Voltage Generator with LDO and Feed-Forward Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor memory devices, particularly volatile memory devices like DRAM, face challenges in efficiently and stably compensating for current consumption during different operation modes, leading to instability in data integrity due to varying current demands.
Innovation Solution
A voltage generator incorporating an LDO regulator for feedback control and a power switch circuit for feed-forward control, which adjusts current supply based on the operation mode of the sense amplification circuit, ensuring stable current compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If only feedback control is used to supply current to the sense amplification circuit, then the current supply is stable, but the response speed to operation mode changes is slow
Solution Approach 1:
The current supply system is segmented into two independent control paths: a feedback control path using an LDO regulator for stability, and a feed-forward control path using a power switch circuit for rapid response. The mode selection circuit selectively activates one path based on the operation mode, allowing each path to optimize for its specific function without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between feedback control and feed-forward control modes based on the operation mode of the sense amplification circuit. The mode selection circuit detects the operation mode and automatically adjusts the control strategy, enabling the system to adapt its behavior to different operational requirements for optimal performance.
2Reliability
If current supply is increased to meet peak demands of sense amplification circuit, then the current availability is sufficient, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feed-forward control path uses preliminary action by pre-charging capacitors in advance based on the detected operation mode. When a high-current operation mode is detected, the capacitors are pre-charged through the power switch circuit, so that the full current is available immediately when needed without continuously maintaining high current flow, thus reducing energy consumption while ensuring current availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the supply voltage parameter dynamically based on the operation mode. The mode selection circuit detects the operation mode and adjusts the supply voltage to appropriate levels - using higher voltage when high current is needed and lower voltage during normal operation - thereby matching energy supply to actual demand and reducing unnecessary energy consumption.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a simple current supply circuit is used, then the device complexity is low, but the ability to compensate for varying current consumption is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage generator is designed with multi-functionality to handle different operation modes. The mode selection circuit universally detects various operation modes, and the dual control architecture (feedback and feed-forward paths) universally serves both stable operation and rapid response requirements. This universal design allows a single circuit to adapt to multiple current compensation scenarios without requiring separate dedicated circuits for each mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The mode selection circuit acts as an intermediary between the sense amplification circuit and the dual control paths. It detects the operation mode and mediates by selectively activating either the feedback control path or the feed-forward control path, enabling the system to achieve complex current compensation capabilities while keeping the overall circuit architecture manageable through centralized control logic.
Data Source
AI summary
A voltage generator including an LDO (low dropout) regulator that supplies a current to an internal voltage node of a sense amplification circuit as feedback control based on a voltage level of the internal voltage node; and a power switch circuit including a plurality of power switches each having one end connected to an external voltage and an opposite end connected to the internal voltage node, and that supplies the current to the internal voltage node as feed-forward control based on a known number of sense amplifiers to be activated. The voltage generator may efficiently supply current according to an operation mode of the sense amplification circuit.