Power-on reset circuit with reset transition delay

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10644693-B2
Application number	US-201615299458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2016
Priority date	Oct 20, 2015
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

A power-on-reset (POR) circuit for CMOS logic is operable to transition between a POR_active state and a POR_inactive state and can include: (a) VDD/VT threshold circuitry to provide a Vtp_threshold voltage based on input Vdd and PMOS Vtp, and a Vtn_threshold voltage based on input Vdd and NMOS Vtn; (b) POR transition detect circuitry to provide a POR_transition signal (active/inactive) based on a function(Vtp,Vtn), which is a function of Vtp_threshold and Vtn_threshold; and (c) POR transition control circuitry to provide the POR_state signal (active/inactive) based on the POR_transition signal. For a POR out-of-reset transition, the POR transition detect circuitry to switch the POR_transition signal inactive based on the function (Vtp,Vtn) corresponding to the POR_inactive state, and the POR transition control circuitry, responsive to the POR_transition signal switching to inactive, to initiate a POR out-of-reset delay period, and to signal the POR_inactive state after the POR out-of-reset delay period.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power-on-reset (POR) circuit for use in an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit including at least one CMOS logic block that includes PMOS transistors with a threshold voltage Vtp and NMOS transistors with a threshold voltage Vtn, the CMOS logic block operable with a power supply voltage Vdd, the POR circuit comprising:
a POR state signal corresponding to a reset state for the CMOS logic, including a POR_active state and a POR_inactive state;
VT threshold circuitry coupled to receive Vdd as an input, and to provide a Vtp threshold voltage Vtp_threshold based on Vdd and Vtp, and a Vtn threshold voltage Vtn_threshold based on Vdd and Vtn;
POR transition detect circuitry coupled to the VT threshold circuitry to provide a POR_transition signal to a common node to selectively couple or decouple the common node from a circuit common, based on Vtp_threshold and Vtn_threshold, the POR_transition signal including a POR transition out-of-reset state corresponding to a transition from the POR_active state to the POR_inactive state based on a function [Vdd≥max(Vtp_threshold, Vtn_threshold)]; and
POR transition control circuitry coupled to the POR transition detect circuitry to provide the POR_state signal in response to the POR_transition signal, the POR transition control circuitry including:
delay circuitry including:
a resistor coupled between a charging voltage and the common node, and
a delay capacitor coupled between the common node and the circuit common,

the delay circuitry responsive to the POR_transition signal in the POR transition out-of-reset state, the POR_transition signal decoupling the common node from the circuit common, to charge the delay capacitor through the resistor to generate the POR_state signal in the POR_inactive state, after a pre-defined POR out-of-reset delay period based on charging the delay capacitor.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the VT threshold circuitry comprises:
scaling circuitry including a voltage divider with at least three resistors R1, R2, R3 connected in series, and coupled to Vdd,
the Vtp_threshold voltage corresponding to a voltage at a node between R2 and R3, and
the Vtn_threshold voltage corresponding to a voltage at a node between R1 and R2.

3. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein:
the POR transition detect circuitry is configured to provide the POR_transition signal based on a POR transition into-reset state corresponding to a transition from the POR_active state to the POR_inactive state based on Vdd<Vtp_threshold, or VDD<Vtn_threshold.

4. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the POR transition detect circuitry includes:
Vt detect circuitry, including
a replica PMOS transistor controlled by the Vtp_threshold voltage; and
a replica NMOS transistor controlled by the Vtn_threshold voltage.

5. The circuit of claim 4 , the POR transition detect circuitry further includes:
a first NMOS transistor coupled between the common node and ground, controlled based on the Vtp_threshold voltage;
a second NMOS transistor coupled between the common node and ground, controlled based on the Vtn_threshold voltage;
such that when both the first and second NMOS transistors are off, the common node is decoupled from ground, and when at least one of the first and second NMOS transistors is on, the common node is coupled to ground.

6. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a Schmitt trigger with an input coupled to the delay capacitor to output the POR_state Signal.

7. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein, for a POR transition into-reset state in which the POR_state signal transitions from the POR_inactive state to the POR_active state,
the POR transition detect circuitry is operable to generate the POR transition into-reset state, and
the POR transition control circuitry is operable, in response to the POR transition into-reset state, to switch the POR_state signal from the POR_inactive state to the POR_active state during an into-reset transition period that is substantially less than the POR out-of-reset delay period.

8. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
POR output circuitry coupled to the POR transition control circuitry to output to the CMOS logic the POR_state signal;
the POR output circuitry including a pull-down resistor coupled to the POR output.

9. An integrated circuit, comprising:
at least one CMOS logic block that includes PMOS transistors with a threshold voltage Vtp and NMOS transistors with a threshold voltage Vtn, the CMOS logic block operable with a power supply voltage Vdd;
a power-on-reset (POR) circuit coupled to the at least one CMOS logic block, the POR circuit comprising:
a POR state signal corresponding to a reset state for the CMOS logic, including a POR_active state and a POR_inactive state;
VT threshold circuitry coupled to receive Vdd as an input, and to provide a Vtp threshold voltage Vtp_threshold based on Vdd and Vtp, and a Vtn threshold voltage Vtn_threshold based on Vdd and Vtn;
POR transition detect circuitry coupled to the VT threshold circuitry to provide a POR_transition signal to a common node to selectively couple or decouple the common node from a circuit common, based on Vtp_threshold and Vtn_threshold, the POR_transition signal including a POR transition out-of-reset state corresponding to a transition from the POR_active state to the POR_inactive state based on a function [Vdd≥max(Vtp_threshold, Vtn_threshold)]; and
POR transition control circuitry coupled to the POR transition detect circuitry to provide the POR_state signal based on the POR_transition signal, the POR transition control circuitry including:
delay circuitry including:
a resistor coupled between a charging voltage and the common node, and
a delay capacitor coupled between the common node and the circuit common,

the delay circuitry responsive to the POR_transition signal in the POR transition out-of-reset state, the POR_transition signal decoupling the common node from the circuit common, to charge the delay capacitor through the resistor to generate the POR_state signal in the POR_inactive state, after a pre-defined POR out-of-reset delay period based on charging the delay capacitor.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the VT threshold circuitry comprises:
scaling circuitry including a voltage divider with at least three resistors R1, R2, R3 connected in series, and coupled to Vdd,
the Vtp_threshold voltage corresponding to a voltage at a node between R2 and R3, and
the Vtn_threshold voltage corresponding to a voltage at a node between R1 and R2.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein:
the POR transition detect circuitry is configured to provide the POR_transition signal based on a POR transition into-reset state corresponding to a transition from the POR_active state to the POR_inactive state based on Vdd<Vtp_threshold, or VDD<Vtn_threshold.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 11 , wherein the POR transition detect circuitry includes:
Vt detect circuitry, including
a replica PMOS transistor controlled by the Vtp_threshold voltage; and
a replica NMOS transistor controlled by the Vtn_threshold voltage.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 12 , wherein the POR transition detect circuitry further includes:
a first NMOS transistor coupled between the common node and ground, controlled based on the Vtp_threshold voltage;
a second NMOS transistor coupled between the common node and ground, controlled based on the Vtn_threshold voltage;
such that when both the first and second NMOS transistors are off, the common node is decoupled from ground, and when at least one of the first and second NMOS transis

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Akour Amneh Mohammad
• Klemmer Nikolaus

Classifications

• H03K17/223 Primary

  in field-effect transistor switches · CPC title

• G06F1/24

  Resetting means · CPC title