Operational amplifier with digital offset calibration

• US 6,262,625 B1
• Filed: 10/29/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Eldredge, Kenneth J., Perner, Frederick A., Tran, Lung T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHANH V
• Application Number:
  US09/430,238
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 330/2, 330/253, 330/261, 327/307
• US Class Current: 330/2
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/15 using multiple magnetic layers G11C11/155 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/304 and using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45048 Calibrating and standardising a dif amp
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45291 the active amplifying circuit [AAC] comprising balancing means
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45342 the AAC comprising control means on a back gate of the AAC
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45624 the LC comprising balancing means, e.g. trimming means
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45726 the LC comprising more than one switch, which are not cross coupled
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45771 using switching means

Abstract

An operational amplifier includes transistors for providing a controlled current path. At least one of the transistors is in an isolated well in a substrate. Offset of the operational amplifier is corrected by applying a back gate bias voltage to at least one isolated well and changing impedance of the transistors. The proper back gate bias voltage and transistor impedance are determined by incrementally adjusting the back gate bias voltage and then incrementally adjusting the transistor impedance. Calibration values are stored in register memory. Such calibration may be performed by an auto offset calibration process.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit having a calibration mode of operation and a normal mode of operation, the circuit comprising:

an operational amplifier including a plurality of transistors for providing a controlled current path, at least some of the transistors being in isolated wells in a substrate;

a programmable calibration circuit, responsive to a digital value, for performing at least one of (a) providing a back gate bias voltage to at least one isolated well and (b) adjusting impedance of the transistors providing the controlled current path, level of the back gate bias voltage and an amount of impedance adjustment being determined by the digital value, whereby different digital values may be supplied to the programmable calibration circuit during the calibration mode of operation;

a test circuit including a test signal source for generating a test signal during the calibration mode of operation; and

memory for storing a digital value that causes an output signal from the operational amplifier to be within a desired limit of the test signal during the calibration mode, the memory providing the stored value to the calibration circuit during the normal mode of operation.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the programmable calibration circuit includes:

a coarse calibration circuit, responsive to the digital value, for applying a desired back gate correction voltage to at least one isolated well; and

a fine calibration circuit for adjusting the impedance of the transistors providing the controlled current path, the impedance being adjusted in response to the digital value.

3. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the test circuit further includes a control for ending the coarse calibration when a comparison of test signal current amplitude to output current amplitude is reversed and for ending the fine calibration when a comparison of test signal current amplitude to output current amplitude is reversed, the control causing a first portion of the digital value to be stored in the memory when the coarse calibration is ended, the control causing a second portion of the digital value to be stored in the memory when the fine calibration is ended.

4. The circuit of claim 3, further comprising an additional transistor having a gate coupled to an output of the operational amplifier, the additional transistor having a drain-source path coupled to the test signal source, a voltage drop along the drain-source path indicating when the comparison is reversed.

5. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the coarse calibration circuit includes a plurality of first transistors forming a plurality of voltage dividers, the first transistors being selected to apply the back gate bias voltage to at least one isolated well;

and wherein the fine calibration circuit includes a plurality of second transistors, the second transistors being selected to adjust the impedance of the transistors providing the controlled current path.

6. The circuit of claim 5, further comprising means, responsive to a test clock, for determining when transients caused by selecting the first and second transistors have settled, the comparison of the test current and the output current being made when the transients have settled.

7. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the digital value includes first and second numbers;

and wherein the memory includes a plurality of first registers for storing the first number during the calibration mode and a plurality of second registers for storing the second number during the calibration mode, the plurality of first registers supplying the first number to the coarse calibration circuit during the normal mode and during the fine calibration of the calibration mode, the plurality of second registers supplying the second number to the fine calibration circuit during the normal mode.

