circuit arrangement which is integrated in a semiconductor substrate and the switching times of which lie within narrowly fixed tolerance limits. This problem is solved according to the invention by introducing a temperature sensor into a voltage control circuit responsible for producing an internal operating voltage for the digital circuit to enable the internal operating voltage to be adjusted in an inverse relation to a temperature-induced variation of the switching speed of the digital circuit, in accordance with the characterizing clause of Claim 1. In a circuit arrangement having these features the temperature-induced influences on the switching time are eliminated so that even under relatively large changes of the use temperature of the circuit arrangement a narrow tolerance range of the switching time is maintained. In a specific aspect, the temperature sensor is provided by a diode included as a component in the voltage control circuit and operating in conjunction with a reference voltage source, a bipolar transistor, and an operational amplifier. The diode is connected in parallel to a resistor included as a component of a voltage divider, with the diode having a temperature sensing characteristic effective to adjust the internal operating voltage prduced at the output terminal of the voltage control circuit for application to the digital circuit by providing a diode voltage inversely related to changes in temperature. Examples of embodiment of the invention will now be explained in detail with the aid of the drawings, wherein: FIg. 1 shows a conventional circuit for generating and maintaining an internal operating voltage, Fig.2 shows a circuit arrangement according to the invention for compensating a temperature-induced switching time change. Fig. 1 shows a known control circuit 10 which from an external supply voltage V b generates an internal operating voltage V ib and maintains the latter substantially constant at an adjustable value. A control circuit of this type is described for example in "Halbleitertechnik" by U. Tietze and Ch. Schenk, Springer Verlag, 8th edition, 1986, p. 524, 525. The control circuit 10 comprises a terminal 12 for applying the external supply voltage V b and an output A. A further terminal 14 is connected to ground V o . An operational amplifier OP is connected with its non-inverting input 18 to a highly exact reference voltage source 16 having a reference voltage V ref . Such highly exact reference voltage sources are known and are described for example in "BIPOLAR AND MOS ANALOG INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DESIGN" by Alan B. Grebene, Publications John Wiley & Sons, 1984, pages 266 et seq., under the heading "Band-Gap Reference Circuits". The reference voltage V ref is consequently present at the non-inverting input 18. The inverting input 20 of the operational amplifier OP is connected to a voltage divider R 1 , R 3 . Via the resistor R 1 the inverting input 20 is connected on the one hand to the terminal 14 connected to ground and on the other via the resistor R 3 to the collector of a pnp transistor Q. The emitter of the transistor Q is connected to the terminal connected to the supply voltage V b . The base of the transistor Q is connected to a further divider R 5 , R 6 . The one resistor R 5 leads to the output terminal 22 of the operational amplifier OP and the other resistor R 6 leads to the terminal 12 connected to the supply voltage V b . The internal operating voltage V ib to be generated by this circuit is tapped from the collector of the transistor Q and can be supplied via the output A to a digital circuit C. The internal operating voltage V ib present at the output A is kept constant by the circuit described above. The value of the operating voltage V ib depends on the reference voltage V ref and the values of the resistors R 1 and R 3 . The circuit of Fig. 1 functions in detail as follows: In the rest state, i.e. with invariable supply voltage V b , the control circuit described generates, as mentioned above, the internal operating voltage V ib at the output A with a value dependent on the value of the reference voltage V ref and the value of the resistors R 1 and R 3 . The control circuit continuously attempts to reduce the difference between the voltages at the two inputs 18 and 20 of the operational amplifier 22 to zero. This means that the operational amplifier OP generates at its output 22 a current which at the connection point of the two resistors R 5 and R 6 produces a voltage drop which as base voltage drives the transistor Q in such a manner that the collector I c thereof generates at the connection point of the resistors R 1 and R 3 a voltage which is equal to the reference voltage V ref . When the supply voltage V b rises this results in a rise of the collector current I c of the transistor Q as well so that at the inverting input 20 of the operational amplifier OP a voltage is set which is greater than the reference voltage V ref . Consequently, between the inputs 18 and 20 of the operational amplifier OP a voltage difference is present which leads to a change in the output current at the output 22. This modified output current leads to a change of the base bias of the transistor Q 1 such that the collector current I c thereof becomes smaller until finally the voltage drop at the inverting input 20 of the operational amplifier OP again assumes the value of the reference voltage V ref . In this manner, the rise of the internal operating voltage V ib is countered by the control circuit 10 through a rise of the supply voltage V b . When the supply voltage V b drops the opposite effect occurs in that any drop of the internal operating voltage V ib is countered. Consequently, the control circuit 10 achieves the desired effect, i.e. of keeping the internal operating voltage V ib constant at a value fixed by the reference voltage V ref and the resistors R 1 and R 3 . Fig. 2 shows a circuit arrangement in which by subsequent regulation of the internal operating voltage the influence of the ambient temperature on the switching time is largely eliminated. This circuit arrangement corresponds substantially to the circuit arrangement of Fig. 1 and consequently the same reference numerals are used for corresponding components and circuit parts. In contrast to the circuit arrangement of Fig. 1, in the circuit arrangement of Fig. 2 a diode D serving as temperature sensor is inserted parallel to a first part R 1a of the resistor R 1 divided into two parts R 1a and R 1b , said first part R 1a of the resistor R 1 and the diode D each being connected on one side to ground. The temperature behaviour of the diode D and in particular of the diode voltage U AK is exactly known. With increasing temperature this diode voltage U AK decreases by 2 mV/°C. This effect leads on a temperature change to a change in the current flowing through the resistor R 1 and thus to a change of the voltage at the inverted input 20 of the operational amplifier OP. Since the operational amplifier OP attempts to make the voltage at the inverting input 20 equal to the reference voltage V ref , a current change in the resistor R 1a effects a change in the output current of the operational amplifier OP and thus a change in the internal operating voltage V ib by influencing the collector current of the transistor Q. Now, if the temperature rises the diode voltage U AK drops and effects an increase in the current flowing through the resistor R 1a . Consequently, an increased current also flows through R 1b and R 3 and leads to a change of the voltage at the input 20 of the operational amplifier OP. Thus, the control point of the control circuit shifts in that the internal operating voltage V ib is shifted to a higher value. If however the ambient temperature drops, the current flowing through R 1a is reduced. Analogously to the process described above, this leads in the control circuit to a shift of the internal operating voltage V ib to lower values. In this manner the circuit arrangement of Fig. 2 described can counter any shortening of the switching time due to temperature increase by increasing the internal operating voltage V ib . Consequently, for such circuit arrangements narrower tolerance intervals can be set and observed.

