Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6605988?dq=4182933
Timestamp: 2017-04-30 05:29:10
Document Index: 556441195

Matched Legal Cases: ['application No. 10', 'application No. 10', 'application No. 10', 'application No. 10', 'application No. 10', 'application No. 10']

Patent US6605988 - Low voltage temperature-independent and temperature-dependent voltage generator - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA method for using a low voltage power supply to generate a temperature-independent voltage and temperature-dependent voltage is provided. Further, an apparatus that uses a low voltage power supply to generate a temperature-independent voltage and temperature-dependent voltage is provided. The apparatus...http://www.google.com/patents/US6605988?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6605988 - Low voltage temperature-independent and temperature-dependent voltage generatorAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS6605988 B1Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/078,140Publication dateAug 12, 2003Filing dateFeb 19, 2002Priority dateFeb 19, 2002Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS20030155965Publication number078140, 10078140, US 6605988 B1, US 6605988B1, US-B1-6605988, US6605988 B1, US6605988B1InventorsClaude Gauthier, Brian Amick, Spencer Gold, Kamran ZarrinehOriginal AssigneeSun Microsystems, Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (4), Non-Patent Citations (4), Referenced by (11), Classifications (5), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetLow voltage temperature-independent and temperature-dependent voltage generator
US 6605988 B1Abstract
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus for generating a temperature-dependent voltage and a temperature-independent voltage, comprising:
an amplifier stage that generates a feedback signal; a startup stage that generates a startup signal dependent on the feedback signal, wherein the startup signal connects to the feedback signal; and an output stage that outputs the temperature-dependent voltage and the temperature-independent voltage dependent on the feedback and startup signals. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output stage comprises a branch that outputs the temperature-dependent and temperature-independent voltages.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the branch and another branch form a current mirror.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the branch comprises a temperature-sensitive element that generates the temperature-dependent voltage.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the amplifier stage comprises a comparator that generates the feedback signal.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the startup stage comprises:
an inverter stage that generates an inverter stage output dependent on the feedback signal; and a switching element that generates the startup signal dependent on the inverter stage output. 7. An apparatus for generating a temperature-dependent voltage and a temperature-independent voltage, comprising:
means for generating a feedback signal; means for generating a startup signal in relation to the feedback signal; means for removing power supply noise from the feedback signal and the startup signal; means for generating the temperature-independent voltage in relation to the feedback signal and the startup signal; and means for generating the temperature-dependent voltage in relation to the temperature-independent voltage. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the means for generating the feedback signal is dependent on a means for comparing a first temperature-sensitive voltage in relation to the feedback signal and the startup signal and a second temperature-sensitive voltage in relation to the feedback signal and the startup signal.
9. A method for generating a temperature-dependent voltage and a temperature-independent voltage using a voltage generator having a power supply, comprising:
generating a feedback signal; generating a startup signal, wherein the startup signal connects to the feedback signal; generating the temperature-independent voltage in relation to the feedback signal and the startup signal using a first temperature-sensitive element; and generating the temperature-dependent voltage in relation to the temperature-independent voltage, wherein the temperature-dependent voltage is generated using a second temperature-sensitive element. 10. A method for forcing a temperature-dependent and temperature-independent voltage generator out of a no-current state, comprising:
generating a first temperature-sensitive voltage; generating a second temperature-sensitive voltage; generating a feedback signal by comparing the first temperature-sensitive voltage to the second temperature-sensitive voltage; generating a startup signal using the feedback signal; and inputting the startup signal to the feedback signal. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first temperature-sensitive voltage is generated by a first temperature-sensitive element.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second temperature-sensitive voltage is generated in relation to a second temperature-sensitive element.
This application contains subject matter that may be related to that contained in the following U.S. applications filed on Feb. 19, 2002 and assigned to the assignee of the instant application: “A Method and System for Monitoring and Profiling an Integrated Circuit Die Temperature” (U.S. patent application No. 10/079,476 filed Feb. 19, 2002), “An Integrated Temperature Sensor” (U.S. patent application No. 10/080,037 filed Feb. 19, 2002), “A Controller for Monitoring Temperature” (U.S. patent application No. 10/079,475 filed Feb. 19, 2002), “Temperature Calibration Using On-Chip Electrical Fuses” (U.S. patent application No. 10/078,760 filed Feb. 19, 2002), “Quantifying a Difference Between Nodal Voltages” (U.S. patent application No. 10/078,945 filed Feb. 19, 2002), and “Increasing Power Supply Noise Rejection Using Linear Voltage Regulators in an On-Chip Temperature Sensor” (U.S. patent application No. 10/078,130 filed Feb. 19, 2002).
