Voltage generation apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9564888-B2
Application number	US-201514710253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2015
Priority date	Dec 9, 2014
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

A voltage generation apparatus may include an external voltage sensing circuit configured to generate a first start signal and a second start signal by sensing the magnitude of a first external voltage and the magnitude of a second external voltage. The voltage generation apparatus may include an internal voltage sensing circuit configured to generate a voltage generation signal by comparing an internal voltage with a target voltage. The voltage generation apparatus may include a voltage pumping circuit configured to be activated in response to the first start signal, configured to perform a pumping operation based on the voltage generation signal, and configured to generate the internal voltage. The voltage generation apparatus may include a voltage regulating circuit configured to be activated in response to the first and second start signals, and configured to generate the internal voltage based on the voltage generation signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voltage generation apparatus comprising:
an external voltage sensing circuit configured to generate a first start signal and a second start signal by sensing the magnitude of a first external voltage and a magnitude of a second external voltage;
an internal voltage sensing circuit configured to generate a voltage generation signal by comparing an internal voltage with a target voltage;
a voltage pumping circuit configured to be activated in response to the first start signal, configured to perform a pumping operation based on the voltage generation signal, and configured to generate the internal voltage; and
a voltage regulating circuit configured to be activated in response to the first and second start signals, and configured to generate the internal voltage based on the voltage generation signal.

2. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the external voltage sensing circuit includes:
a first start signal generator configured to determine whether the first external voltage reaches a first reference voltage and the second external voltage reaches a second reference voltage, and configured to generate the first start signal; and
a second start signal generator configured to activate the second start signal when the first external voltage is less than a first threshold voltage and the second external voltage is greater than a second threshold voltage.

3. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the voltage regulating circuit includes:
a regulating activation unit configured to be activated in response to the voltage generation signal, configured to perform a logic operation with the first start signal and the second start signal, and configured to generate a regulating activation signal; and
an adaptive regulator configured to linearly provide the internal voltage in response to the regulating activation signal.

4. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the adaptive regulator includes:
a pass switching unit configured to provide the second external voltage as the internal voltage, upon receiving the regulating activation signal; and
a resistor unit having one end coupled to the pass switching unit and another end configured for providing the internal voltage.

5. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the pass switching unit includes an NMOS transistor, and
wherein the NMOS transistor includes a first terminal coupled to the one end of the resistor unit, a second terminal configured for receiving the second external voltage, and a body configured for receiving a ground voltage as an input.

6. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the NMOS transistor includes a gate configured for receiving the regulating activation signal.

7. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the adaptive regulator includes at least two or more of the pass switching units, and at least two or more of the resistor units, and
wherein each adaptive regulator is coupled to a resistor unit, respectively,
the voltage generation apparatus further comprising:
a control circuit configured to activate each pass switching unit and each resistor unit.

8. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the internal voltage sensing circuit and the voltage pumping circuit are driven based on the first external voltage, and the voltage regulating circuit is driven based on the second external voltage.

9. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the regulating activation unit further includes:
a level shifter configured to increase a voltage level of the voltage generation signal.

10. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the regulating activation unit further includes:
an inverter configured to receive the first start signal;
a NAND gate configured to receive an output of the inverter and the voltage generation signal;
a level shifter configured to receive an output of the NAND gate and boost a level of the output of the NAND gate to a level of the second external voltage; and
a NOR gate configured to receive an output of the level shifter and the second start signal, and output the regulating activation signal.

11. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first start signal generator includes:
a power-on reset unit configured to initialize a first net signal when the first external voltage reaches the first reference voltage, and to initialize the second net signal when the second external voltage reaches the second reference voltage; and
a logical operator configured to activate the first start signal when at least one of the first net signal and the second net signal is activated.

12. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the voltage pumping circuit includes:
a pumping activation unit configured to perform a logic operation between the first start signal and the voltage generation signal to generate a pumping activation signal;
a charge pumping unit configured to generate the internal voltage by performing a charge pumping operation in response to the pumping activation signal; and
an initialization unit configured to provide the first external voltage as the internal voltage in response to the first start signal.

13. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the pumping activation unit includes:
an inverter configured to receive the first start signal;
a NAND gate configured to receive the voltage generation signal or the second control signal, and the output of the inverter; and
another inverter configured to receive the output of the NAND gate and output the pumping activation signal.

14. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein:
the pumping activation unit activates the pumping activation signal when the first start signal corresponds to a first state and the activation signal is activated, and
the initialization unit provides the first external voltage as the internal voltage when the first start signal corresponds to a second state different from the first state.

15. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first external voltage corresponds to an external low voltage, and the second external voltage corresponds to an external high voltage.

16. The voltage generation apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the second external voltage is greater than the first external voltage.

Assignees

• Sk Hynix Inc

Inventors

• Ham Hyun Ju
• Park Kee Teok
• Won Hyung Sik

Classifications

• G05F1/575

  characterised by the feedback circuit · CPC title

• G05F1/562

  with a threshold detection shunting the control path of the final control device · CPC title

• G05F1/46

  wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is DC (G05F1/625 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05F3/16

  being semiconductor devices · CPC title

• H03K17/223 Primary

  in field-effect transistor switches · CPC title