Semiconductor device and method

• US 10,153,728 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Cho, Lan-Chou, Chen, Huan-Neng, Jou, Chewn-Pu, Kuo, Feng Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Gannon, Levi
• Application Number:
  US15/653,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20170346444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 19/04 Transformers or mutual inductances suitable for handling frequencies considerably beyond the audio range resonant circuits H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2871 Pancake coils
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/288 Shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 5/04 Arrangements of electric connections to coils, e.g. leads
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0074 Locking of an oscillator by injecting an input signal directly into the oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/08 with frequency-determining element comprising lumped inductance and capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1212 the amplifier comprising a pair of transistors, wherein an output terminal of each being connected to an input terminal of the other, e.g. a cross coupled pair
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1228 the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1243 the means comprising voltage variable capacitance diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1256 the means comprising a variable inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1296 the feedback circuit comprising a transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/10 Tuning of a resonator by means of digitally controlled capacitor bank
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/36 by the use, as active elements, of semiconductors, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/86 Generating pulses by means of delay lines and not covered by the preceding subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/00 Automatic control of frequency or phase; Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/087 using at least two phase detectors or a frequency and phase detector in the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/099 concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/24 using a reference signal directly applied to the generator

Abstract

A circuit includes a first digital controlled oscillator and a second digital controlled oscillator coupled to the first digital controlled oscillator. A skew detector is connected to determine a skew between outputs of the first digital controlled oscillator and the second digital controlled oscillator, and a decoder is utilized to output a control signal, based on the skew, to modify a frequency of the first digital controlled oscillator using a switched capacitor array to reduce or eliminate the skew. A differential pulse injection oscillator circuit and a pulse injection signal generator circuit are also provided.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a signal generator;

a first inverter connected to the signal generator through a first coupling capacitor;

a reference signal generating circuit connected to the signal generator through a second coupling capacitor, the reference signal generating signal being configured to generate a reference signal;

a pull down block, comprising one or more pull down branches, wherein each pull down branch of the one or more pull down branches is connected to an output of the first inverter and to one or more programmable input signals, and wherein each pull down branch is configured to adjust a voltage threshold of the first inverter in response to the one or more programmable input signals to which the respective pull down branch is connected being activated;

a second inverter, wherein an input of the second inverter is connected to the output of the first inverter;

a first comparator, configured to compare an output of the second inverter to the reference signal to generate a pulse signal.

2. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the signal generator is configured to generate a sinusoidal signal, and wherein the first inverter outputs a square wave signal.

3. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the reference signal generating circuit comprises a plurality of inverters.

4. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein a width of the pulses of the pulse signal correspond to the voltage threshold of the first inverter.

5. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second comparator, wherein the pulse signal is connected to an input of the second comparator.

6. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein each pull down branch of the one or more pull down branches comprises:

a first transistor; and

a second transistor;

wherein the first transistor has a control terminal connected to an input of the first inverter; and

wherein the second transistor has a control terminal connected to one of the one or more programmable input signals.

7. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first inverter comprises a resistor connected between an input of the first inverter and the output of the first inverter.

8. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the output of the first comparator is connected to an input of a positive pulse injection circuit, and an output of the positive pulse injection circuit is connected to a first node of an LC tank oscillator circuit.

9. A method, comprising:

generating, by a signal generator, a sinusoidal signal;

adjusting, by one or more programmable pull down branches, a voltage threshold of a first inverter;

generating, by the first inverter, a first signal using the sinusoidal signal, wherein the first signal is a square wave signal alternating between a low value and a high value, and wherein a time duration of the low values of the first signal depend at least in part on the adjusted voltage threshold of the first inverter;

generating a second signal by inverting the first signal;

generating a first reference signal; and

generating a first pulse signal by comparing the second signal and the first reference signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein adjusting the voltage threshold of the first inverter comprises:

activating, by one or more control signals, a set of the one or more programmable pull down branches, the set comprising a quantity of the one or more programmable pull down branches, the quantity being in a range of 1 to 5;

wherein a magnitude of the adjustment of the voltage threshold of the first inverter is determined according the quantity of the one or more programmable pull down branches.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein generating the first reference signal comprises:

inverting the sinusoidal signal to generate a third signal;

inverting the third signal to obtain a fourth signal; and

inverting the fourth signal to obtain the first reference signal.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

generating a second reference signal using the first reference signal; and

comparing the first pulse signal to the second reference signal to generate a second pulse signal.

13. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a reference signal generator, configured to generate a reference signal;

a first inverter;

a pull down block, comprising one or more pull down branches, wherein each pull down branch of the one or more pull down branches is connected to an output of the first inverter and to one or more programmable input signals, and wherein each pull down branch of the one or more pull down branches is configured to adjust a voltage threshold of the first inverter in response to the one or more programmable input signals to which the respective pull down branch is connected being activated;

a second inverter, wherein an input of the second inverter is connected to the output of the first inverter and to each of the one or more pull down branches;

a comparator, configured to compare an output of the second inverter to the reference signal to generate a positive reference pulse signal;

an LC tank oscillator circuit;

a positive pulse injection circuit, wherein an output of the comparator is connected to an input of the positive pulse injection circuit, and an output of the positive pulse injection circuit is connected to a first node of the LC tank oscillator circuit; and

a negative pulse injection circuit, wherein an output of the negative pulse injection circuit is connected to a second node of the LC tank oscillator circuit, and wherein an input of the negative pulse injection circuit is configured to receive a negative reference signal, wherein the negative reference signal is an inverse of the positive reference pulse signal.

14. The integrated circuit according to claim 13, wherein the LC tank oscillator circuit comprises:

a first inductor;

a second inductor;

a capacitor; and

an active feedback device.

15. The integrated circuit according to claim 14, wherein the first inductor is connected to the first node, the second inductor is connected to the second node, and the capacitor is connected between the first node and the second node.

16. The integrated circuit according to claim 14, wherein the active feedback device is connected to a ground node.

17. The integrated circuit according to claim 13, wherein the comparator is an AND gate.

18. The integrated circuit according to claim 13, wherein the positive pulse injection circuit comprises a Negative Metal Oxide Semiconductor (NMOS) transistor and the negative pulse injection circuit comprises a Positive Metal Oxide Semiconductor (PMOS) transistor.

19. The integrated circuit according to claim 13, wherein the reference signal generator comprises a plurality of inverters.

20. The integrated circuit according to claim 13, wherein the LC tank oscillator circuit comprises:

an inductor and a capacitor connected in parallel;

a first active feedback device connected to a supply voltage; and

a second active feedback device connected to a ground node.