NMOS charge-sharing prevention device for dynamic logic circuits

• US 5,838,169 A
• Filed: 09/17/1996
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schorn, Eric Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Tokar, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSEEN, RICHARD R
• Application Number:
  US08/713,881
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 326/93, 326/95, 326/98, 326/106
• US Class Current: 326/98
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/0963 using transistors of complementary type H03K19/0966 takes precedence

Abstract

A logic block comprised of several transistors is provided. The logic block has several inputs and an output for communicating the result of its logic operation. A precharge device having a clock input is connected to the output of the logic block. The precharge device periodically allows the output of the logic block to become valid. This is accomplished by holding the output of the logic block at a fixed voltage level when the clock input is at a first voltage level, and when the clock input changes to a second voltage level, the precharge device allows the result of the logic function performed by the logic block to appear at the output of the logic block. Also, a charge redistribution prevention device is connected to at least one of the transistors included in the logic block. The charge redistribution prevention device prevents charge redistribution by applying a voltage to at least one of the transistors in the logic block. Applying a voltage in this manner equalizes the difference in voltage between internal nodes of the logic block and the output of the logic block, thereby preventing charge from redistributed.

Claims

1. A device for preventing charge redistribution in a logic circuit, comprising:

a logic block having a plurality of inputs and an output, the logic block including a plurality of transistors;

a precharge device, wherein said precharge device is a clock application device having a clock input and wherein said precharge device is connected to the output of the logic block, wherein the clock application device holds the output of the logic block at a fixed voltage level when the clock input is at a first voltage level and wherein the clock application device allows a result of a logic operation performed within the logic block to be communicated at the output of the logic block when the clock input is at a second voltage level;

a charge redistribution prevention device connected to at least one of the transistors in the logic block and controlled by the output of the logic block for applying a voltage to the logic block to reduce charge flowing from the output of the logic block to nodes internal to the logic block when the at least one transistor in the logic block becomes conducting, and

an inverting stage having an input connected to the output of the logic block, and having an output; and

a bias device, connected to the output of the logic block and controlled by the output of the inverting stage, for maintaining the output of the logic block at a constant voltage when the clock input is at the second voltage level, until the output of the logic block changes to a different voltage level.

2. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of transistors within said logic block comprise a plurality of NMOS transistors.

3. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the output of the logic block is a drain portion of a particular NMOS transistor, and the charge redistribution prevention device is connected to a source portion of the particular NMOS transistor.

4. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the charge redistribution prevention device comprises a NMOS transistor with a drain region connected to a voltage supply, a source region connected to a source region of a NMOS transistor within the logic block, and a gate region connected to the output of the logic block.

5. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the charge redistribution prevention mechanism comprises a NMOS transistor with a W/L ratio which is significantly less than the transistors included in the logic block.

6. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the logic block is a three input AND structure having three NMOS transistors connected in series.

7. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the charge redistribution device comprises a first NMOS transistor which has a source region and wherein the logic block includes a second NMOS transistor with a drain region which is the output of the logic block and with a source region that is shared with the source region of the first NMOS transistor.

8. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the inverting stage comprises an inverter.