Semiconductor device and method

• US 10,270,389 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2017
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• 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:
  US15/599,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20170257064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 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 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 5/1265 switched capacitors
• 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: H03L 7/00 Automatic control of frequency or phase; Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/099 concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0995 the oscillator comprising a ring oscillator

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.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a first digital controlled oscillator, the first digital controlled oscillator comprising;

a first set of inductors, each inductor of the first set of inductors having a first inductance;

a second set of inductors, each inductor of the second set of inductors having a second inductance different from the first inductance; and

an active feedback device connected between one of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors and a ground node, the active feedback device comprising NMOS devices, wherein a connection between the active feedback device and the one of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors has a constant capacitance;

a second digital controlled oscillator coupled to the first digital controlled oscillator;

a skew detector connected to outputs of both the first digital controlled oscillator and the second digital controlled oscillator, and

a decoder connected to an output of the skew detector, wherein an output from the decoder is connected to a switched capacitor array within the first digital controlled oscillator.

2. The integrated circuit device of claim 1, wherein:

individual inductors of the first set of inductors are in series with individual inductors of the second set of inductors; and

the switched capacitor array is connected between the first set of inductors and the second set of inductors.

3. The integrated circuit device of claim 1, wherein the switched capacitor array comprises a switched capacitor, the switched capacitor comprising:

a first line comprising a first switch, a first resistor, and a second switch in series;

a second line comprising a third switch, a second resistor, and a fourth switch, the second line in parallel with the first line;

a fifth switch connected to the first line at a first node and connected to the second line at a second node;

a first capacitor connected to the first node; and

a second capacitor connected to the second node.

4. The integrated circuit device of claim 3, wherein the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, the fourth switch, and the fifth switch each have a gate electrically connected to the decoder.

5. The integrated circuit device of claim 1, wherein the first digital controlled oscillator is coupled to the second digital controlled oscillator through a magnetic field.

6. The integrated circuit device of claim 1, further comprising a fixed capacitor connected between the active feedback device and the one of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors.

7. The integrated circuit device of claim 1, wherein the first digital controlled oscillator further comprises an additional active feedback device connected between the one of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors and a power node.

20. The integrated circuit device of claim 1, wherein each inductor of the first set of inductors and the second set of inductors is connected in parallel.

8. A method comprising:

determining a first skew between a first clock signal and a second clock signal, the first clock signal originating from a first digital controlled oscillator, the second clock signal originating from a second digital controlled oscillator coupled to the first digital controlled oscillator; and

modifying a natural frequency of the first digital controlled oscillator by sending a signal to a switched capacitor array within the first digital controlled oscillator, the signal being based on the first skew, the switched capacitor array being coupled between a first inductor and a second inductor, the first inductor having a different inductance than the second inductor, the first inductor being coupled between the switched capacitor array and a first active feedback device, the first inductor being further coupled between the switched capacitor array and a second active feedback device, wherein a fixed capacitor is coupled between first inductor and the first active feedback device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the modifying the natural frequency comprises turning on one or more switched capacitors within the switched capacitor array.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first digital controlled oscillator receives a first clock signal at a first frequency and outputs a second clock signal at a second frequency higher than the first frequency.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first frequency is about 125 MHz and the second frequency is about 4 GHz.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the switched capacitor array comprises a plurality of switched capacitors, each one of the plurality of switched capacitors comprising:

a first line comprising a first switch, a first resistor, and a second switch in series;

a second line comprising a third switch, a second resistor, and a fourth switch, the second line in parallel with the first line;

a fifth switch connected to the first line at a first node and connected to the second line at a second node;

a first capacitor connected to the first node; and

a second capacitor connected to the second node.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining the first skew is performed by a time-digital converter.

14. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a first digital controlled oscillator, wherein the first digital controlled oscillator comprises;

a first set of inductors, each inductor of the first set of inductors having a first inductance;

a second set of inductors, each inductor of the second set of inductors having a second inductance, wherein individual inductors of the first set of inductors are in series with individual inductors of the second set of inductors;

a switched capacitor array connected between the first set of inductors and the second set of inductors;

an active feedback device connected between one of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors and a ground node, the active feedback device comprising NMOS devices; and

a capacitor connected between the active feedback device and the one of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors, the capacitor comprising a constant capacitance capacitor;

a second digital controlled oscillator coupled to the first digital controlled oscillator;

a skew detector connected to outputs of both the first digital controlled oscillator and the second digital controlled oscillator; and

a decoder connected to an output of the skew detector, wherein an output from the decoder is connected to the switched capacitor array within the first digital controlled oscillator.

15. The integrated circuit device of claim 14, further comprising a second active feedback device, wherein the second active feedback device is connected between a power node and the one of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors.

16. The integrated circuit device of claim 15, wherein the second active feedback device comprises PMOS devices.

17. The integrated circuit device of claim 14, wherein one of the first inductance and the second inductance is nL/2 and the other of the first inductance and the second inductance is (1−

n)L/2.

18. The integrated circuit device of claim 14, wherein an inductance of each inductor of the one of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors is (1−

n)L/2 and an effective inductance of the other of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors is nL.

19. The integrated circuit device of claim 14, wherein each inductor of the one of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors is connected in parallel, and wherein each inductor of the other of the first set of inductors or the second set of inductors is connected in series.