Substrate voltage generator for semiconductor device
AssigneeHyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.
InventorYoun Cherl Shin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A substrate voltage generator for a semiconductor device that prevents a substrate voltage from being generated at an abnormal level which is too low or high. Control of an oscillator and a pumping circuit which is operated according to an output supplied from the oscillator is performed, and a substrate voltage value is monitored during a plurality of time periods until the substrate voltage reaches the desired level for each time period. Each time period is set by one of a plurality of delay units during a power-up interval. When substrate voltage at an extreme level is detected within a particular time period, a control signal for activating the oscillator is no longer supplied until the next time period.
Claims10
A substrate voltage generator, comprising:
- a control unit for controlling an operation of the substrate voltage generator upon receiving a power supply voltage;
- an oscillator operated by the control unit;
- a pump circuit for performing a pumping operation in accordance with the oscillator, for thereby generating a substrate voltage;
- and
- an extreme operation preventing unit for preventing the substrate voltage from being generated at an extreme level by further controlling, over a course of a plurality of time periods, the operation of the oscillator in accordance with the generated substrate voltage, such that oscillation is suspended in a time period in said plurality of time periods when the substrate voltage reaches a predetermined desired value associated with that time period.
A substrate voltage generator, comprising:
- a power supply detecting means for detecting power-up and outputting a detection signal;
- a control unit for receiving said detection signal and outputting a first control signal to control an operation of the substrate voltage generator;
- an oscillator operated by the control unit;
- a pump circuit for performing a pumping operation in accordance with the oscillator, for thereby generating a substrate voltage;
- and
- an extreme operation preventing unit for preventing the substrate voltage from being generated at an extreme level by outputting a second control signal to further control, over a course of a plurality of time periods, the operation of the oscillator in accordance with the generated substrate voltage such that oscillation is suspended in a time period in said plurality of time periods when the substrate voltage reaches a predetermined desired value associated with that time period.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a generator to generate a substrate voltage, said generator including a second controller to controllably provide a second enable signal upon receiving a power supply voltage to control growth of a magnitude of said substrate voltage discontinuously as a function of a sensed voltage;
- said generator also including an oscillator to generate a third enable signal in accordance with a first enable signal and said second enable signal;
- and said generator further including a pump circuit to output said substrate voltage in accordance with said third enable signal;
- and
- a first controller providing said first enable signal to cause said generator to grow said magnitude of said substrate voltage discontinuously depending on a rate of growth of said substrate voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.