Configurable voltage regulator

• US 7,209,845 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Sutardja, Sehat
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai; Carol S. W.
• Application Number:
  US11/411,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 702/65, 702/105, 365/149, 365/194, 365/189.9
• US Class Current: 702/65
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/5444 for electrical read out
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/261 Amplifier which being suitable for instrumentation applications
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45138 Two or more differential amplifiers in IC-block form are combined, e.g. measuring amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45475 using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/1291 Current or voltage controlled filters
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/30 Automatic matching of source impedance to load impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/0153 Electrical filters; Controlling thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance

Abstract

A method selects a group of values for an external impedance used to configure a semiconductor. The external impedance has a tolerance and the group of values include a quantity. The method includes providing a measurement circuit as a portion of the semiconductor; determining tolerances associated with the measurement circuit; selecting one of the external impedance tolerance and the quantity of the group of values; computing the other of the external impedance tolerance and the quantity of the group of values, as a function of the measurement circuit tolerances and the selected one of the external impedance tolerance and the quantity of the group of values; and selecting discrete values for the group of values of the external impedance as a function of the computing.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a group of values for an external impedance used to configure a semiconductor, the external impedance having a tolerance and the group of values including a quantity, comprising:

providing a measurement circuit as a portion of the semiconductor;

determining tolerances associated with the measurement circuit;

selecting one of the external impedance tolerance and the quantity of the group of values;

computing the other of the external impedance tolerance and the quantity of the group of values, as a function of the measurement circuit tolerances and the selected one of the external impedance tolerance and the quantity of the group of values; and

selecting discrete values for the group of values of the external impedance as a function of the computing.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the tolerances associated with the measurement circuit include variations selected from a group consisting of process, temperature, and power.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting includes selecting the external impedance tolerance;

and

computing includes computing the quantity of the group of values as a function of the measurement circuit tolerances and the external impedance tolerance.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising computing a measurement error quantity including measurement circuit tolerances;

and

wherein computing includes using the measurement error quantity.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the measurement error quantity is selected from a group consisting of RSS error and maximum error.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the measurement circuit is selected from a group consisting of timing circuits and analog-to-digital conversion circuits.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of values includes value types selected from a group consisting of nominal values, means values, average values, starting value, and ending value.

8. A method comprising:

providing a measurement circuit as a portion of an integrated circuit that can be configured in one of a plurality of predetermined configurations;

determining a tolerance of the measurement circuit;

selecting one of an external impedance tolerance and a number N of values for said external impedance, where N is an integer greater than 1;

computing the other of the tolerance of the external impedance and the number N based on the tolerance of the measurement circuit and the selected one of the tolerance of the external impedances and the number N; and

picking discrete values for the N values of the external impedance as a function of the computing.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

connecting a selected external impedance having one of the N discrete values to the measurement circuit; and

measuring an impedance of the selected external impedance using the measurement circuit.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising configuring the integrated circuit in one of said plurality of predetermined configurations based on the measuring.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the tolerances of the measurement circuit include variations selected from a group consisting of process, temperature, and power.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the selecting includes selecting the external impedance tolerance and the computing includes computing the number N as a function of the measurement circuit tolerances and the tolerance of the external impedance.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising computing a measurement error quantity including measurement circuit tolerances, wherein the computing includes using the measurement error quantity.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the measurement error quantity is selected from a group consisting of RSS error and maximum error.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising selecting the measurement circuit from a group consisting of timing circuits and analog-to-digital conversion circuits.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the values include value types selected from a group consisting of nominal values, mean values, average values, starting value, and ending value.