Temperature detector providing multiple detected temperature points using single branch and method of detecting shifted temperature

• US 7,315,792 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Nam-jong, Min, Young-sun
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, HIEN XUAN
• Application Number:
  US11/151,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20050276144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 702/130, 702/85, 702/99, 702/133, 377/25, 377/49, 374/102, 374/170, 374176-178, 374/169, 327512-513, 365/211
• US Class Current: 702/130
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/401 forming cells needing refreshing or charge regeneration, i.e. dynamic cells
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/406 Management or control of the refreshing or charge-regeneration cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/40626 Temperature related aspects of refresh operations
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2029/5002 Characteristic
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/02 Detection or location of defective auxiliary circuits, e.g. defective refresh counters
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/028 with adaption or trimming of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/50016 of retention
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/04 with means for avoiding disturbances due to temperature effects

Abstract

A temperature detector and method of detecting a shifted temperature provides multiple detected temperature points using a single branch. The temperature detector generates multiple detected temperature points in response to temperature control signals sequentially generated in a single branch. Since a shifted temperature for the single branch is found and a trimming operation in response to the shifted temperature is carried out, the test time is reduced. Various refresh periods can be set in response to various trip point temperatures and thus power consumption of a DRAM can be decreased.

Claims

1. A temperature detector detecting a temperature shifted from a set target temperature, comprising:

an automatic pulse generator adapted to sequentially generate temperature control signals in response to a temperature detection signal;

a comparator adapted to compare detected temperatures with a reference temperature in response to the temperature control signals; and

a temperature detection controller adapted to selectively short-circuit a plurality of serially connected resistors using switching transistors in response to the temperature control signals to provide the detected temperatures, the temperature detection controller being connected in a single branch.

2. The temperature detector as claimed in claim 1, further comprising registers storing outputs of the comparator and the detected temperatures.

3. The temperature detector of claim 1, further comprising a trip temperature increasing part connected to the single branch, the trip temperature increasing part comprising short-circuiting switching transistors for selectively short-circuiting a plurality of serially connected binary weighted resistors in response to first test input signals and increasing the detected temperature when the shifted temperature is lower than the target temperature.

4. The temperature detector of claim 3, wherein the trip temperature increasing part short-circuits the binary weighted resistors using binary weighted approximation.

5. The temperature detector of claim 4, further comprising a temperature trimming part adapted to short-circuit the binary weighted resistors in response to the first test input signals obtained by the binary weighted approximation.

6. The temperature detector of claim 1, further comprising a trip temperature decreasing part connected to the single branch, the trip temperature decreasing part comprising short-circuiting switching transistors adapted to selectively short-circuit a plurality of serially connected binary weighted resistors in response to second test input signals and to decrease the detected temperature when the shifted temperature is higher than the target temperature.

7. The temperature detector of claim 6, wherein the trip temperature decreasing part short-circuits the binary weighted resistors using binary weighted approximation.

8. The temperature detector of claim 4, further comprising a temperature trimming part that short-circuits the binary weighted resistors in response to the second test input signals obtained by the binary weighted approximation.

9. A temperature detector detecting a temperature shifted from a set target temperature, comprising:

an automatic pulse generator adapted to sequentially generate temperature control signals in response to a temperature detection signal;

a comparator adapted to compare detected temperatures with a predetermined reference temperature in response to the temperature control signals;

a trip temperature increasing part comprising first short-circuiting switching transistors adapted to selectively short-circuit a plurality of serially connected first binary weighted resistors in response to first test input signals and to increase the detected temperature when the shifted temperature is lower than the target temperature, the trip temperature increasing part being connected in a single branch;

a trip temperature decreasing part comprising second short-circuiting switching transistors adapted to selectively short-circuit a plurality of serially connected second binary weighted resistors in response to second test input signals and to decrease the detected temperature when the shifted temperature is higher than the target temperature, the trip temperature decreasing part being connected in the single branch; and

a temperature detection controller adapted to selectively short-circuit a plurality of serially connected resistors using third switching transistors in response to the temperature control signals to provide the detected temperatures, the temperature detection controller being connected to the single branch.

10. The temperature detector of claim 9, further comprising registers adapted to store outputs of the comparator and the detected temperatures.

11. The temperature detector of claim 9, wherein the trip temperature increasing part is adapted to short-circuit the first binary weighted resistors using binary weighted approximation.

12. The temperature detector of claim 11, further comprising a temperature trimming part adapted to short-circuit the first binary weighted resistors in response to the first test input signals obtained by the binary weighted approximation.

13. The temperature detector of claim 9, wherein the trip temperature decreasing part is adapted to short-circuit the second binary weighted resistors using binary weighted approximation.

14. The temperature detector of claim 13, further comprising a temperature trimming part adapted to short-circuit the second binary weighted resistors in response to the second test input signals obtained by the binary weighted approximation.

15. A method of detecting a temperature shifted from a set target temperature, comprising:

sequentially generating temperature control signals in response to a temperature detection signal;

selectively short-circuiting a plurality of serially connected resistors using switching transistors in response to the temperature control signals to provide detected temperatures, the switching transistors are being connected in a single branch; and

comparing the detected temperatures with a predetermined reference temperature in response to the temperature control signals to determine the shifted temperature.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the comparison result and the detected temperatures.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising increasing the detected temperatures using short-circuiting switching transistors that selectively short-circuit a plurality of serially connected binary weighted resistors in response to first test input signals when the shifted temperature is lower than the target temperature, the short-circuiting switching transistors being connected in the single branch.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the binary weighted resistors are short-circuited using binary weighted approximation.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising carrying out a trimming operation of short-circuiting the binary weighted resistors in response to the first test input signals obtained by the binary weighted approximation.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising decreasing the detected temperatures using short-circuiting switching transistors that selectively short-circuit a plurality of serially connected binary weighted resistors in response to second test input signals when the shifted temperature is higher than the target temperature, the short-circuiting switching transistors being connected to the single branch.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the binary weighted resistors are short-circuited using binary weighted approximation.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising carrying out a trimming operation by short-circuiting the binary weighted resistors in response to the second test input signals obtained by the binary weighted approximation.