INTEGRATED CIRCUIT HAVING LOW POWER MODE VOLTAGE RETULATOR

• US 20100207688A1
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Total Semiconductor, LLC
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: SEABERG, CHARLES E., SANCHEZ, HECTOR, GARNI, BRADLEY J., BEARDEN, DAVID R., RAMARAJU, RAVINDRARAJ, BURCH, KENNETH R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,319,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/543
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/56 using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices G05F1/461 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/147 Voltage reference generators, voltage or current regulators; Internally lowered supply levels; Compensation for voltage drops G11C5/141 takes precedence

Abstract

A voltage regulator regulates voltage at a node and has circuitry coupled to the node for providing a current to the node. A regulating transistor coupled between the node and a first power supply voltage terminal has a disabling transistor coupled in parallel and is selectively disabled by directly connecting the first power supply voltage terminal to the node. An inverting stage has an output connected to the regulating transistor. A load transistor has a first current electrode coupled to a second power supply voltage terminal, and a control electrode and second current electrode connected together and coupled to an input of the inverting stage. A sensing transistor has a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the load transistor, a control electrode connected directly to the node and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

Claims

1. A voltage regulator, comprising:

a node;

circuitry coupled to the node for providing a current to the node;

a regulating transistor coupled between the node and a first power supply voltage terminal;

a disabling transistor coupled in parallel with the regulating transistor for selectively disabling the regulating transistor by directly connecting the first power supply voltage terminal to the node;

an inverting stage coupled between the first power supply voltage terminal and a second power supply voltage terminal, the inverting stage having an output connected to a control terminal of the regulating transistor, the inverting stage having an input;

a load transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second power supply voltage terminal, and a control electrode and second current electrode connected together and coupled to the input of the inverting stage; and

a sensing transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the load transistor, a control electrode connected directly to the node and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

2. The voltage regulator of claim 1 wherein the inverting stage further comprises:

a first inverting stage transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second power voltage terminal, a control electrode coupled to both the control electrode and second current electrode of the load transistor, and a second current electrode; and

a second inverting stage transistor having a first current electrode connected to a control electrode thereof and to a control electrode of the regulating transistor for controlling the regulating transistor, the second inverting stage transistor having a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

3. The voltage regulator of claim 2 further comprising:

an additional sensing transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the first current electrode of the sensing transistor, a control electrode connected to the node, and a second current electrode; and

a mode select transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the additional sensing transistor, a control electrode for receiving a mode control signal which selects one of a plurality of voltage amounts for voltage at the node to change when the disabling transistor is not disabling the regulating transistor, and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

4. The voltage regulator of claim 3 wherein the control electrode of the additional sensing transistor is connected to a body of the additional sensing transistor.

5. The voltage regulator of claim 1 wherein the current provided by the circuitry is a leakage current which occurs during a low power operating mode.

6. The voltage regulator of claim 1 wherein the inverting stage further comprises:

a first inverting stage transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second power voltage terminal, a control electrode, and a second current electrode; and

a second inverting stage transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the first inverting stage transistor and to the control electrode of the regulating transistor for controlling the regulating transistor, a control electrode coupled to the control electrode of the first inverting stage transistor, and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

7. The voltage regulator of claim 1 wherein:

the disabling transistor and the sensing transistor are N-type conductivity transistors, the load transistor is a P-type conductivity transistor, and a first supply voltage coupled to the first supply voltage terminal is less positive than a second supply voltage coupled to the second power supply voltage terminal.

8. The voltage regulator of claim 1 wherein the first power supply voltage terminal is a ground reference terminal.

9. The voltage regulator of claim 1 wherein the regulating transistor, disabling transistor, load transistor and sensing transistor are silicon-on-insulator (SOI) transistors and the inverting stage is implemented with SOI transistors.

