Internal voltage generating apparatus and method for semiconductor integrated circuit

• US 20080018384A1
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: An, Yong, Kim, Myung
• Application Number:
  US11/819,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20080018384A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/536
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/465 Internal voltage generators for integrated circuits, e.g. step down generators

Abstract

An internal voltage generating apparatus for a semiconductor integrated circuit includes a detecting circuit configured to detect levels of a plurality of internal voltages, to generate a plurality of voltage enable signals and a pump enable signal. A pump circuit performs a voltage pumping operation in response to the pump enable signal and outputs the plurality of internal voltages in response to the plurality of voltage enable signals.

Claims

1. An internal voltage generating apparatus for a semiconductor integrated circuit, the apparatus comprising:

a detecting circuit configured to detect levels of a plurality of internal voltages, to generate a plurality of voltage enable signals and a pump enable signal; and

a pump circuit configured to perform a voltage pumping operation in response to the pump enable signal and to output the plurality of internal voltages in response to the plurality of voltage enable signals.

2. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the detecting circuit is configured to compare each of the plurality of internal voltages with each of a plurality of reference levels, thereby generating the plurality of voltage enable signals and the pump enable signal.

3. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the detecting circuit comprises:

a plurality of voltage detecting units configured to respectively receive a corresponding internal voltage of the plurality of internal voltages, to output a corresponding voltage enable signal of the plurality of voltage enable signals;

a signal combining unit configured to combine the plurality of voltage enable signals to output a pulse enable signal; and

a pulse generating unit configured to generate a pump enable signal in response to the pulse enable signal.

4. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of internal voltages comprises a first internal voltage and a second internal voltage;

the plurality of voltage detecting units comprises a first voltage detecting unit and a second voltage detecting unit;

the plurality of voltage enable signals comprise a first voltage enable signal and a second voltage enable signal;

the first voltage detecting unit generates the first voltage enable signal according to comparing result between a level of the first internal voltage and a first reference level; and

the second voltage detecting unit generates the second voltage enable signal according to comparing result between a level of the second internal voltage and a second reference level.

5. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 4,

wherein the first voltage detecting unit comprises:

a first transistor having a gate terminal receiving a ground voltage, a source terminal applied an external power supply voltage, and a drain terminal coupled with a first node;

a second transistor having a gate terminal receiving the first internal voltage, a source terminal coupled with the first node, and a drain terminal that is grounded; and

an inverter configured to receive a signal formed at the first node and output the first voltage enable signal.

6. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 5,

wherein the second voltage detecting unit comprises:

a third transistor having a gate terminal receiving the ground voltage, a source terminal receiving the external power supply voltage, and a drain terminal coupled with a second node;

a fourth transistor having a gate terminal receiving the second internal voltage, a source terminal coupled with the second node, and a drain terminal that is grounded; and

an inverter configured to receive a signal formed at the second node and output the second voltage enable signal.

7. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the second transistor and the fourth transistor are PMOS transistors, and

a threshold voltage of the second transistor is different from a threshold voltage of the fourth transistor.

8. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 4,

wherein, when at least one of the first voltage enable signal and the second voltage enable signal is enabled, the signal combining unit enables the pulse enable signal.

9. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 8,

wherein the signal combining unit is composed of a NAND gate receiving the first voltage enable signal and the second voltage enable signal and an inverter.

10. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 4,

wherein the first internal voltage is a bulk voltage;

and

the second internal voltage is a voltage having a level lower than that of the bulk voltage.

11. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 4,

wherein the first internal voltage is a bootstrapping voltage;

and

the second internal voltage is a voltage having a level higher than that of the bootstrapping voltage.

12. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the pump circuit comprises:

a voltage pump configured to perform a voltage pumping operation in response to the pump enable signal to generate a pumping voltage, and

a voltage output unit configured to receive the pumping voltage, thereby outputting the plurality of internal voltages corresponding to the plurality of voltage enable signals, respectively.

13. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 12,

wherein the plurality of internal voltages comprise a first internal voltage and a second internal voltage;

the plurality of voltage enable signals comprise a first voltage enable signal and a second voltage enable signal;

when the first voltage enable signal is enabled, the voltage output unit outputs the pumping voltage as the first internal voltage; and

when the second voltage enable signal is enabled, the voltage output unit outputs the pumping voltage as the second internal voltage.

14. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 13,

wherein the voltage output unit comprises:

a first output section configured to output the pumping voltage as the first internal voltage in response to the first voltage enable signal; and

a second output section configured to output the pumping voltage as the second internal voltage in response to the second voltage enable signal.

15. An internal voltage generating apparatus for a semiconductor integrated circuit, the apparatus comprising:

a first voltage detecting unit configured to detect whether a first internal voltage exceeds a first reference level to output a first voltage enable signal;

a second voltage detecting unit configured to detect whether a second internal voltage exceeds a second reference level to output a second voltage enable signal;

a signal combining unit configured to make a voltage pump operate when at least one of the first voltage enable signal and the second voltage enable signal is enabled; and

a voltage output unit configured to output a pumping voltage output from the voltage pump as the first internal voltage or the second internal voltage in response to whether the first voltage enable signal or the second voltage enable signal has been enabled or not.

16. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 15,

wherein the signal combining unit is composed of a NAND gate receiving the first voltage enable signal and the second voltage enable signal and an inverter.

17. The internal voltage generating apparatus of claim 15,

wherein the voltage output unit comprises:

a first output section configured to output the pumping voltage as the first internal voltage in response to the first voltage enable signal; and

a second output section configured to output the pumping voltage as the second internal voltage in response to the second voltage enable signal.

18. An internal voltage generating method for a semiconductor integrated circuit, the method comprising:

detecting whether each of a plurality of internal voltages exceeds a corresponding reference level thereby outputting a plurality of voltage enable signals;

generating a pump enable signal in response to the plurality of voltage enable signals;

performing a voltage pumping operation in response to input of the pump enable signal so as to generate a pumping voltage; and

receiving the pumping voltage and outputting the plurality of internal voltages corresponding to the plurality of voltage enable signals, respectively.

19. The internal voltage generating method of claim 18,

wherein the plurality of internal voltages comprise a first internal voltage and a second internal voltage;

and

the plurality of voltage enable signals comprise a first voltage enable signal and a second voltage enable signal.

20. The internal voltage generating method of claim 19,

wherein the outputting of the plurality of voltage enable signals enables the first voltage enable signal according to comparing result between a level of the first internal voltage and a first reference level, and disables the second voltage enable signal according to comparing result between a level of the second internal voltage and a second reference level.

21. The internal voltage generating method of claim 19,

wherein the first internal voltage is a bulk voltage;

and

the second internal voltage is a voltage having a level lower than that of the bulk voltage.

22. The internal voltage generating method of claim 19,

wherein the first internal voltage is a bootstrapping voltage;

and

the second internal voltage is a voltage having a level higher than that of the bootstrapping voltage.

23. The internal voltage generating method of claim 20,

wherein the generating of the pumping voltage comprises:

enabling a pulse enable signal when at least one of the first voltage enable signal and the second voltage enable signal is enabled; and

generating the pump enable signal in response to the pulse enable signal.

24. The internal voltage generating method of claim 20,

wherein, in the receiving of the pumping voltage and the outputting of the plurality of internal voltages, when the first voltage enable signal is enabled, the pumping voltage is output as the first internal voltage, and when the second voltage enable signal is enabled, the pumping voltage is output as the second internal voltage.