Monitor circuit, semiconductor integrated circuit, semiconductor device, and method of controlling power supply voltage of semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9647654-B2
Application number	US-201514851592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2015
Priority date	Jan 30, 2013
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A monitor circuit includes a reference voltage generating unit that generates first and second reference voltages, a first amplifier unit that amplifies a differential voltage between the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage, a second amplifier unit that amplifies a differential voltage between an internal power supply voltage being supplied to a functional block provided in the semiconductor integrated circuit and the first reference voltage, and a comparator unit that compares an amplification result of the first amplifier unit with an amplification result of the second amplifier unit and outputs a comparison result as a measurement result.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor integrated circuit device on a semiconductor chip, comprising:
a first pad which receives a first voltage;
a second pad which receives a second voltage lower than the first voltage;
a third pad;
a first line coupled to the first pad;
a second line coupled to the second pad;
a CPU coupled between the first line and the second line; and
a monitor circuit, comprising:
a reference voltage generator, coupled to the second line, which generates a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage different from the first reference voltage based on a voltage from the second line,
a first amplifier having an inverting input to receive the first reference voltage, a non-inverting input to receive the second reference voltage, and an output, the first amplifier amplifying a differential voltage between the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage,
a second amplifier having an inverting input to receive the first reference voltage, a non-inverting input coupled to the first line, and an output, the second amplifier amplifying a differential voltage between the first reference voltage and a voltage from the first line,
a comparator having a first input coupled to the output of the first amplifier, a second input coupled to the output of the second amplifier, and an output, the comparator comparing an output signal of the first amplifier and an output signal of the second amplifier, and outputting a comparison result, and
a control circuit to receive the comparison result and provide a control signal to the third pad to control a value of an external power supply voltage supplied to the first pad.

2. The monitor circuit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reference voltage generator includes a bandgap reference temperature sensor that generates the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage, and
wherein the second reference voltage has a temperature dependence smaller than the first reference voltage.

3. The monitor circuit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reference voltage generator includes a bandgap reference temperature sensor that generates the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage,
wherein the first reference voltage is dependent on temperature, and
wherein the second reference voltage is not dependent on temperature.

4. A semiconductor integrated circuit device on a semiconductor chip, comprising:
a first pad which receives a first voltage;
a second pad which receives a second voltage lower than the first voltage;
a third pad;
a first line coupled to the first pad;
a second line coupled to the second pad;
a CPU coupled between the first line and the second line;
a fourth pad which receives a first voltage;
a fifth pad which receives a second voltage lower than the first voltage;
a third line coupled to the fourth pad;
a fourth line coupled to the fifth pad;
a GPU coupled between the third line and the fourth line; and
a first monitor circuit and a second monitor circuit, each monitor circuit comprising:
a reference voltage generator, coupled to the second line or the fourth line, which generates a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage different from the first reference voltage based on a voltage from the second line or the fourth line,
a first amplifier having an inverting input to receive the first reference voltage, a non-inverting input to receive the second reference voltage, and an output, the first amplifier amplifying a differential voltage between the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage,
a second amplifier having an inverting input to receive the first reference voltage, a non-inverting input coupled to the first line or the third line, and an output, the second amplifier amplifying a differential voltage between the first reference voltage and a voltage from the first line or the third line, and
a comparator having a first input coupled to the output of the first amplifier, a second input coupled to the output of the second amplifier, and an output, the comparator comparing an output signal of the first amplifier and an output signal of the second amplifier, and outputting a comparison result, and
a first control circuit and a second control circuit, each control circuit receiving the comparison result from the corresponding comparator and providing a control signal to the third pad to control a value of an external power supply voltage supplied to the first pad or the fourth pad.

5. The monitor circuit according to claim 4 ,
wherein the reference voltage generator includes a bandgap reference temperature sensor that generates the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage, and
wherein the second reference voltage has a temperature dependence smaller than the first reference voltage.

6. The monitor circuit according to claim 4 ,
wherein the reference voltage generator includes a bandgap reference temperature sensor that generates the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage,
wherein the first reference voltage is dependent on temperature, and
wherein the second reference voltage is not dependent on temperature.

Assignees

• Renesas Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Kameyama Tadashi
• Naruse Takanobu
• Akita Yohei
• Hara Hirotaka

Classifications

• G01R19/16552

  in I.C. power supplies · CPC title

• G06F1/28

  Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision · CPC title

• G06F1/26

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• H03K5/24 Primary

  the characteristic being amplitude · CPC title

• G01R19/32

  Compensating for temperature change · CPC title