IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,159,149
Granted Patent B2
US 11,159,149 · App. 17/021,367 · Granted Oct 26, 2021

Electronic device including level shifter

Inventors: Soojung Rho (Hwaseong-si, KR); Jang-Woo Ryu (Seoul, KR); Hyunah An (Seoul, KR); Hangi Jung (Hwaseong-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
H03K3/356121G11C7/222
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,159,149
App. No.
17/021,367
Granted
Oct 26, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed is a level shifter. The level shifter includes a level shifting circuit, a first adjusting circuit, and a second adjusting circuit. The level shifting circuit determines whether to output a first current from a supply voltage line to an output node based on a voltage level of a first node and determines whether to output a second current from the supply voltage line to a third node based on a voltage level of a second node. The first adjusting circuit blocks an output of a third current from the third node to the first node when a clock signal having a first voltage level is received. The second adjusting circuit outputs a fourth current from the first node to a ground voltage line when the clock signal having the first voltage level is received.

Claims (54)

1. An electronic device comprising:

a clock generator configured to output a clock signal swinging between a first voltage level and a second voltage level; and

a level shifter, configured to block an output of a first current from a supply voltage line to a first node regardless of a voltage level of an output node, output a second current from the first node to a ground voltage line, and output a third current from the supply voltage line to the output node based on a voltage level of the first node, when the clock signal having the second voltage level is received,

wherein the second voltage level is higher than the first voltage level and is lower than a voltage level of the supply voltage line, and

wherein the level shifter is configured to decrease the voltage level of the output node from a third voltage level to a fourth voltage level, when an inverted clock signal that has a phase opposite to a phase of the clock signal and has the second voltage level is received.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein

the level shifter is configured to regulate the voltage level of the output node to the third voltage level, which is greater than the second voltage level, when the clock signal having the second voltage level is received.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the level shifter is configured to output the third current, when the clock signal having the second voltage level is received and the voltage level of the first node is a voltage level of the ground voltage line.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein

the level shifter is configured to regulate the voltage level of the output node based on the clock signal and the inverted clock signal, and

the level shifter is configured to block an output of the third current to the output node based on the voltage level of the first node and output a fourth current from the output node to the ground voltage line regardless of the voltage level of the first node, when the inverted clock signal having the second voltage level is received.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the level shifter is configured to output the first current from the supply voltage line to the first node regardless of the voltage level of the output node and block an output of the second current from the first node to the ground voltage line, when the clock signal having the first voltage level is received.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the level shifter includes:

a first transistor configured to determine whether to output the first current, based on the clock signal;

a second transistor configured to determine whether to output the second current, based on the clock signal; and

the first transistor is between the supply voltage line and the second transistor.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein

the first transistor is a PMOS transistor, and

the second transistor is an NMOS transistor.

8. An electronic device comprising:

a level shifting circuit configured to determine whether to output a first current from a supply voltage line to an output node based on a voltage level of a first node, and determine whether to output a second current from the supply voltage line to a third node based on a voltage level of a second node;

a first adjusting circuit configured to block an output of a third current from the third node to the first node, when a clock signal having a first voltage level is received; and

a second adjusting circuit configured to output a fourth current from the first node to a ground voltage line, when the clock signal having the first voltage level is received,

wherein the clock signal is a signal swinging between the first voltage level and a second voltage level lower than the first voltage level,

wherein the first voltage level is lower than a voltage level of the supply voltage line,

wherein the first adjusting circuit is configured to output the first current to the second node, regardless of a voltage level of the clock signal, when the first current is received from the level shifting circuit, and

wherein the second adjusting circuit is configured to block an output of the first current from the first adjusting circuit to the ground voltage line, when an inverted clock signal, which is opposite in phase to the clock signal, having the second voltage level is received.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the level shifting circuit is configured to output the first current to regulate a voltage level of the output node to a voltage level higher than the first voltage level.

10. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the level shifting circuit includes:

a first transistor configured to determine whether to output the first current, based on the voltage level of the first node; and

a second transistor configured to determine whether to output the second current, based on the voltage level of the second node.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the first transistor and the second transistor are PMOS transistors.

12. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the first adjusting circuit includes:

a first transistor configured to block the output of the third current to the first node, when the clock signal having the first voltage level is received; and

a second transistor configured to output the first current from the level shifting circuit to the second node, regardless of the voltage level of the clock signal.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein

the first transistor is a PMOS transistor, and

the second transistor is an NMOS transistor.

14. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the second adjusting circuit includes:

a first transistor configured to output the fourth current to the ground voltage line, when the clock signal having the first voltage level is received; and

a second transistor configured to block an output of a fifth current from the second node to the ground voltage line, when an inverted clock signal having the second voltage level is received.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the first transistor and the second transistor are NMOS transistors.

16. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein

the level shifting circuit includes a PMOS transistor between the supply voltage line and the output node and a PMOS transistor between the supply voltage line and the third node,

the first adjusting circuit includes an NMOS transistor between the output node and the second node and a PMOS transistor between the third node and the first node, and

the second adjusting circuit includes an NMOS transistor between the second node and the ground voltage line and an NMOS transistor between the first node and the ground voltage line.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a first PMOS transistor configured to determine whether to connect a supply voltage line with a second node, based on a voltage level of a first node;

a second PMOS transistor configured to determine whether to connect the second node with a third node, based on a clock signal swinging between a first voltage level and a second voltage level;

a first NMOS transistor configured to determine whether to connect the third node with a ground voltage line, based on the clock signal;

a third PMOS transistor configured to determine whether to connect the supply voltage line with an output node, based on a voltage level of the third node;

a second NMOS transistor configured to determine whether to connect the first node with the ground voltage line, based on an inverted clock signal, a phase of the inverted clock signal corresponding to an inverted version of a phase of the clock signal; and

a third NMOS transistor configured to determine whether to connect the output node with the first node, based on the voltage level of the supply voltage line,

wherein the first voltage level is higher than the second voltage level and is lower than a voltage level of the supply voltage line.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 25, 2020
From: RHO, SOOJUNG; RYU, JANG-WOO; AN, HYUNAH; JUNG, HANGI
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 053891/0365 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2020-0007139 · Jan 20, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210226617A1 · Jul 22, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,592,701