Internal voltage generator of semiconductor integrated circuit

• US 7,724,076 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Byeon, Sang-Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan; Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hiltunen; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/819,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20080061856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 327540-543
• US Class Current: 327/541
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/465 Internal voltage generators for integrated circuits, e.g. step down generators

Abstract

An internal voltage generator of a semiconductor integrated circuit includes a first driver that outputs an internal voltage by using an internal reference voltage during an active operation in accordance with a detection signal generated by using an external voltage and an active enable signal activated during an activation mode, and a second driver that outputs an internal voltage by using the internal reference voltage during the active operation in accordance with the active enable signal.

Claims

1. An internal voltage generator of a semiconductor integrated circuit, the internal voltage generator comprising:

a first driver that outputs an internal voltage by using a detection signal generated by using an external voltage and a comparing result between an internal reference voltage and a half-internal voltage which is a divided voltage of the internal voltage during an active operation according to an active enable signal; and

a second driver that outputs the internal voltage by using the internal reference voltage during the active operation in accordance with the active enable signal,

wherein the first driver is inactivated and the second driver is activated when the external voltage is more than a predetermined voltage in the active mode.

2. The internal voltage generator of claim 1, further comprising:

a level detector that detects a potential level of the external voltage to generate the detection signal and provide the detection signal to the first driver.

3. The internal voltage generator of claim 2,

wherein the level detector performs a differential comparison between the potential level of the external voltage and a potential level of the internal reference voltage to obtain a compared result, and generates the detection signal according to the compared result.

4. The internal voltage generator of claim 3,

wherein the predetermined voltage is the internal reference voltage.

5. The internal voltage generator of claim 4,

wherein the level detector comprises:

a voltage distributing unit that distributes the external voltage to provide a distributed voltage; and

a differential comparing unit that compares a potential level of the distributed voltage of the voltage distributing unit and the potential level of the internal reference voltage, and outputs the detection signal according to the comparison.

6. The internal voltage generator of claim 5,

wherein the level detector further comprises a delay unit that delays the detection signal and inputs the detection signal to the first driver.

7. The internal voltage generator of claim 1,

wherein the first driver comprises;

a control unit that supplies an enable signal according to a signal level of the detection signal during an interval where the active enable signal is activated; and

a driving unit that selectively generates the internal voltage in response to the enable signal.

8. The internal voltage generator of claim 7,

wherein the control unit comprises a NOR gate that receives an inversion signal of the active enable signal and the detection signal, and outputs the enable signal.

9. The internal voltage generator of claim 8,

wherein the driving unit comprises:

a comparing unit that compares the internal voltage and the internal reference voltage to provide an output signal;

an enable signal receiving unit that responds to the enable signal output of the control unit to provide an output signal and is controlled based on whether the enable signal receiving unit is activated or not; and

an output unit that supplies the internal voltage in response to the output signal of the comparing unit or the output signal of the enable signal receiving unit.

10. The internal voltage generator of claim 1, further comprising:

a reference voltage generating unit that outputs the internal reference voltage having a predetermined potential level according to the external voltage.

11. The internal voltage generator of claim 1, further comprising:

a reference voltage generating unit that outputs a reference voltage having a predetermined potential level according to the external voltage; and

a level shifter that receives the reference voltage output by the reference voltage generating unit and outputs the internal reference voltage.

12. The internal voltage generator of claim 1, wherein the first driver is deactivated when the half-internal voltage is larger than the internal reference voltage although the detection signal is enabled.

13. An internal voltage generator of a semiconductor integrated circuit, the internal voltage generator comprising:

a level detector that detects a potential level of an external voltage to generate a detection signal;

a first driver that generates an internal voltage by using the detection signal and a comparing result between an internal reference voltage and a half-internal voltage which is a divided voltage of the internal voltage according to an active enable signal activated during an active mode; and

a second driver that outputs the internal voltage by using the internal reference voltage during the active mode in accordance with the active enable signal,

wherein the first driver and the second driver have a different driving force respectively, and the first driver which has a larger driving force than the second driver is inactivated when the external voltage is higher than the internal reference voltage in the active mode.

14. The internal voltage generator of claim 13,

wherein the first driver comprises;

a control unit that supplies an enable signal according to a signal level of the detection signal during an interval where the active enable signal is activated; and

a driving unit that selectively supplies the internal voltage in response to the enable signal.

15. The internal voltage generator of claim 14,

wherein the control unit includes a NOR gate that receives an inversion signal of the active enable signal and the detection signal, and outputs the enable signal.

16. The internal voltage generator of claim 15,

wherein the driving unit comprises:

a comparing unit that compares the internal voltage and the internal reference voltage to provide an output signal;

an enable signal receiving unit that responds to the enable signal output of the control unit to provide an output signal and is controlled based on whether the enable signal receiving unit is activated or not; and

an output unit that supplies the internal voltage in response to the output signal of the comparing unit or the output signal of the enable signal receiving unit.

17. The internal voltage generator of claim 13,

wherein the level detector compares the potential level of the external voltage and a potential level of the internal reference voltage to obtain a compared result and outputs the detection signal according to the compared result.

18. The internal voltage generator of claim 17,

wherein the level detector comprises:

a voltage distributing unit that distributes the external voltage to provide a distributed voltage; and

a differential comparing unit that compares a potential level of the distributed voltage of the voltage distributing unit and the potential level of the internal reference voltage to obtain the compared result and outputs the detection signal according to the compared result.

19. The internal voltage generator of claim 13, further comprising:

a reference voltage generating unit that outputs the internal reference voltage having a predetermined potential level according to the external voltage.

20. The internal voltage generator of claim 13, further comprising:

a reference voltage generating unit that outputs a reference voltage having a predetermined potential level according to the external voltage; and

a level shifter that receives the reference voltage output by the reference voltage generating unit and outputs the internal reference voltage.

21. The internal voltage generator of claim 13, wherein the first driver is deactivated when the half-internal voltage is larger than the internal reference voltage although the detection signal is enabled.