8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein the test circuit further includes a control and first and second one-shots, the control triggering the first one-shot when the coarse calibration is finished, the first triggered one-shot causing the first number to be held in the first plurality of registers, the fine calibration being performed after the coarse calibration has been performed, the control causing the second one-shot to be triggered when the fine calibration is finished, the triggered second one-shot causing the second number to be held in the second plurality of registers.

9. The circuit of claim 2, further comprising a modulo counter for providing a plurality of different digital values to the calibration circuit during the calibration mode.

10. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising means for determining when the test signal is within an acceptable limit of the output signal.

11. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the transistors in the isolated wells are p-channel transistors.

12. A circuit comprising a plurality of amplifiers according to claim 1;

and a current steering circuit coupled to respective inputs of the plurality of amplifiers;

whereby error of the steering circuit is also calibrated during the calibration mode.

13. An integrated circuit comprising:

an operational amplifier including a plurality of transistors, at least some of the transistors being in isolated wells in a substrate;

a first circuit, responsive to a first digital number, for applying a back gate bias voltage to at least one isolated well, level of the back gate bias voltage being determined by the first digital number;

a second circuit responsive to a second digital number for adjusting impedance of the transistors, amount of the impedance adjustment being determined by a second digital number; and

memory for supplying the first and second digital numbers to the first and second circuits, the digital numbers causing offset of the amplifier to be calibrated within a desired limit.

14. The circuit of claim 13, further comprising means for determining the first and second digital numbers stored in the memory.

15. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the operational amplifier is a direct injection charge amplifier.

16. The circuit of claim 13, further comprising a test signal source for generating a test signal during a calibration mode of operation;

wherein the first and second digital numbers are adjusted by the first and second circuits to cause an output signal from the operational amplifier to be within the desired limit of the test signal during the calibration mode.

17. The circuit of claim 16, further comprising a control for ending calibration by the first circuit when a comparison of test signal current amplitude to output current amplitude is reversed and for ending the calibration by the second circuit when a comparison of test signal current amplitude to output current amplitude is reversed.

18. The circuit of claim 17, further comprising an additional transistor having a gate coupled to an output of the operational amplifier, the additional transistor having a drain-source path coupled to the test signal source, a voltage drop along the drain-source path indicating when each comparison is reversed.

19. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the first circuit includes a plurality of first transistors forming a plurality of voltage dividers, the first transistors being selected to apply the back gate bias voltage to at least one isolated well;

and wherein the second circuit includes a plurality of second transistors, the second transistors being selected to adjust the impedance of the transistors of the operational amplifier.

20. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the memory includes a plurality of first registers for storing the first digital number and supplying the first digital number to the first circuit;

and wherein the memory further includes a plurality of second registers for storing the second digital number and supplying the second digital number to the second circuit.

21. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the transistors in the isolated wells are p-channel transistors.

22. A method of calibrating offset error in an operational amplifier, the amplifier including at least one transistor in an isolated well, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a test signal;

supplying an input signal to the operational amplifier;

comparing an output signal of the operational amplifier to the test signal;

adjusting at least one of (a) back gate bias voltage to at least one isolated well and (b) transistor impedance; and

storing a number that corresponds to a back gate bias and transistor impedance that causes the output signal to be within an acceptable limit of the test signal.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of accessing the stored number during normal operation of the operational amplifier, back gate bias voltage and transistor impedance of the operational amplifier being set to the back gate bias voltage and transistor impedance corresponding to the stored number.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein coarse calibration is performed until a first comparison of test signal current amplitude to output current amplitude is reversed;

and wherein fine calibration is then performed until a second comparison of test signal current amplitude to output current amplitude is reversed.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein an additional transistor has a gate coupled to an output of the operational amplifier and a drain-source path coupled to an input of the operational amplifier;

and wherein each comparison reversal is detected by examining a voltage drop along the drain-source path.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the coarse calibration is performed by adjusting the back gate bias voltage in increments until the first comparison reversal occurs;

and wherein the fine calibration is performed by adjusting the transistor impedance in increments until the second comparison reversal occurs.