Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Method and apparatus for distribution of a voltage reference in integrated circuits
- Patent Title (中): 在集成电路中分配电压基准的方法和装置
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Application No.: US12183802Application Date: 2008-07-31
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Publication No.: US07884594B2Publication Date: 2011-02-08
- Inventor: Todd M. Rasmus
- Applicant: Todd M. Rasmus
- Applicant Address: US NY Armonk
- Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
- Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
- Current Assignee Address: US NY Armonk
- Agency: Dillon & Yudell LLP
- Main IPC: G05F3/16
- IPC: G05F3/16 ; G05F3/20

Abstract:
Inventive embodiments described here provide for accurately distributing a voltage reference to multiple cores of an integrated circuit (IC). A quasi-differential interface is used to transmit the voltage reference, and a virtual ground is established at a receiver located at each core location on the integrated circuit. In one embodiment, the receiver is an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) that converts a virtual-ground-referenced voltage input to a current. In one embodiment, the OTA converts the virtual-ground-referenced voltage into three currents via three driving current sources operating relative to the virtual ground and the local ground of the core. Negative feedback controls the accuracy of this conversion and provides a way to cancel the effects of the distribution resistance. The current is sourced across the voltage domains between the virtual ground and the VSS, which is the IC ground. An I*R drop across a resistor converts the current to a voltage referenced to VSS at the output.
Public/Granted literature
- US20100026272A1 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTION OF A VOLTAGE REFERENCE IN INTEGRATED CIRCUITS Public/Granted day:2010-02-04
Information query
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