10. A voltage regulator, comprising:

a node;

circuit means coupled to the node for providing a current to the node;

regulating transistor means coupled between the node and a first power supply voltage terminal;

disabling transistor means coupled in parallel with the regulating transistor means for selectively disabling the regulating transistor means by directly connecting the first power supply voltage terminal to the node;

inverter means coupled between the first power supply voltage terminal and a second power supply voltage terminal, the inverter means having an output connected to a control terminal of the regulating transistor means, the inverter means having an input;

load transistor means having a first current electrode coupled to the second power supply voltage terminal, and a control electrode and second current electrode connected together and coupled to the input of the inverter means; and

sensing transistor means having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the load transistor means, a control electrode connected directly to the node and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

11. The voltage regulator of claim 10 wherein the inverter means further comprise:

a first inverting stage transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second power voltage terminal, a control electrode coupled to both the control electrode and second current electrode of the load transistor means, and a second current electrode; and

a second inverting stage transistor having a first current electrode connected to a control electrode thereof and to a control electrode of the regulating transistor means for controlling the regulating transistor means, the second inverting stage transistor having a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

12. The voltage regulator of claim 11 further comprising:

additional sensing transistor means having a first current electrode coupled to the first current electrode of the sensing transistor means, a control electrode connected to the node, and a second current electrode; and

mode select transistor means having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the additional sensing transistor means, a control electrode for receiving a mode control signal which selects one of a plurality of voltage amounts for voltage at the node to change when the disabling transistor means is not disabling the regulating transistor means, and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

13. The voltage regulator of claim 12 wherein the control electrode of the additional sensing transistor means is connected to a body of the additional sensing transistor means.

14. The voltage regulator of claim 10 wherein the inverter means further comprise:

a first inverting stage transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second power supply voltage terminal, a control electrode, and a second current electrode; and

a second inverting stage transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the first inverting stage transistor and to the control electrode of the regulating transistor means for controlling the regulating transistor means, a control electrode coupled to the control electrode of the first inverting stage transistor, and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

15. A voltage regulator circuit comprising:

a node;

circuitry coupled to the node for providing a current to the node;

a first transistor of a first conductivity type coupled between the node and a first power supply voltage terminal for regulating voltage at the node;

a second transistor of the first conductivity type coupled in parallel with the first transistor for selectively disabling the first transistor by directly connecting the first power supply voltage terminal to the node;

an inverting stage coupled between the first power supply voltage terminal and a second power supply voltage terminal, the inverting stage having an output connected to a control terminal of the first transistor, the inverting stage having an input;

a third transistor of a second conductivity type that is opposite the first conductivity type, the third transistor having a first current electrode coupled to the second power supply voltage terminal, and a control electrode and second current electrode connected together and coupled to the input of the inverting stage; and

a fourth transistor of the first conductivity type having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of third transistor, a control electrode connected directly to the node and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

16. The voltage regulator circuit of claim 15 wherein the inverting stage further comprises:

a fifth transistor of the second conductivity type having a first current electrode coupled to the second power supply voltage terminal, a control electrode coupled to the control electrode of the third transistor, and a second current electrode; and

a sixth transistor of the first conductivity type having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the fifth transistor and to a control electrode thereof for providing the output of the inverting stage, and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

17. The voltage regulator circuit of claim 15 wherein the inverting stage further comprises:

a fifth transistor of the second conductivity type having a first current electrode coupled to the second power supply voltage terminal, a control electrode to provide the input of the inverting stage and being coupled to the control electrode of the third transistor, and a second current electrode; and

a sixth transistor of the first conductivity type having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the fifth transistor for providing the output of the inverting stage, a control electrode coupled to the control electrode of the fifth transistor, and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.

18. The voltage regulator circuit of claim 15 wherein the current provided by the circuitry is a leakage current which occurs during a low power operating mode.

19. The voltage regulator circuit of claim 15 further comprising:

a fifth transistor of the first conductivity type having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the third transistor, a control electrode coupled to the control electrode of the fourth transistor and to the node, and a second current electrode; and

a sixth transistor of the first conductivity type having a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the fifth transistor, a control electrode for receiving a mode signal which selects one of a plurality of voltage amounts for voltage at the node to change when the second transistor is not conductive, and a second current electrode coupled to the first supply voltage terminal.

20. The voltage regulator circuit of claim 19 wherein the control electrode of at least one of the fourth transistor and the fifth transistor is directly connected to a body thereof.