Apparatus for compensating for temperature and method therefor

• US 9,846,446 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2016
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Jae-Won, Lee, Jong-Soo, Kwon, Dae-Hyun, Quang Diep, Bui, Myoung, Seong-Sik, Lee, Jae-Hun
• Primary Examiner(s): Benitez, Gustavo Rosario
• Application Number:
  US14/991,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20160209861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/462 as a function of the requirements of the load, e.g. delay, temperature, specific voltage/current characteristic
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/567 for temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/242 with compensation for device parameters, e.g. channel width modulation, threshold voltage, processing, or external variations, e.g. temperature, loading, supply voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/245 producing a voltage or current as a predetermined function of the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/267 using both bipolar and field-effect technology

Abstract

Disclosed are a temperature compensation apparatus and method. The apparatus includes a reference signal generator that supplies at least one of a first current which is constant regardless of temperature variation and a second current which is proportional to temperature variation, a slope amplifier that determines a first output current having a second temperature coefficient which is a multiple of a first temperature coefficient of the second current, based on the first current and the second current, and a slope controller that determines a second output current having a third temperature coefficient, using a weighted average of the first current and the second current.

Claims

1. An apparatus for compensating for a temperature, the apparatus comprising:

a reference signal generator configured to supply a first current which is constant regardless of a temperature variation and a second current which is proportional to temperature variation;

a slope amplifier configured to determine a first output current based on a difference between a multiple of the first current and a multiple of the second current;

a slope controller comprising at least one transistor, the slope controller configured to determine a second output current using a weighted average of the first current and the second current, wherein a weight value for the weighted average being related to a characteristic of the at least one transistor; and

a bias distributor configured to supply a bias current to at least one other apparatus using at least one of the first output current and the second output current,

wherein a first temperature coefficient of the bias current is greater than a second temperature coefficient of the second current, and

wherein the first temperature coefficient and the second temperature coefficient is a rate of a temperature change with respect to the temperature variation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slope amplifier comprises at least one temperature coefficient double (TCDBL) configured to generate the first output current to be equal to (n×

the second current)−

((n−

1)×

the first current), where n is a number.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the slope amplifier further comprises a current mirror configured to copy the first output current.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slope controller is further configured to increase the first current by a parameter α

, which denotes the weight value, and increase the second current by 1−

α

, and adds the first current to the second current.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slope controller comprises:

a first current mirror configured to mirror the first current which has been increased by a parameter α

, which denotes the weight value;

a second current mirror configured to mirror the second current which has been increased by 1−

α

; and

a third current mirror configured to mirror a current obtained by adding the first current which has been increased by α

to the second current which has been increased by 1−

α

.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bias distributor comprises:

a first input unit configured to mirror a first input current; and

a first output unit configured to mirror the first output current and generate at least one third output current.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bias distributer comprises:

a second input unit configured to mirror a second input current; and

a second output unit configured to mirror the second output current and generate at least one fourth output current.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference signal generator comprises:

a band gap reference (BGR) configured to generate the first current; and

a proportional to an absolute temperature (PTAT) circuit configured to generate the second current.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bias current is provided to the at least one other apparatus so that an output voltage of the at least one other apparatus is maintained regardless of the temperature variation.

9. A method for compensating for a temperature in a device, the method comprising:

supplying a first current which is constant regardless of a temperature variation and a second current which is proportional to the temperature variation;

determining a first output current based on a difference between a multiple of the first current and a multiple of the second current;

determining a second output current using a weighted average of the first current and the second current, wherein a weight value for the weighted average being related to a characteristic of at least one transistor of the device; and

supplying a bias current to at least one other device using at least one of the first output current and the second output current,

wherein a first temperature coefficient of the bias current is greater than a second temperature coefficient of the second current, and

wherein the first temperature coefficient and the second temperature coefficient is a rate of a temperature change with respect to the temperature variation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the first output current comprises:

generating the first output current to be equal to (n×

the second current)−

((n−

1)×

the first current), where n is a number.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the second output current comprises:

increasing the first current by a parameter α

, which denotes the weight value; and

increasing the second current by 1−

α

, and adding the first current to the second current.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein supplying the bias current comprises:

mirroring the first output current; and

generating at least one third output current.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein supplying the bias current comprises:

mirroring the second output current; and

generating at least one fourth output current.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the bias current is provided to the at least one other device so that an output voltage of the at least one other device is maintained regardless of the temperature variation.

14. A method by a temperature compensation apparatus, the method comprising:

generating a first current which is constant regardless of a temperature variation and a second current which is proportional to the temperature variation;

determining a first output current based on a difference between a multiple of the first current and a multiple of the second current;

determining a second output current using a weighted average of the first current and the second current, wherein a weight value for the weighted average is related to a characteristic of at least one transistor of the temperature compensation apparatus; and

supplying a bias current to at least one other apparatus using at least one of the first output current and the second output current,

wherein a first temperature coefficient of the bias current is greater than a second temperature coefficient of the second current, and

wherein the first temperature coefficient and the second temperature coefficient is a rate of a temperature change with respect to the temperature variation.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first output current is equal to ((2×

the second current)−

the first current).

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the weighted average is determined by a sum of the first current multiplied by the weight value and the second reference signal multiplied by one minus the weight value.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

supplying the bias current to the at least one other apparatus by distributing the first output current or the second output current to the at least one other apparatus, or by distributing a third output current obtained by multiplying the first output current and the second output current by parameters, to the at least one other apparatus.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the bias current is provided to the at least one other apparatus so that an output voltage of the at least one other apparatus is maintained regardless of the temperature variation.