Semiconductor device

• US 9,587,994 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Yayama, Kosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai M
• Application Number:
  US14/805,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20160054183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 341/155, 341/115
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 15/005 Calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/01 using semiconducting elements having PN junctions G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence

Abstract

There is provided a semiconductor device which can provide desired output characteristics suitable to applications. A semiconductor device 10 includes a temperature sensing unit 11 which generates an analog sensing signal corresponding to a temperature, and an AD converter unit 12 which converts the analog sensing signal into a digital output signal corresponding to an adjusted temperature change rate based on a temperature change rate adjustment signal for adjusting the temperature change rate. The temperature change rate refers to a change in a detected temperature per bit of a digital output signal.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a temperature change rate adjustment data storage unit that stores temperature change rate adjustment data;

a temperature sensing unit that generates an analog sensing signal corresponding to a temperature; and

an AD converter unit that converts the sensing signal into a digital output signal corresponding to an adjusted temperature change rate based on a temperature change rate adjustment signal for adjusting the temperature change rate,

wherein the AD converter unit adjusts the temperature change rate based on the temperature change rate adjustment data obtained from the temperature change rate adjustment data storage unit.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing unit corrects an error of the generated sensing signal based on an error correction signal for correcting the error.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing unit corrects an error of the generated sensing signal based on an error correction signal for correcting an error.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3, further comprising an error correction data storage unit that stores error correction data,

wherein the temperature sensing unit corrects the error of the sensing signal based on the error correction data obtained from the error correction data storage unit.

5. A semiconductor device comprising:

a temperature sensing unit that generates an analog sensing signal corresponding to a temperature; and

an AD converter unit that converts the sensing signal into a digital output signal corresponding to an adjusted temperature change rate based on a temperature change rate adjustment signal for adjusting the temperature change rate,

wherein the temperature sensing unit generates, as the sensing signal, a temperature dependence signal that depends on a temperature and a non-temperature dependence signal of a fixed level that does not depend on the temperature, and

wherein the AD converter unit compares a level of a target signal based on the temperature dependence signal and a level of a reference signal based on the non-temperature dependence signal, and generates the output signal.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the temperature sensing unit corrects a level of the non-temperature dependence signal based on an error correction signal for correcting an error.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the temperature sensing unit includes:

first and second transistors that are connected in parallel between a first potential and a second potential, and output the non-temperature dependence signal from control terminals of the first and second transistors, and

first and second resistor elements that are connected in series between the first and second transistors and the second potential, and output the temperature dependence signal from an intermediate node of the serial connection, and

wherein the first resistor element changes a resistance value based on the error correction signal.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the temperature sensing unit corrects levels of the non-temperature dependence signal and the temperature dependence signal based on an error correction signal for correcting an error.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the temperature sensing unit includes:

first and second transistors that are provided by way of current-mirror connection,

a first resistor element that is connected with the first transistor in series and outputs the non-temperature dependence signal from an intermediate node between the first resistor element and the first transistor, and

a second resistor element that is connected with the second transistor in series and outputs the temperature dependence signal from an intermediate node between the second resistor element and the second transistor, and

the first resistor element and the second resistor element change resistance values based on the error correction signal.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the AD converter unit adjusts the level of the reference signal based on the temperature change rate adjustment signal.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10,

wherein the AD converter unit includes a voltage dividing unit that divides the non-temperature dependence signal into a plurality of divided voltages and generates the reference signal, and

wherein the voltage dividing unit adjusts levels of the plurality of divided voltages based on the temperature change rate adjustment signal.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the voltage dividing unit adjusts a potential difference between the plurality of divided voltages based on the temperature change rate adjustment signal.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 11,

wherein the voltage dividing unit includes a plurality of voltage dividing resistor elements that are connected in series, and

wherein a voltage dividing resistor element of a lowest level among the plurality of voltage dividing resistor elements changes a resistance value based on the temperature change rate adjustment signal.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 11,

wherein the voltage dividing unit includes a plurality of voltage dividing resistor elements that are connected in series, and

wherein a voltage dividing resistor element of a highest level among the plurality of voltage dividing resistor elements changes a resistance value based on the temperature change rate adjustment signal.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a temperature dependence signal adjusting unit that adjusts a level of the generate temperature dependence signal based on the temperature change rate adjustment signal.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 15, wherein the temperature dependence signal adjusting unit is included in the temperature sensing unit.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 15, wherein the temperature dependence signal adjusting unit is included in the AD converter unit.