FIG. 2 shows a temperature-independent and temperature-dependent voltage generator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic of a temperature-independent and temperature-dependent voltage generator (“TIDVG”) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the TIDVG is shown as being formed by the following stages: a startup stage (30), an amplifier stage (32), and an output stage (34). The output stage (34) functions as a voltage generator, while the startup stage (30) and the amplifier stage (32) function as support circuitry for the output stage (34). In addition to the circuitry in the aforementioned stages of the TIDVG, the TIDVG has a low voltage power supply (shown in FIG. 2 as ‘supply’), amplifier bias inputs (shown in FIG. 2 as ‘refbp,’ ‘refbn,’ and ‘refcasn’) for the amplifier stage (32), and voltage generator outputs (shown in FIG. 2 as ‘vbgr’ and ‘vbe3’). The vbgr output is a temperature-independent voltage, and the vbe3 output is a temperature-dependent voltage. Further, it is important to note that the low voltage power supply has a voltage level less than the conventional voltage values of 1.8 to 5 volts.
The amplifier stage (32) of the TIDVG is formed by an operational amplifier (54). The operational amplifier has the following inputs: supply, refbp, refbn, refcasn, a first branch voltage (76) obtained from the output stage (34), and a second branch voltage (78) also obtained from the output stage (34). The supply signal provides power to the operational amplifier (54), while refbp, refbn, and refcasn serve as bias inputs to the operational amplifier (54). The operational amplifier (54) corrects any err or in voltage between the first and second branch voltages (76, 78). In other words, the operational amplifier (54) seeks to make the difference in voltage between the first branch voltage (76) and the second branch voltage (78) equal to zero, and outputs an error-corrected voltage as the feedback signal (56).
The output stage (34) is formed by the following branches: a first branch (36), a second branch (38), and a third branch (40). The first branch (36), the second branch (38), and the third branch (40) each have a MOS transistor (42, 44, 46) and a bipolar transistor (48, 50, 52). The second branch (38) has a resistor (72), and the third branch (40) has a resistor (74) and a decoupling capacitor (80), wherein the decoupling capacitor (80) is used to remove power supply noise from, i.e. stabilize, the feedback node (56). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in some embodiments, the resistors (72, 74) may be implemented using n-well resistors. The transistors (42, 44, 46) are dependent on the supply input, while the bipolar transistors (48, 50, 52) are dependent on inputs from the transistors (42, 44, 46). Each of the transistors (42, 44, 46) functions as a branch current source that produces a current when the input to the transistor is low.
Because the transistors (42, 44, 46) are equal in size, they produce branch source currents that are substantially equal in value. Each bipolar transistor (48, 50, 52) produces a base-emitter voltage (VBE) dependent on the size of its emitter area. VBE can be calculated as follows: V BE = kT q  ln  ( Ic Is ) , ( Equation   1 ) where “k” and “q” represents physical constants, “T” represents the temperature of a bipolar transistor, IC represents the current through the bipolar transistor's collector, and IS represents the saturation current of the bipolar transistor.
Together, the first branch (36) and the second branch (38) form a delta-VBE current source. The delta-VBE current source is based on delta-VBE, which is the difference between the VBE of the first branch (36) and the VBE of the second branch (38). The value of delta-VBE can be approximated as follows with Equation 2: Δ   V BE = kT q  ln   x , ( Equation   2 ) where “k” and “q” represent physical constants, “T” represents the temperature of a bipolar transistor, and “x” is a ratio of the emitter areas of two bipolar transistors. As shown by Equation 2, delta-VBE (also known and referred to as a “differential VBE voltage”) is dependent on the ratio “x.” Referring to FIG. 2, “x” is a factor representing the difference in area between the emitter of the first branch's (36) bipolar transistor (48) and the emitter of the second branch's (38) bipolar transistor (50). In particular embodiments of the present invention, the emitter areas of the bipolar transistors (48, 50) may differ in size by a factor of 10. This would mean that the emitter area of the second branch's (38) bipolar transistor (50) is 10 times larger than the emitter area of the first branch's (36) bipolar transistor (48).
BV 2 =V BE2 +I 2 R 2, (Equation 3)
The third branch (40) uses the delta-VBE current source to generate two outputs: a temperature-independent signal (shown in FIG. 2 as ‘vbgr’) and a temperature-dependent signal (shown in FIG. 2 as ‘vbe3’). The value of the temperature-independent signal is equal to the sum of the temperature-dependent voltage and the voltage drop across resistor (72). The third branch's (40) transistor (46) is equal in size to the second branch's transistor (44). As a result, the current through the third branch's (40) transistor (46) is equal to the current through the second branch's (38) transistor (44) (a technique or effect known as a “current mirror”). In addition, because the temperature-independent signal and the temperature-dependent signal are outputted by the same branch, power supply variations are equally coupled to both signals, allowing for easier supply variation cancellation.
One may show that vbgr is a temperature independent voltage by examining an equation used to calculate the value of vbgr. The value of vbgr can be calculated as follows: vbgr = V BE3 + nxR 1 mxR 2 × kT q  ln   x , ( Equation   4 ) where “k,” “T,” “q,” and “x” have the same representations as in Equation 2, “n” and “m” represent constants, VBE3 is the value of the voltage through a transistor, and R1 and R2 are the values of resistors. Referring to FIG. 2, VBE3 is the base-emitter voltage of the third branch's transistor (46), RI is the value of the second branch's (38) resistor (72), and R2 is the value of the third branch's (40) resistor (74). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that if R1 and R2 are equal, they cancel each other out in Equation 3, effectively having no effect on the value of vbgr.
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