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US 11,456,027 B2Granted
Suspicious activity monitoring memory system
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsScott D. Van De Graaff, Todd J. Plum
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor devices, and, in particular, to monitoring circuitry configured to monitor a signal for an overcurrent, undercurrent, overvoltage, and/or undervoltage condition. The monitor circuit may utilize pull down transistors to generate a local voltage level. The local voltage level is then used to generate an indication of whether the monitored value has diverged from an operating region and/or has crossed a threshold of operation.
Claims20
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- an amplifier;
- and
- a monitor circuit, comprising:
- a generation circuit configured to receive an input to the amplifier and to generate a local voltage level from the input, wherein the local voltage level indicates whether a parameter of the input has crossed a threshold out of a defined range of operation, wherein the generation circuit comprises one or more pulldown transistors and generating the local voltage level comprises pulling the local voltage level down via the one or more transistors when the parameter of the input has crossed the threshold;
- a detection circuit configured to receive the local voltage level, to detect that the local voltage level has crossed the threshold, and to generate an indication;
- and
- an output circuit configured to receive the indication and output a control signal to toggle a state of the amplifier.
4 more elements
A method, comprising:
- receiving a monitored signal at a gate of an amplifier;
- receiving the monitored signal at a monitor circuit;
- generating, in the monitor circuit, a local voltage level based at least in part a parameter of the monitored signal;
- generating, in the monitor circuit, an indication of an event occurring on the monitored signal based at least in part on the local voltage level, wherein the event comprises the parameter of the monitored signal passing a threshold, wherein generating the local voltage level comprises pulling the local voltage level down via one or more transistors when the event occurs;
- generating, in the monitor circuit, a control signal based on the indication;
- and
- sending, by the monitor circuit, the control signal to toggle a state of the amplifier.
4 more elements
A monitoring circuitry, comprising:
- an input configured to receive a monitored signal;
- a generation circuit configured to generate a local voltage level from a supply voltage based at least in part on the monitored signal, wherein the generation circuit comprises a plurality of pulldown transistors that are configured to pull down the local voltage level based on a voltage in the monitored signal crossing a threshold voltage for the plurality of pulldown transistors;
- a detection circuit configured to generate an indication of an event based on the local voltage level, wherein the indication is configured to indicate that the threshold voltage has been crossed in the monitored signal, wherein the detection circuit comprises:
- a first set of transistors configured to receive the local voltage level at respective gates to selectively couple the indication to a first voltage;
- and
- a second set of transistors configured to receive the local voltage level at respective gates to selectively couple the indication to a second voltage;
- and
- an output circuit configured to output a control signal configured to control one or more devices based on the indication.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.