Integrated circuit with improved on-chip power supply control

• US 5,063,304 A
• Filed: 04/27/1990
• Issued: 11/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Iyengar, Narasimhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Stanley D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bertelson, David R.
• Application Number:
  US07/515,977
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 307/296.6, 307/296.7, 307/296.8, 307/304, 307/270, 370/663, 370/636, 323/303, 320/43, 320/35, 320/39, 365/189.09, 365/220, 365/221, 365/238, 361/90
• US Class Current: 327/310
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/401 forming cells needing refreshing or charge regeneration, i.e. dynamic cells
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2029/5004 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/02 Detection or location of defective auxiliary circuits, e.g. defective refresh counters
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/021 in voltage or current generators
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/028 with adaption or trimming of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/50 Marginal testing, e.g. race, voltage or current testing
• 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

An on-chip power supply regulation system for a VLSI circuit such as a dynamic RAM is disclosed. The system includes a high power supply voltage detection circuit and a power supply clamp circuit, where a clamped voltage generated by the clamp circuit biases the functional circuitry when the high power supply voltage detection circuit detects an overvoltage conditions. The bias voltage applied to the functional circuitry in the normal operating condition can be a regulated voltage generated from the power supply voltage. Further included in the disclosed circuit is a burn-in voltage generation circuit and a burn-in voltage detection circuit, which can apply an accelerated voltage which depends upon the applied power supply voltage, when the power supply voltage is higher than during normal operation but lower than in the overvoltage condition enabling the clamp operation. A multiplexer connects the regulated voltage, the clamped voltage, or the accelerated voltage, to the circuit depending upon the level of the external power supply voltage. In this way, the offset between the accelerated voltage and the external power supply voltage can be optimized independently from the power supply voltage at which the accelerated voltage is enabled.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

functional circuitry biased at a bias node;

a terminal for receiving a power supply voltage; and

a circuit, coupled to said terminal, for biasing said bias node of said functional circuitry with a clamped voltage responsive to said power supply voltage at said terminal exceeding a first limit.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said circuit comprises:

a high power supply voltage detection circuit coupled to said terminal, for indicating at its output that said power supply voltage has exceeded said first limit; and

a clamp circuit coupled to said terminal, to said output of said high power supply voltage detection circuit and to said bias node, for biasing said bias node with said clamped voltage responsive to said output of said high power supply voltage detection circuit indicating that said power supply voltage has exceeded said first limit.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein said clamp circuit comprises:

a voltage clamp coupled to said terminal, for providing a clamped voltage at its output from said power supply voltage;

a multiplexer, having a first input coupled to said terminal and having a second input connected to said output of said voltage clamp, having a first control input connected to said output of high power supply voltage detection circuit, and having an output coupled to said bias node, for connecting either its first input or its second input to its output responsive to the state of its control input.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3, further comprising:

a voltage regulator circuit coupled to said terminal and to said first input of said multiplexer, for coupling a regulated voltage based on said power supply voltage to said first input of said multiplexer.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 4, further comprising:

a dependent voltage regulator circuit coupled to said terminal and to a third input of said multiplexer, said dependent voltage regulator circuit for coupling a voltage to said third input of said multiplexer which varies with the power supply voltage;

a second high power supply voltage detection circuit coupled to said terminal, for indicating at its output that said power supply voltage has exceeded a second limit;

wherein said multiplexer has a second control input connected to said output of said second high power supply voltage detection circuit.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein said second limit is lower than said first limit.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 6, wherein said multiplexer connects either its first input or its second input to its output responsive to the state at its second control input, when the state at its first control input indicates that said power supply voltage has not exceeded said first limit.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein said high power supply voltage detection circuit indicating at its output that said power supply voltage has exceeded said first limit until said power supply voltage drops to a voltage below said first limit.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 8, said high power supply voltage detection circuit indicating at its output that said power supply voltage has exceeded said first limit until said power supply voltage drops to a voltage below a third limit, wherein said third limit is a voltage different from and lower than said first limit.

10. An integrated circuit, comprising:

functional circuitry biased at a bias node;

a terminal for receiving a power supply voltage;

a voltage regulator circuit, coupled to said terminal, for providing a regulated bias voltage;

a stress voltage circuit, coupled to said terminal, for providing a stress voltage; and

a multiplexer, receiving said regulated bias voltage and said stress voltage at its inputs, and having an output coupled to said bias node, for connecting said regulated bias voltage or said stress voltage to said bias node responsive to the voltage at said terminal.

16. The circuit of claim 10, further comprising:

a clamp circuit, coupled to said terminal, for providing a clamped voltage;

wherein said multiplexer also receives said clamped voltage at an input, and connects said clamped voltage to said bias node responsive to the voltage at said terminal.

11. The circuit of claim 11, further comprising:

a high voltage detection circuit, having an input coupled to said terminal and having an output coupled to said multiplexer, for controlling said multiplexer responsive to the voltage at said terminal.

12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein said multiplexer also has an input coupled to said regulated bias voltage;

and wherein said high voltage detection circuit controls said multiplexer to connect said stress voltage to said bias node responsive to the voltage at said terminal exceeding said regulated bias voltage by a first differential voltage.

13. The circuit of claim 12, wherein said stress voltage circuit generates a stress voltage which varies with the voltage at said terminal.

14. The circuit of claim 13, wherein said stress voltage is below the voltage at said terminal by a second differential voltage.

15. The circuit of claim 14, wherein said second differential voltage is less than said first differential voltage.