Thermal sensor with temperature control

• US 8,959,994 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2013
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Tai, Chia Liang, Roth, Alan, Soenen, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENKINS, JERMAINE L
• Application Number:
  US13/895,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20140269839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 73/184
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2219/00 Thermometers with dedicated analog to digital converters
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/01 using semiconducting elements having PN junctions G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/34 using capacitative elements capacitors per se H01G

Abstract

In a thermal sensor. a capacitor voltage of a capacitor is compared with a reference voltage, and an output voltage is generated based on the comparison. The output voltage has a pulse density indicative of a temperature detected by the thermal sensor. The capacitor is charged or discharged using at least one of a first current signal or a second current signal based on a logic level of the output voltage. The first current signal is a temperature-independent signal, and the second current signal is a temperature-dependent signal dependent on the temperature detected by the thermal sensor. In some embodiments, a clock rate of a clock signal is varied in accordance with the detected temperature to control a timing operation for supplying the first current signal to the capacitor and/or the reference voltage is varied in accordance with the detected temperature.

Claims

1. A thermal sensor, comprising:

a capacitor configured to be charged or discharged by at least one of a first current signal or a second current signal;

a latch configured to selectively connect or disconnect the first current signal and the capacitor in response to a feedback signal; and

a comparator coupled with the capacitor and configured to output an output voltage based on a comparison of a capacitor voltage of the capacitor to a reference voltage;

wherein

the first current signal is a temperature-independent signal, and the second current signal is a temperature-dependent signal dependent on a temperature detected by the thermal sensor, and

the output voltage defines the feedback signal and has a pulse density indicative of the temperature detected by the thermal sensor.

2. The thermal sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a digital filter coupled to the comparator to receive and digitize the output voltage.

3. The thermal sensor of claim 1, wherein the second current signal is proportional to the detected temperature.

4. The thermal sensor of claim 1, wherein

the capacitor is configured to be discharged in response to the feedback signal indicating that the capacitor voltage is greater than the reference voltage, and

the capacitor is configured to be charged in response to the feedback signal indicating that the capacitor voltage is less than the reference voltage.

5. The thermal sensor of claim 4, wherein

in response to the feedback signal indicating that the capacitor voltage is greater than the reference voltage, the latch is configured to connect the first current signal and the capacitor to discharge the capacitor with a signal being a difference between the first and second current signals, and

in response to the feedback signal indicating that the capacitor voltage is less than the reference voltage, the latch is configured to disconnect the first current signal from the capacitor to charge the capacitor with the second current signal.

6. The thermal sensor of claim 5, wherein the second current signal is a proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) signal.

7. The thermal sensor of claim 4, wherein

in response to the feedback signal indicating that the capacitor voltage is greater than the reference voltage, the latch is configured to disconnect the first current signal from the capacitor to discharge the capacitor with the second current signal, and

in response to the feedback signal indicating that the capacitor voltage is less than the reference voltage, the latch is configured to connect the first current signal to the capacitor to charge the capacitor with a signal being a difference between the first and second current signals.

8. The thermal sensor of claim 7, wherein the second current signal is a complementary to absolute temperature (CTAT) signal.

9. The thermal sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature control circuit configured to output a clock signal to the latch, and to vary a clock rate of the clock signal in accordance with the detected temperature to control a timing operation of the latch for supplying the first current signal to the capacitor.

10. The thermal sensor of claim 9, wherein the temperature control circuit is configured to increase the clock rate of the clock signal as the detected temperature increases.

11. The thermal sensor of claim 9, wherein the temperature control circuit is further configured to vary the reference voltage in accordance with the detected temperature.

12. The thermal sensor of claim 11, wherein the reference voltage is a proportional to absolute temperature signal, and the second current signal is a complementary to absolute temperature signal.

13. The thermal sensor of claim 11, wherein the reference voltage is a complementary to absolute temperature signal, and the second current signal is a proportional to absolute temperature signal.

14. A thermal sensor, comprising:

a capacitor configured to be charged or discharged by at least one of a first current signal or a second current signal, wherein the first current signal is a temperature-independent signal, and the second current signal is a temperature-dependent signal dependent on a temperature detected by the thermal sensor;

a comparator coupled with the capacitor and configured to output an output voltage based on a comparison of a capacitor voltage of the capacitor to a reference voltage, wherein the output voltage has a pulse density indicative of the temperature detected by the thermal sensor; and

a temperature control circuit configured to vary the reference voltage in accordance with the detected temperature.

15. The thermal sensor of claim 14, wherein the temperature control circuit is further configured to vary a clock rate of a clock signal in accordance with the detected temperature to control a timing operation of supplying the first current signal to the capacitor.

16. The thermal sensor of claim 15, wherein the temperature control circuit comprises:

an oscillator comprising a delay cell,

wherein the oscillator is configured to delay the clock signal based on the second current signal, and to supply the delayed clock signal to control the timing operation for supplying the first current signal to the capacitor.

17. The thermal sensor of claim 14, wherein the temperature control circuit comprises a reference voltage control circuit comprising a resistor,

wherein the reference voltage control circuit is configured to generate the reference voltage based on a current flowing through the resistor, the current based on a difference between the second current signal and the first current signal.

18. A method of operating a thermal sensor, said method comprising:

comparing a capacitor voltage of a capacitor with a reference voltage;

generating an output voltage based on the comparison, the output voltage having a pulse density indicative of a temperature detected by the thermal sensor; and

charging or discharging the capacitor using at least one of a first current signal or a second current signal based on a logic level of the output voltage,

wherein the first current signal is a temperature-independent signal, and the second current signal is a temperature-dependent signal dependent on the temperature detected by the thermal sensor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said charging or discharging comprises:

discharging the capacitor when the capacitor voltage exceeds the reference voltage; and

charging the capacitor when the capacitor voltage is less than the reference voltage.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising at least one of

varying a clock rate of a clock signal in accordance with the detected temperature to control a timing operation for supplying the first current signal to the capacitor, or

varying the reference voltage in accordance with the detected temperature.