Voltage trimming circuit and method of semiconductor apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9274539-B2
Application number	US-201213720578-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2012
Priority date	Aug 30, 2012
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

A voltage trimming circuit of a semiconductor apparatus includes: a first voltage trimming unit configured to trim a first reference voltage having a first characteristic with respect to temperature based on a first trimming signal, and generate a first trimming reference voltage; a second voltage trimming unit configured to trim a second reference voltage having a second characteristic with respect to the temperature based on a second trimming signal, and generate a second trimming reference voltage; and an adjusting unit configured to trim a voltage formed from a potential difference between the first and second trimming reference voltages based on a select signal, and generate a final trimming reference voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voltage trimming circuit of a semiconductor apparatus, comprising:
a first voltage trimming unit configured to trim a first reference voltage having a first characteristic with respect to temperature based on a first trimming signal, and generate a first trimming reference voltage;
a second voltage trimming unit configured to trim a second reference voltage having a second characteristic with respect to the temperature based on a second trimming signal, and generate a second trimming reference voltage; and
an adjusting unit configured to trim a plurality of third divided voltages formed from a potential difference between the first and second trimming reference voltages, and output a third divided voltage selected from the plurality of third divided voltages as a final trimming reference voltage in response to a select signal,
wherein the first and second trimming signals are set in such a manner that the first and second trimming reference voltages having a first level are generated at a first temperature,
the select signal is set in such a manner that the final trimming reference voltage is generated with a target level at a second temperature,
the adjusting unit is configured to output the final trimming reference voltage having a slope of a line connecting the first level and the target level, and
the plurality of third divided voltages comprise a first divided voltage group having at least one third divided voltage dependent on a difference between the first trimming reference voltage and a third divided voltage applied to a first node, a second divided voltage group having at least one third divided voltage dependent on a difference between the second trimming reference voltage and a third divided voltage applied to a second node, and a third divided voltage group having at least one third divided voltage dependent on a potential difference between the first node and the second node.

2. The voltage trimming circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the first voltage trimming unit comprises:
a first reference voltage provider configured to generate the first reference voltage having the first characteristic with respect to the temperature from an external voltage;
a first divided voltage generator configured to generate a plurality of first divided voltages having various voltage levels based on the first reference voltage; and
a first trimming reference voltage selector configured to output a first divided voltage selected from the plurality of first divided voltages as the first trimming reference voltage in response to the first trimming signal.

3. The voltage trimming circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the first reference voltage provider generates the first reference voltage, which is inversely proportional to the temperature, from the external voltage.

4. The voltage trimming circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the second voltage trimming unit comprises:
a second reference voltage provider configured to generate the second reference voltage having the second characteristic with respect to the temperature from an external voltage;
a second divided voltage generator configured to generate a plurality of second divided voltages having various voltage levels based on the second reference voltage; and
a second trimming reference voltage selector configured to output a second divided voltage selected from the plurality of second divided voltages as the second trimming reference voltage in response to the second trimming signal.

5. The voltage trimming circuit according to claim 4 , wherein the second reference voltage provider generates the second reference voltage, which is proportional to the temperature, from the external voltage.

6. The voltage trimming circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the adjusting unit comprises:
a first comparator configured to amplify a difference between the first trimming reference voltage level and a voltage level of the first node;
a second comparator configured to amplify a difference between the second trimming reference voltage level and a voltage level of the second node; and
a resistor section comprising a plurality of resistors connected between an output node of the first comparator and the first node, between the first node and the second node, and between the second node and an output node of the second comparator, respectively, and configured to generate the plurality of third divided voltages by dividing a voltage through the plurality of resistors.

7. The voltage trimming circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the first comparator and the second comparator comprise operational amplifiers.

8. The voltage trimming circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage trimming circuit of the semiconductor apparatus is used as a temperature sensing circuit inside a semiconductor apparatus.

9. A voltage trimming method of a semiconductor apparatus which includes:
a first voltage trimming unit configured to trim a first reference voltage based on a first trimming signal and generate a first trimming reference voltage;
a second voltage trimming unit configured to trim a second reference voltage based on a second trimming signal and generate a second trimming reference voltage; and
an adjusting unit configured to trim a plurality of third divided voltages formed from a potential difference between the first and second trimming reference voltages, and output a third divided voltage selected from the plurality of third divided voltages as a final trimming reference voltage in response to a select signal, the voltage trimming method comprising the steps of:
setting the first and second trimming signals such that the first and second trimming reference voltages having a first level are generated at a first temperature; and
setting the select signal such that the final trimming reference voltage is generated with a target level at a second temperature,
wherein the first and second reference voltages have different temperature characteristics,
the final trimming reference voltage is configured to have a slope of a line connecting the first level and the target level, and
the plurality of third divided voltages comprise a first divided voltage group having at least one third divided voltage dependent on a difference between the first trimming reference voltage and a third divided voltage applied to a first node, a second divided voltage group having at least one third divided voltage dependent on a difference between the second trimming reference voltage and a third divided voltage applied to a second node, and a third divided voltage group having at least one third divided voltage dependent on a potential difference between the first node and the second node.

10. The voltage trimming method according to claim 9 , wherein the first reference voltage is inversely proportional to temperature.

11. The voltage trimming method according to claim 9 , wherein the second reference voltage is proportional to temperature.

12. The voltage trimming method according to claim 9 , wherein the step of setting the select signal is performed based on the first and second trimming signals set at the step of setting the first and second trimming signals.

13. The voltage trimming method according to claim 9 , wherein the first temperature is set higher than the second temperature.

Assignees

• Sk Hynix Inc

Inventors

• Ok Seung Han

Classifications

• G05F3/24

  wherein the transistors are of the field-effect type only (G05F3/205, G05F3/26, G05F3/30 take precedence) · CPC title

• G05F3/16 Primary

  being semiconductor devices · CPC title

• G05F1/565

  sensing a condition of the system or its load in addition to means responsive to deviations in the output of the system, e.g. current, voltage, power factor (G05F1/563 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05F1/567 Primary

  for temperature compensation · CPC title