Internal voltage generating circuit

• US 7,782,120 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Dong-Hwee, Kim, Myung-Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan; Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Almo; Khareem E
• Application Number:
  US12/051,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20090091376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 327/535
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/12 Built-in arrangements for testing, e.g. built-in self testing [BIST] or interconnection details
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/12005 comprising voltage or current generators
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/145 Applications of charge pumps; Boosted voltage circuits; Clamp circuits therefor G11C5/141 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed is an internal voltage generating circuit that pumps charge to generate an internal driving voltage. The internal voltage generating circuit includes: a first oscillation signal generating unit that provides a first oscillation signal in response to a detected internal voltage and a predetermined test mode signal; a second oscillation signal generating unit that divides an external clock to provide a second oscillation signal having a variable oscillation period; and a switching unit that selects the first oscillation signal or the second oscillation signal in response to the predetermined test mode signal and provides the selected signal as a pumping period signal.

Claims

1. An internal voltage generating circuit for pumping charge to generate an internal driving voltage, comprising:

a first oscillation signal generating unit that provides a first oscillation signal in response to a detected internal voltage and a predetermined test mode signal, the first oscillation signal having a first period;

a second oscillation signal generating unit that divides an external clock to provide a second oscillation signal having a variable oscillation period, the second oscillation signal having a second period that is different from the first period; and

a switching unit that selects an output from the first oscillation signal or the second oscillation signal in response to the predetermined test mode signal and provides the selected signal as a pumping period signal.

2. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 1,

when the predetermined test mode signal is inactivated, wherein the first oscillation signal generating unit receives an oscillator activating signal that is activated in response to the detected internal voltage, inverts the logical level of the received signal, and provides the first oscillation signal.

3. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 2,

wherein the first oscillation signal generating unit includes a plurality of inverting units forming a closed loop.

4. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 3,

wherein the first oscillation signal generating unit generates the first oscillation signal having a fixed period that depends on delay time while passing through the plurality of inverting units.

5. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 1,

wherein the second oscillation signal generating unit includes:

a clock signal buffer that buffers the external clock to provide a clock signal;

a frequency dividing unit that divides the clock signal to provide a plurality of divided clock signals;

a divided clock selecting unit that receives the clock signal and the plurality of divided clock signals, selects one of the received signals, and provides the selected signal as a frequency signal; and

a final frequency dividing unit that finally divides the frequency signal to provide the second oscillation signal.

6. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 5,

wherein the clock signal buffer receives the external clock and the predetermined test mode signal, and buffers the external clock when the predetermined test mode signal is activated.

7. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 5,

wherein the frequency dividing unit comprises:

a first frequency divider that divides the clock signal by 2 to generate a divide-by-two clock signal;

a second frequency divider that is connected in series to the first frequency divider, receives the divide-by-two clock signal, and divides the divide-by-two clock signal by 2 to generate a divide-by-four clock signal; and

a reset signal generator that receives the divide-by-two clock signal, the divide-by-four clock signal, and a predetermined specific decoding signal and generates a reset signal.

8. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 7,

wherein the reset signal is fed back to the first frequency divider and the second frequency divider to initialize the first frequency divider and the second frequency divider.

9. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 8,

wherein the predetermined specific decoding signal is a divide-by-three clock signal activating signal, and

when the predetermined specific decoding signal is activated and the reset signal whose activation timing is adjusted is received, the second frequency divider generates a divide-by-three clock signal.

10. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 9,

wherein the divided clock selecting unit receives predetermined first to third decoding signals for respectively selecting the clock signal, the divide-by-two clock signal, and the divide-by-four clock signal, and selects one of the received clock signals that responds to any one of the activated decoding signals.

11. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 10,

wherein the divided clock selecting unit further comprise to select the divide-by-three clock signal in response to the predetermined specific decoding signal that is activated and to provide the selected signal as the frequency signal.

12. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 5,

wherein the final frequency dividing unit divides the input frequency signal by 2 to correct the duty ratio thereof, and provides the divided frequency signal as the second oscillation signal.

13. An internal voltage generating circuit comprising:

a voltage detector that detects the level of an internal voltage fed back and provides an oscillation control signal;

a pumping signal generating block that provides a pumping period signal having a first period that is a fixed period and that is oscillated by a ring oscillator in response to the oscillation control signal, and provides as the pumping period signal a clock signal having a second period that is a variable period and that is generated by dividing an external clock in a test mode; and

a charge pump that pumps charge in response to the pumping period signal to output the internal voltage,

wherein the first period of the pumping period signal having the fixed period and the second period of the pumping period signal having the variable period are generated to be different periods, and

wherein the pumping period signal generating unit comprises a switching unit that selects an output from a first oscillation signal or a second oscillation signal in response to the predetermined test mode signal, and provides the selected signal as the pumping period signal.

14. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 13,

wherein the pumping signal generating block comprises:

a control signal generating unit that generates an oscillator activating signal in response to the oscillation control signal and a predetermined test mode signal; and

a pumping period signal generating unit that selects a first oscillation period signal or a second oscillation period signal obtained by dividing the external clock as a signal having a fixed period, in response to the oscillator activating signal and the external clock.

15. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 14,

wherein the predetermined test mode signal determines whether to activate the oscillator activating signal.

16. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 14,

wherein the pumping period signal generating unit selects the second oscillation signal when an inactivated oscillator activating signal is received, and selects the first oscillation signal when an activated oscillator activating signal is received, and

the pumping period signal generating unit provides the selected signal as the pumping period signal.

17. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 14,

wherein the pumping period signal generating unit further comprises:

a first oscillation signal generating unit that generates the first oscillation signal in response to the oscillator activating signal;

a second oscillation signal generating unit that divides the external clock to generate the second oscillation signal having a variable oscillation period.

18. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 17,

wherein the first oscillation signal generating unit includes a plurality of inverting units forming a closed loop.

19. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 18,

wherein the first oscillation signal generating unit generates the first oscillation signal having a fixed period that depends on delay time while passing through the plurality of inverting units.

20. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 17,

wherein the second oscillation signal generating unit comprises:

a clock signal buffer that buffers the external clock to provide a clock signal;

a frequency dividing unit that divides the clock signal to provide a plurality of divided clock signals;

a divided clock selecting unit that receives the clock signal and the plurality of divided clock signals, selects one of the received signals, and provides the selected signal as a frequency signal; and

a final frequency dividing unit that finally divides the frequency signal to provide the second oscillation signal.

21. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 17,

wherein the clock signal buffer receives the external clock and the specific test mode signal, and buffers the external clock when the specific test mode signal is activated.

22. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 17,

wherein the frequency dividing unit comprises:

a first frequency divider that divides the clock signal by 2 to generate a divide-by-two clock signal;

a second frequency divider that is connected in series to the first frequency divider, receives the divide-by-two clock signal, and divides the divide-by-two clock signal by 2 to generate a divide-by-four clock signal; and

a reset signal generator that receives the divide-by-two clock signal, the divide-by-four clock signal, and the predetermined specific decoding signal and generates a reset signal.

23. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 22,

wherein the reset signal is fed back to the first frequency divider and the second frequency divider to initialize the first frequency divider and the second frequency divider.

24. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 20,

wherein the divided clock selecting unit receives predetermined first to third decoding signals for respectively selecting the clock signal, the divide-by-two clock signal, and the divide-by-four clock signal, and selects one of the received clock signals that responds to any one of the activated decoding signals.

25. The internal voltage generating circuit of claim 24,

wherein the divided clock selecting unit further comprise to select the divide-by-three clock signal in response to the predetermined specific decoding signal that is activated, and to provide the selected signal as the frequency signal.