Voltage compensated integrated circuits

• US 7,329,928 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2004
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Funding LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Transmeta Corporation (Novafora, Inc.)
• Inventors: Burr, James B., Osborn, Neal A., Fu, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefer; Aluned N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): QUINTO, KEVIN V
• Application Number:
  US10/866,494
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 365189-239
• US Class Current: 257/392
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/011 Modifications of generator to compensate for variations in physical values, e.g. voltage, temperature to maintain energy constant H03K3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/0315 Ring oscillators

Abstract

A method and system of voltage compensated integrated circuits. Operating characteristics of integrated circuitry are enhanced by application of voltage compensation.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

a first stage comprising a first plurality of transistor devices, wherein said first plurality of transistor devices are based on a first magnitude threshold voltage;

a second stage comprising a second plurality of transistor devices, wherein said second plurality of transistor devices are based on a second magnitude threshold voltage;

wherein said first magnitude threshold voltage is different in magnitude from said second magnitude threshold voltage;

wherein said second stage is coupled to said first stage in a feedback configuration; and

wherein said second stage comprises a frequency-voltage characteristic when combined in opposition with a frequency-voltage characteristic of said first stage produces a frequency-voltage characteristic that is more stable with respect to voltage over a range of frequencies than said frequency-voltage characteristic of said first stage.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said second magnitude threshold voltage is about twice said first magnitude threshold voltage.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said second plurality of transistor devices comprise a thicker gate structure than a gate structure of said first plurality of transistor devices.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said first and said second stages comprise an inverter stage.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 4 wherein said feedback configuration comprises an output of said first stage driving an input of said second stage and an output of said second stage driving an input of said first stage.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 1 embodied within a microprocessor.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 6 embodied within a computer system.

8. An integrated circuit comprising:

a first stage comprising first transistor devices comprising a first threshold voltage; and

a first feedback stage comprising transistor devices comprising a first plurality of threshold voltages, wherein at least one of said first plurality of threshold voltages is different from said first threshold voltage, wherein said first feedback stage is coupled to said first stage in a feedback configuration;

wherein said first feedback stage comprises a frequency-voltage characteristic that, when combined in opposition with a frequency-voltage characteristic of said first stage, produces a frequency-voltage characteristic that is more stable with respect to voltage over a range of frequencies than said frequency-voltage characteristic of said first stage.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 8 wherein said feedback configuration comprises an output of said first stage driving an input of said first feedback stage and an output of said first feedback stage driving an input of said first stage.

10. A ring oscillator integrated circuit comprising:

an odd number of inverter stages coupled in a ring configuration, each of said inverter stages comprising;

a first stage comprising first transistor devices comprising a first threshold voltage;

a second stage comprising second transistor devices comprising a second threshold voltage;

wherein said first threshold voltage is different from said second threshold voltage; and

wherein said second stage is coupled to said first stage in a feedback configuration.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 10 wherein said feedback configuration comprises the output of said first stage driving the input of said second stage and the output of said second stage driving the input of said first stage.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 10 wherein said second threshold voltage is about twice said first threshold voltage.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 10 wherein said second transistor devices comprise a thicker gate insulator structure than a gate insulator structure of said first transistor devices.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 10 embodied within a microprocessor.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 14 embodied within a computer system.

16. A method of operating an integrated circuit comprising:

generating an output signal from a first circuitry, said first circuitry comprising a transistor devices having a first magnitude threshold voltage; and

generating a feedback signal from a feedback circuitry, said feedback circuitry comprising transistor devices having a second magnitude threshold voltage and said feedback circuitry taking said output signal from said first circuitry as an input;

wherein said feedback circuitry opposes operation of said first circuitry when a supply voltage to said feedback circuitry is greater than said second magnitude threshold voltage.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said first circuitry and said feedback circuitry comprise an inverter circuitry.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said second magnitude threshold voltage is about twice said first magnitude threshold voltage.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said transistor devices of said feedback circuitry comprises a thicker gate insulator structure than a gate insulator structure of said transistor devices of said first circuitry.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising generating another feedback signal from another feedback circuitry, said another feedback circuitry comprising transistor devices having a third magnitude threshold voltage and said another feedback circuitry taking said output signal from said first circuitry as an input, wherein said another feedback circuitry opposes operation of said first circuitry when a supply voltage to said another feedback circuitry is greater than said third magnitude threshold voltage.

21. The method of claim 16 embodied in a microprocessor.

22. The method of claim 21 embodied in a computer system.