Temperature-Dependent Supply Voltage for Pass Transistor Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques for overdriving pass transistors in integrated circuits suffer from reliability issues due to temperature-dependent gate breakdown voltage, leading to potential dielectric breakdown at higher temperatures, which affects the performance and reliability of programmable integrated circuits.
Innovation Solution
A temperature-dependent reference circuit and voltage regulator circuit are implemented to generate a supply voltage that varies with temperature, ensuring optimal operation by increasing the voltage at lower temperatures and reducing it at higher temperatures, thus compensating for the temperature inversion effect and preventing transistor breakdown.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If pass transistors are overdriven with elevated gate control signals to increase performance, then the operating speed is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to potential dielectric breakdown at higher temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a temperature-dependent voltage regulator that dynamically adjusts the supply voltage to pass transistor gates based on real-time temperature sensing. At lower temperatures, higher voltages are applied to maximize speed, while at higher temperatures, the voltage is reduced to prevent dielectric breakdown. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the voltage level contingent on thermal conditions rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the voltage parameter as a function of temperature. A temperature sensor monitors the thermal state, and a voltage regulator modifies the gate voltage accordingly. This parameter change strategy allows the system to optimize speed at low temperatures while maintaining reliability at high temperatures, effectively resolving the speed-reliability trade-off.
2Device complexity
If a fixed elevated supply voltage is used for pass transistors across all operating temperatures, then the circuit complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates due to temperature-independent voltage application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-regulating voltage system where the temperature sensor and voltage regulator work together to automatically adjust the supply voltage based on thermal conditions. The system monitors its own temperature state and self-adjusts the voltage without external intervention, achieving temperature-adaptive voltage regulation with minimal additional complexity while significantly improving reliability.
3Reliability
If temperature-dependent voltage regulation is implemented to prevent dielectric breakdown, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional temperature sensing and voltage regulation circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the temperature sensing function and voltage regulation function into an integrated control system. The temperature sensor output directly influences the voltage regulator operation, creating a unified temperature-compensated voltage supply. This merging approach achieves reliable temperature-adaptive voltage regulation while minimizing the additional complexity by combining functions rather than adding separate independent systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances the performance and reliability of pass transistors by adjusting the supply voltage based on temperature, reducing the risk of dielectric breakdown and maintaining optimal operating speeds without the need for external temperature-dependent voltage identifiers, thereby improving the overall performance and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a diode for generating a temperature dependent voltage
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated circuit includes a diode for generating a temperature dependent voltage, a resistor divider for generating divided voltages by dividing the temperature dependent voltage, and a multiplexer circuit for selecting one of the divided voltages as a reference voltage used for setting a supply voltage.