Patent Application
20100244878
The present invention relates to a circuit, which is used when performing a simple test on a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) in an analog PLL (Phase Locked Loop) which is embedded in a semiconductor integrated circuit and has a loop filter attached externally, and a semiconductor integrated circuit including an oscillation circuit. More specifically, the invention relates to a circuit which is used when performing a burn-in test on a voltage-controlled oscillator which does not flow a lower-limit current regardless of its control input voltage, i.e., which does not perform self-propelled oscillation.
As shown in
The operation of this PLL is as follows. That is, an externally supplied reference clock signal RCL is phase-compared with the output signal from the feedback frequency-divider 8-5 by the phase comparator 8-1, and a signal according to the phase comparison result is outputted to the charge pump 8-2. The high-frequency component of the signal according to the phase comparison result is cut by the loop-filter 8-3, and the resultant signal is outputted as a control voltage to the voltage-controlled oscillator 8-4. When the control voltage is applied, the voltage-controlled oscillator 8-4 oscillates a signal of a frequency according to the magnitude of the control voltage, and outputs this signal to the outside as a multiplied output signal OUT and also to the feedback frequency-divider 8-5. The feedback frequency-divider 8-5 frequency-divides the multiplied output signal OUT supplied from the voltage-controlled oscillator 8-4, and outputs its output signal toward the phase comparator 8-1.
The voltage-controlled oscillator 8-4 used in the PLL comprises, as shown in
That is, the control voltage VC applied to the gate of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor 9-1 is converted into a current according to the magnitude of the voltage by the voltage-to-current conversion transistor 9-1. This current is converted by the current mirror circuit 9-2 into a current of a value according to the ratio of the sizes of transistors 9-2a and 9-2b which constitute the current mirror circuit 9-2. That is, by previously determining the sizes of the transistors 9-2a and 9-2b when fabricating these transistors, a current proportional to the current which is taken by the voltage-to-current conversion transistor 9-1 is outputted to the ring oscillator 9-3 as a control signal.
This control signal is supplied to an odd number of inverters constituting the ring oscillator 9-3, for example, three inverters 9-3a, 9-3b, and 9-3c shown in
That is, when the voltage-to-current conversion transistor 9-1 is a NMOS transistor, as shown in
Accordingly, in order to oscillate the voltage-controlled oscillator by controlling the loop filter voltage, it is always necessary to supply a sufficient current to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator by applying a voltage higher than the threshold voltage 10-1 shown in
Although there are some voltage-controlled oscillators configured such that the lower-limit current is supplied to the ring oscillator so that it can be oscillated even when the loop filter voltage is lower than the threshold voltage 10-1, since supply of the lower-limit current might deteriorate the jitter performance of the output signal of the voltage-controlled oscillator, a voltage-controlled oscillator which does not supply the lower-limit current to the ring oscillator is used in the PLL which is desired to have the jitter performance.
By the way, there are cases where semiconductor integrated circuits are subjected to burn-in test before shipped to the market. The burn-in test is performed for the purpose of eliminating initial defectives, i.e., defective semiconductor integrated circuits immediately after starting to use at which the incidence rate of defectives is relatively high, and the burn-in test selects and eliminates initially defective individuals by placing burdens on the semiconductor integrated circuits before shipping.
Although the burn-in test is desired to be performed in the wafer level before assembly for cost reduction, it is not possible to perform the test with the external parts attached to the semiconductor integrated circuits in the wafer level. Accordingly, when the loop filter of the PLL is constituted by external parts, it is not possible to perform the burn-in test in the state where the PLL circuit and the loop filter are connected.
So, the burn-in test for PLL has conventionally been performed by the following methods. That is, as shown in
Patent Document 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. Hei. 9-5398 (FIG. 1)
Patent Document 2: Japanese Published Patent Application No. Hei. 10-65525 (FIG. 2)
By the way, the PLL whose loop filter is constituted by external parts while it is embedded in the semiconductor integrated circuit has several problems when it is subjected to the burn-in test by the method described in Patent Document 1.
First of all, when the divided voltage generated by the voltage-division resistor is applied to the voltage-controlled oscillator, the divided voltage might be a voltage of a value at which the voltage-controlled oscillator is not oscillated due to variations in the resistor elements, or it might be a voltage of a value at which the oscillation frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator becomes too high. Further, while the plural resistor elements are used for generating the voltage to be applied to the voltage-controlled oscillator, the resistor elements formed in the semiconductor integrated circuit occupy a large area in the integrated circuit, resulting in an increase in cost.
Next, in the case of applying the pulse from the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit by the method described in Patent Document 2, although the effect of the burn-in test can be expected for the blocks in the stages subsequent to the voltage-controlled oscillator because the signal is propagated to these blocks, the effect of the burn-in test cannot be expected for the voltage-controlled oscillator because the oscillator itself is not oscillated.
