IP Library Granted Patent US 10,937,509
Granted Patent B1
US 10,937,509 · App. 16/553,890 · Granted Mar 2, 2021

Voltage and temperature adaptive memory leakage reduction bias circuit

Inventor: Kwan Him Lam (Irvine, CA)
Assignee: Mentor Graphics Corporation
G11C16/30G11C5/148G11C11/41G11C29/021G11C2029/5006
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,937,509
App. No.
16/553,890
Granted
Mar 2, 2021
Kind
B1
Abstract

This application discloses a memory device to retain stored data when receiving a voltage supply having at least a retention voltage level. The retention voltage level varies based on a supply voltage and a temperature of an environment around the memory device. A sensitive circuit can adjust the voltage supply received by the memory device based on the supply voltage and the temperature. The sensitive circuit can alter a memory bias supply voltage for the memory device to adjust the voltage supply towards the retention voltage level. The sensitive circuit can include a temperature dependent circuit to generate a bias voltage based on the supply voltage and the temperature, and an adjustment circuit to alter the memory bias supply voltage based on the bias voltage. The adjustment circuit also can include high temperature circuitry to adjust the memory bias supply voltage based on a leakage current from the memory device.

Claims (34)

1. A system comprising:

a memory device configured to retain stored data when receiving a voltage supply having at least a retention voltage level that varies based on a memory supply voltage and a temperature of an environment around the memory device; and

a sensitive circuit configured to adjust the voltage supply received by the memory device based on the memory supply voltage and the temperature of the environment.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the voltage supply corresponds to a difference between the memory supply voltage and a memory bias supply voltage associated with the memory device, and wherein the sensitive circuit is configured to alter the memory bias supply voltage to adjust a voltage level of the voltage supply towards the retention voltage level.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the sensitive circuit further comprising:

a temperature dependent circuit configured to generate a bias voltage based, at least in part, on the temperature of the environment; and

an adjustment circuit configured to alter the memory bias supply voltage based on the bias voltage.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the adjustment circuit further comprises:

pulldown circuitry to alter the memory bias supply voltage based, at least in part, on a feedback voltage; and

feedback circuitry configured to set a voltage level of the feedback voltage based, at least in part, on the bias voltage from the temperature dependent circuit.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the adjustment circuit further comprises leakage current bias circuitry configured to generate a leakage current bias voltage based on the memory supply voltage, wherein the feedback circuitry is configured to set the feedback voltage to leakage current bias voltage based on the bias voltage from the temperature dependent circuit.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the feedback circuitry is configured to set the feedback voltage to a voltage level corresponding to the memory bias supply voltage based on the bias voltage from the temperature dependent circuit.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the adjustment circuit further comprises high temperature circuitry coupled to the pulldown circuitry, wherein the high temperature circuitry is configured to increase the memory bias supply voltage based on a leakage current from the memory device.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a memory device, a voltage supply having at least a retention voltage level that varies based on a memory supply voltage and a temperature of an environment around the memory device

utilizing, by the memory device, the voltage supply to retain stored data; and

adjusting the voltage supply received by the memory device based on the memory supply voltage and the temperature of the environment.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the voltage supply corresponds to a difference between the memory supply voltage and a memory bias supply voltage associated with the memory device, and further comprising altering the memory bias supply voltage to adjust a voltage level of the voltage supply towards the retention voltage level.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein altering the memory bias supply voltage to adjust the voltage level of the voltage supply further comprises reducing the memory bias supply voltage based on a leakage current from the memory device and the temperature of the environment.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising generating a bias voltage based, at least in part, on the temperature of the environment, wherein altering the memory bias supply voltage to adjust the voltage level of the voltage supply is performed based on the bias voltage.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein altering the memory bias supply voltage to adjust the voltage level of the voltage supply further comprises:

setting a voltage level of a feedback voltage based, at least in part, on the bias voltage; and

altering the memory bias supply voltage based, at least in part, on the feedback voltage.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein altering the memory bias supply voltage to adjust the voltage level of the voltage supply further comprises:

generating a leakage current bias voltage based on the memory supply voltage; and

setting the feedback voltage to leakage current bias voltage based on the bias voltage.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein altering the memory bias supply voltage to adjust the voltage level of the voltage supply further comprises setting the voltage level of the feedback voltage to correspond to the memory bias supply voltage based on the bias voltage.

15. A device comprising:

a temperature dependent circuit configured to generate a bias voltage based, at least in part, on a supply voltage and an environmental temperature; and

an adjustment circuit configured to alter a voltage supply for an electronic device based on the bias voltage, wherein the adjustment circuit includes pulldown circuitry to alter a bias supply voltage associated with the voltage supply for the electronic device based, at least in part, on a feedback voltage, and feedback circuitry configured to set a voltage level of the feedback voltage based, at least in part, on the bias voltage from the temperature dependent circuit.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the voltage supply corresponds to a difference between the supply voltage provided to the electronic device and the bias supply voltage associated with the electronic device, and wherein the adjustment circuit is configured to alter the bias supply voltage to adjust the voltage supply.

17. The device of claim 15 , wherein the adjustment circuit further comprises leakage current bias circuitry configured to generate a leakage current bias voltage based on the supply voltage, wherein the feedback circuitry is configured to set the feedback voltage to the leakage current bias voltage based on the bias voltage from the temperature dependent circuit.

18. The device of claim 15 , wherein the feedback circuitry is configured to set the feedback voltage to a voltage level corresponding to the bias supply voltage based on the bias voltage from the temperature dependent circuit.

19. The device of claim 15 , wherein the adjustment circuit further comprises high temperature circuitry coupled to the pulldown circuitry, wherein the high temperature circuitry is configured to reduce the bias supply voltage based on a leakage current from the memory device.

Assignments (2)
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 9, 2021
From: MENTOR GRAPHICS CORPORATION; SIEMENS INDUSTRY SOFTWARE INC.
To: SIEMENS INDUSTRY SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 056799/0612 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 30, 2019
From: LAM, KWAN HIM
To: MENTOR GRAPHICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 050240/0680 →
Cited By (1)
US 12,411,169