Oscillator compensation using bias current

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11075602-B1
Application number	US-202016821166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 17, 2020
Priority date	Mar 17, 2020
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes: a bias circuit having a replica circuit, the bias circuit to generate an oscillator current that is proportional to a variation of the replica circuit; an oscillator circuit coupled to the bias circuit to receive the oscillator current and generate a plurality of signals using the oscillator current; and a waveform shaper circuit coupled to the oscillator circuit to receive the plurality of signals and generate at least one clock signal from the plurality of signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a bias circuit having a replica circuit, the bias circuit to generate an oscillator current, the oscillator current proportional to a variation of the replica circuit;
an oscillator circuit coupled to the bias circuit to receive the oscillator current and generate a plurality of signals using the oscillator current; and
a waveform shaper circuit coupled to the oscillator circuit to receive the plurality of signals and generate at least one clock signal from the plurality of signals, wherein the waveform shaper circuit is to output the at least one clock signal having a different shape and a different level than the plurality of signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a calibration circuit to execute a calibration sequence to calibrate a controllable resistance of the bias circuit and a frequency of the at least one clock signal independently.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the calibration circuit is to adjust the controllable resistance until a voltage of a node coupled to the controllable resistance corresponds to a predetermined voltage and store a calibration value for the adjusted controllable resistance in a configuration storage.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the oscillator circuit comprises a plurality of delay stages, each comprising:
a NOR gate to receive outputs of two of the plurality of delay stages and to output an output signal;
a current source coupled to the NOR gate; and
a varactor coupled to the current source, wherein the current source is to charge the varactor based on the output signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the calibration circuit is to calibrate the varactor and store a calibration value for the varactor in a configuration storage, wherein the calibration circuit is to control a capacitance of the varactor based on the calibration value to cause the plurality of signals to be output having a predetermined frequency.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the oscillator circuit is to generate the plurality of signals having a frequency dependent on the controllable resistance and the varactor, and independent of a threshold voltage of the NOR gate.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a startup circuit coupled to the oscillator circuit, the startup circuit to initially provide different control values to at least two of the varactors of the plurality of delay stages, and after the oscillator circuit begins to oscillate the calibration value is provided from the configuration storage to the varactor of the plurality of delay stages.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the oscillator circuit is to output the plurality of signals as sawtooth signals having a first period and a first level.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the waveform shaper circuit is to receive the plurality of sawtooth signals having the first period and the first level and output a plurality of square waveform signals having a second level different than the first level.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the waveform shaper circuit comprises:
a plurality of first devices each gated by one of the plurality of signals, and having a first terminal coupled to one of a plurality of output nodes; and
a plurality of second devices each having a gate terminal coupled to one of the plurality of output nodes and first terminals coupled to another of the plurality of output nodes, wherein the waveform shaper circuit is to output a plurality of square waveform signals via the plurality of output nodes.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a frequency multiplier circuit coupled to the waveform shaper circuit, wherein the frequency multiplier circuit is to receive the plurality of square waveform signals and output a clock signal having a higher frequency than the plurality of square waveform signals.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the frequency multiplier circuit comprises:
a first NAND gate to receive a first portion of the plurality of square waveform signals;
a second NAND gate to receive a second portion of the plurality of square waveform signals; and
a third NAND gate to receive a first output of the first NAND gate and a second output of the second NAND gate and to output the clock signal having twice the frequency of the square waveform signals.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bias circuit comprises:
a first device coupled to an analog supply voltage node and to output a first current to a control node;
a controllable resistance coupled between the control node and a ground voltage node;
the replica circuit having an input coupled to the controllable resistance, the replica circuit coupled to a bias current node that receives a bias current;
an RC network coupled between the control node and the bias current node; and
an output circuit coupled to the first device and the RC network, the output circuit to output the oscillator current.

14. A method comprising:
obtaining a first control value from a configuration storage;
sending the first control value to a controllable resistor of a bias circuit of an integrated circuit to set a resistance of the controllable resistor, the bias circuit to generate an oscillator current for use by an oscillator core of the integrated circuit;
obtaining a second control value from the configuration storage;
sending the second control value to the oscillator core to set a capacitance of a plurality of delay stages of the oscillator core;
operating the bias circuit to generate the oscillator current; and
providing the oscillator current to the oscillator core to enable the oscillator core to output at least one signal having a first frequency.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
generating the oscillator current that is dependent on a temperature and a process of the integrated circuit; and
outputting the at least one signal from the oscillator core having the first frequency that is independent of the temperature and the process of the integrated circuit.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
sending unbalanced control values to the oscillator core to set the capacitance of at least some of the plurality of delay stages to different levels to reduce an oscillation latency of the oscillator core; and
after the oscillator core begins oscillation, sending the second control value to the oscillator core to set the capacitance of the plurality of delay stages to the same level.

17. An integrated circuit comprising:
a bias circuit to receive a first current and generate an oscillator current that is dependent on a temperature and a process of the integrated circuit, the bias circuit including a controllable resistor; and
an oscillator core coupled to the bias circuit, the oscillator core to output at least one output signal having a frequency that is at least substantially independent of the temperature and the process, the oscillator core comprising:
a plurality of delay stages, each to receive an output signal of two other of the plurality of delay stages and to generate an output signal and comprising:
a current source;
a varactor coupled to the current source; and
a control circuit to control charge and discharge of the varactor with the current source using the oscillator current.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 17 , further comprising a calibration circuit coupled to the oscillator core and the bias circuit, the calibration circuit to provide a first control value to the bias circuit to control the controllable resisto

Assignees

• Silicon Lab Inc

Inventors

• Balmelli Pio

Classifications

• H03L7/18 Primary

  using a frequency divider or counter in the loop (H03L7/20, H03L7/22 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03B5/04 Primary

  Modifications of generator to compensate for variations in physical values, e.g. power supply, load, temperature · CPC title

• H03K4/50

  in which a sawtooth voltage is produced across a capacitor · CPC title

• H03K3/011 Primary

  Modifications of generator to compensate for variations in physical values, e.g. voltage, temperature {(to maintain energy constant H03K3/015)} · CPC title

• H03K3/0231

  Astable circuits {(H03K3/0315 takes precedence)} · CPC title