Voltage detection circuit, semiconductor device, and semiconductor device manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11255880-B2
Application number	US-201916519694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2019
Priority date	Jul 26, 2018
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A voltage detection circuit includes a resistance dividing circuit containing a coarse adjustment variable resistance circuit and a fine adjustment variable resistance circuit, a coarse adjustment circuit controlling the coarse adjustment variable resistance circuit, a fine adjustment circuit controlling the fine adjustment variable resistance circuit, and a control circuit controlling the coarse adjustment circuit and the fine adjustment circuit based upon a detection signal of a comparator circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voltage detection circuit which detects that a voltage to be measured reaches a predetermined voltage, the voltage detection circuit comprising:
a resistance dividing circuit which includes a coarse adjustment variable resistance circuit containing a variable resistor, configured to adjust a resistance thereof and a fine adjustment variable resistance circuit configured to adjust a resistance thereof;
a comparator circuit configured to output a detection signal obtained by comparing an output voltage of the resistance dividing circuit with a reference voltage;
a coarse adjustment circuit configured to control the coarse adjustment variable resistance circuit;
a fine adjustment circuit configured to control the fine adjustment variable resistance circuit and have an adjustment range of the fine adjustment variable resistance circuit, being wider than an adjustment range of a resistance having a minimum resistance value constituting the coarse adjustment variable resistance circuit; and
a control circuit configured to control the coarse adjustment circuit and the fine adjustment circuit based upon the detection signal of the comparator circuit.

2. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to operate the coarse adjustment circuit, then stop the coarse adjustment circuit and operate the fine adjustment circuit in response to a change in the detection signal of the comparator circuit, and then stop the fine adjustment circuit in response to a next change in the detection signal of the comparator circuit.

3. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the fine adjustment circuit is configured to apply an offset voltage to an output voltage of the resistance dividing circuit while the coarse adjustment circuit is operating.

4. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 2 , wherein an offset voltage is applied to the reference voltage while the coarse adjustment circuit is operating.

5. A semiconductor device comprising:
the voltage detection circuit according to claim 1 .

6. A voltage detection circuit which detects that a voltage to be measured reaches a predetermined voltage, the voltage detection circuit comprising:
a resistance dividing circuit which includes a coarse adjustment variable resistance circuit containing a variable resistor, configured to adjust a resistance thereof and a fine adjustment variable resistance circuit configured to adjust a resistance thereof;
a comparator circuit configured to output a detection signal obtained by comparing an output voltage of the resistance dividing circuit with a reference voltage;
a coarse adjustment circuit configured to control the coarse adjustment variable resistance circuit;
a fine adjustment circuit configured to control the fine adjustment variable resistance circuit; and
a control circuit configured to operate the coarse adjustment circuit, and then stop the coarse adjustment circuit and operate the fine adjustment circuit in response to a change in the detection signal of the comparator circuit, and then stop the fine adjustment circuit in response to a next change in the detection signal of the comparator circuit based upon the detection signal of the comparator circuit.

7. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the fine adjustment circuit is configured to apply an offset voltage to an output voltage of the resistance dividing circuit while the coarse adjustment circuit is operating.

8. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 6 , wherein an offset voltage is applied to the reference voltage while the coarse adjustment circuit is operating.

9. A semiconductor device comprising:
the voltage detection circuit according to claim 6 .

10. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which includes a resistance dividing circuit including a coarse adjustment variable resistance circuit containing a variable resistor, configured to adjust a resistance thereof and a fine adjustment variable resistance circuit configured to adjust a resistance thereof, a comparator circuit configured to output a detection signal obtained by comparing an output voltage of the resistance dividing circuit with a reference voltage, a coarse adjustment circuit configured to control the coarse adjustment variable resistance circuit, a fine adjustment circuit configured to control the fine adjustment variable resistance circuit, and a control circuit configured to control the coarse adjustment circuit and the fine adjustment circuit based upon the detection signal of the comparator circuit, the method comprising:
forming the resistance dividing circuit, the comparator circuit, the coarse adjustment circuit, the fine adjustment circuit, and the control circuit, on a semiconductor substrate;
making the coarse adjustment circuit operate by the control circuit;
determining a resistance of the coarse adjustment circuit to stop the coarse adjustment circuit in response to the change of the detection signal;
making the fine adjustment circuit operate by the control circuit; and
determining a resistance of the fine adjustment circuit to stop the fine adjustment circuit in response to the change of the detection signal.

Assignees

• Ablic Inc

Inventors

• Kanazawa Yusuke

Classifications

• H10P74/207

  Electrical properties, e.g. testing or measuring of resistance, deep levels or capacitance-voltage characteristics · CPC title

• G01R3/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture {or maintenance} of measuring instruments {, e.g. of probe tips} · CPC title

• G01R19/0084

  Measuring voltage only · CPC title

• H03K23/40

  Gating or clocking signals applied to all stages, i.e. synchronous counters {(H03K23/74 - H03K23/84 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H03K21/08

  Output circuits · CPC title