Self-refresh period measurement circuit of semiconductor device

• US 7,764,561 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Kyong Ha
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUNG, ANH K
• Application Number:
  US12/319,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20090180344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 365/222, 365/201
• US Class Current: 365/222
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/406 Management or control of the refreshing or charge-regeneration cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/40615 Internal triggering or timing of refresh, e.g. hidden refresh, self refresh, pseudo-SRAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2211/4065 Low level details of refresh operations

Abstract

A self-refresh period measurement circuit of a semiconductor device is disclosed, herein which includes a delay means for delaying the received oscillation signal by a unit self-refresh period to output a first delayed oscillation signal, and delaying the received oscillation signal to output a third delayed oscillation signal, a first period measurement start signal generator for generating a first period measurement start signal for setting a time that the oscillation signal is enabled for the first time as a start time for measurement of a self-refresh period, and a first refresh period output unit for generating a first refresh period output signal that is enabled for a period from a time that the first period measurement start signal is enabled to a time that the first delayed oscillation signal is enabled for the first time.

Claims

1. A self-refresh period measurement circuit of a semiconductor device comprising:

delay means for receiving an oscillation signal that is periodically enabled after a self-refresh signal is enabled, to allow a self-refresh operation to be performed, delaying the received oscillation signal by a unit self-refresh period to output a first delayed oscillation signal, by a predetermined integer multiple of the unit self-refresh period to output a second delayed oscillation signal, and delaying the received oscillation signal by the predetermined integer multiple of the unit self-refresh period plus the unit self-refresh period to output a third delayed oscillation signal;

a first period measurement start signal generator for receiving the self-refresh signal and the oscillation signal and generating a first period measurement start signal for setting a time that the oscillation signal is enabled for the first time as a start time for measurement of a self-refresh period; and

a first refresh period output unit for receiving the first period measurement start signal and the first delayed oscillation signal, and generating a first refresh period output signal that is enabled for a period from a time that the first period measurement start signal is enabled to a time that the first delayed oscillation signal is enabled for the first time.

2. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a second period measurement start signal generator for receiving the self-refresh signal and the second delayed oscillation signal, and generating a second period measurement start signal for setting a time that the second delayed oscillation signal is enabled for the first time as the start time for the self-refresh period measurement; and

a second refresh period output unit for receiving the second period measurement start signal and the third delayed oscillation signal, and generating a second refresh period output signal that is enabled for a period from a time that the second period measurement start signal is enabled to a time that the third delayed oscillation signal is enabled for the first time.

3. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a signal combiner for combining the first refresh period output signal and the second refresh period output signal to output a final refresh period output signal.

4. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 3, wherein the signal combiner performs an OR operation.

5. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the delay means comprises a plurality of shift registers connected in series, each of the shift registers shifting an input signal by the unit self-refresh period.

6. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the delay means is operated in response to a result of a logic operation of a plurality of test mode signals for the self-refresh period measurement.

7. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the first period measurement start signal generator comprises;

a first pull-up device for pulling a first node up in response to the self-refresh signal;

a first pull-down device for pulling the first node down in response to the oscillation signal;

a first latch for latching a signal of the first node; and

a first signal generator for outputting a first pulse signal that is enabled for a predetermined period from a time that an output signal from the first latch makes a level transition, as the first period measurement start signal, in response to the level transition of the output signal from the first latch; and

the second period measurement start signal generator comprises;

a second pull-up device for pulling a second node up in response to the self-refresh signal;

a second pull-down device for pulling the second node down in response to the second delayed oscillation signal;

a second latch for latching a signal of the second node; and

a second signal generator for outputting a second pulse signal that is enabled for the predetermined period from a time that an output signal from the second latch makes a level transition, as the second period measurement start signal, in response to the level transition of the output signal from the second latch.

8. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least one of the first signal generator and second signal generator comprises:

a delay for delaying the output signal from the first latch or second latch by the predetermined period;

a buffer for buffering the output signal from the first latch or second latch; and

a logic device for performing a logic operation with respect to an output signal from the delay and an output signal from the buffer.

9. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 8, wherein the buffer is an inverter which performs an inverting operation, and the logic device performs a NOR operation.

10. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first refresh period output unit comprises:

a first logic device for performing a logic operation with respect to the first period measurement start signal and a first test mode signal for the self-refresh period measurement;

a second logic device for performing a logic operation with respect to the first delayed oscillation signal and the first test mode signal; and

a first latch including third and fourth logic devices interconnected in latch form, the third logic device receiving an output signal from the first logic device at its one input terminal, the fourth logic device receiving an output signal from the second logic device at its one input terminal; and

wherein the second refresh period output unit comprises;

a fifth logic device for performing a logic operation with respect to the second period measurement start signal and a second test mode signal for the self-refresh period measurement;

a sixth logic device for performing a logic operation with respect to the third delayed oscillation signal and the second test mode signal; and

a second latch including seventh and eighth logic devices interconnected in latch form, the seventh logic device receiving an output signal from the fifth logic device at its one input terminal, the eighth logic device receiving an output signal from the sixth logic device at its one input terminal.

11. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 10, wherein each of the first to eighth logic devices is a NAND gate.

12. The self-refresh period measurement circuit as set forth in claim 10, wherein:

the first refresh period output unit further comprises first voltage level hold means for holding an output terminal of the first latch at a predetermined voltage level in response to the first test mode signal; and

the second refresh period output unit further comprises second voltage level hold means for holding an output terminal of the second latch at the predetermined voltage level in response to the second test mode signal.