Claims: A voltage control circuit for generating an internal adjustable operating voltage from an external supply voltage and maintaining the internal operating voltage at a substantially constant magnitude subject to adjustment, said voltage control circuit comprising: an input terminal (V b ) for receiving an external supply voltage; an operational amplifier (OP) having inverting and non-inverting inputs (20, 18) and an output (22), the inverting input of said operational amplifier being connected to said input terminal; a bipolar transistor (Q) having base, emitter and collector electrodes interconnected between said input terminal and the inverting input of said operational amplifier, the emitter electrode of said bipolar transistor being connected to said input terminal and the collector electrode of said bipolar transistor being connected to the inverting input (20) of said operational amplifier (OP); a feed-back loop interconnecting the output (22) of said operational amplifier (OP) and the base electrode of said bipolar transistor (Q); a reference voltage source (16) for producing a reference voltage (V ref ) connected to the non-inverting input (18) of said operational amplifier (OP); an output terminal (A) connected to the collector electrode of said bipolar transistor (Q) at which the internal operating voltage for use by a digital circuit is produced; a voltage divider having frist and second serially connected resistors (R 3 , R 1 ), the distal ends of said first and second resistors being respectively connected to the collector electrode of said bipolar transistor and to ground; the inverting input (20) of said operational amplifier (OP) being connected to a first node located between said first and second resistors; and said reference voltage source (16) also being connected to ground; characterized in that said voltage divider includes a third resistor (R 1a ) connected in series to said first and second resistors (R 3 , R 1b ) and being interposed between said second resistor (R 1b ) and ground; a diode (D) connected in parallel to said third resistor (R 1a ) and having its anode connected to a second node located between said second and third resistors and its cathode connected between said reference voltage source and ground; and said diode having a temperature sensing characteristic effective to adjust the internal operating voltage produced at said output terminal (A) by providing a diode voltage inversely related to changes in temperature.-- A voltage control circuit as set forth in Claim 1, further characterized by a second voltage divider comprising fourth and fifth serially connected resistors (R 6 , R 5 ), the distal ends of said fourth and fifth resistors of said second voltage divider being respectively connected to the emitter electrode of said bipolar transistor (Q) and to the output of said operational amplifier (OP), and the base electrode of said bipolar transistor being connected to said second voltage divider at a node located between said fourth and fifth serially connected resistors.-- An integrated circuit having a voltage control circuit as set forth in either of Claims 1 or 2, wherein said integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate on which the voltage control circuit is disposed; and a digital circuit having a switching speed as between "0" and "1" logic states disposed on the semiconductor substrate with said voltage control circuit; characterized in that the switching speed as between "0" and "1" logic states of said digital circuit is variable and dependent upon an internal operating voltage generated by said voltage control circuit; the output terminal of said voltage control circuit being connected to said digital circuit for providing the internal operating voltage generated by said voltage control circuit to said digital circuit; the switching speed of said digital circuit being further subject to a temperature-induced variation thereof; and the diode of said voltage control circuit having the temperature sensing characteristic being effective to adjust the internal operating voltage produced at the output terminal of said voltage control circuit for input to said digital circuit by providing a diode voltage inversely related to changes in temperature such that the internal operating voltage produced at the output terminal of said voltage control circuit for input to said digital circuit varies inversely with respect to a temperature-induced variation of the switching speed of said digital circuit.

Inventors: ELMER WERNER, ELMER, WERNER
Applicants: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS DEUTSCHLAND, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
Application year: 1992
Main classification: G05F1
IPC codes: H01L21, H01L27, H03K17, H01L23, G05F1, H03K19