The present invention is made to solve the above-described problems and has for its object to provide a PLL burn-in circuit which can perform a burn-in test with an optimum frequency to a PLL which is embedded in a semiconductor integrated circuit and has a loop filter configured by external parts, and the semiconductor integrated circuit.
In order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 1 of the present invention, there is provided a PLL burn-in circuit which applies a burn-in voltage to a voltage-to-current conversion transistor for converting a voltage applied to its gate terminal into a current, the transistor being included in a voltage-controlled oscillator which constitutes a phase locked loop circuit (hereinafter referred to as a PLL) embedded in a semiconductor integrated circuit, and the PLL burn-in circuit comprising: a current supply having one end connected to a first power supply; a first transistor which has the same polarity as the voltage-to-current conversion transistor, and has a drain terminal connected to the other end of the current supply and a source terminal connected to a second power supply; and a voltage switching means which makes the voltage at the gate terminal of the voltage-controlled oscillator equal to the voltages at the gate terminal and the drain (or source) terminal of the first transistor when performing PLL burn-in, and makes the gate terminal of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor have a high impedance when performing normal operation; wherein, when performing a burn-in test, the first transistor is diode-connected to connect the gate terminal of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor with the gate terminal of the first transistor, and thereby the current that flows in the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator can be determined according to the current that is supplied from the current supply and the size ratio between the voltage-to-current conversion transistor and the first transistor.
Therefore, the burn-in test can be performed with the appropriate frequency without practically being affected by variations in the voltage applied to the voltage-controlled oscillator and variations of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor in the voltage-controlled oscillator. Further, since the gate terminal of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor is in the high impedance state during the normal operation, the voltage-controlled oscillator can be operated without being affected by the attached PLL burn-in circuit.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 2 of the present invention, in the PLL burn-in circuit disclosed in claim 1, the voltage switching means includes a diode connection path diode-connecting the gate terminal and the drain terminal of the first transistor, and a switching element which switches the state between the gate terminal of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor and the gate terminal of the first transistor, between the high-impedance state and the connected state.
Therefore, the state between the gate terminal of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor and the gate terminal of the first transistor is put in the high impedance state by using the switching circuit during the normal operation to put the control input terminal in the high impedance state, thereby to disconnect the PLL burn-in circuit from the voltage-controlled oscillator, while the gate terminal of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor is connected to the gate terminal of the first transistor during the burn-in test, thereby to determine the current that flows in the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator according to the current which is supplied from the current supply and the size ratio between the voltage-to-current conversion transistor and the first transistor.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 3 of the present invention, in the PLL burn-in circuit defined in claim 1, the voltage switching means includes a switching element which switches the state between the gate terminal and the drain terminal of the first transistor, between the high-impedance state and the connected state.
Therefore, the state between the drain terminal of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor and the gate terminal of the first transistor is put in the high impedance state by using the switching circuit during the normal operation to put the gate terminal of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor in the high impedance state, thereby to disconnect the PLL burn-in circuit from the voltage-controlled oscillator, while the gate terminal and the drain terminal of the first transistor are connected during the burn-in test, thereby to determine the current that flows in the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator according to the current which is supplied from the current supply and the size ratio between the voltage-to-current conversion transistor and the first transistor.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 4 of the present invention, in the PLL burn-in circuit defined in claim 1, the voltage switching means includes a diode connection path diode-connecting the gate terminal and the drain terminal of the first transistor, and a switching element which switches the state between the source terminal of the first transistor and the second power supply, between the high-impedance state and the connected state.
Therefore, the state between the source terminal of the first transistor and the second power supply is put in the high impedance state by using the switching circuit during the normal operation to put the control input terminal in the high impedance state, thereby to disconnect the PLL burn-in circuit from the voltage-controlled oscillator, while the source terminal of the first transistor is connected to the second power supply during the burn-in test, thereby to determine the current that flows in the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator according to the current which is supplied from the current supply and the size ratio between the voltage-to-current conversion transistor and the first transistor.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 5 of the present invention, the PLL burn-in circuit defined in claim 2 includes, instead of the switching element, a series-connected unit which is obtained by connecting a resistor and a switching element in series, between the gate terminal of the voltage-to-current transistor and the gate terminal of the first transistor.
Therefore, since the resistor serves as a protection element for ESD, the resistance of the first transistor to ESD can be increased.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 6 of the present invention, in the PLL burn-in circuit defined in claim 3 or 4, a resistor is inserted between the gate terminal of the voltage-to-current conversion transistor and the gate terminal of the first transistor.
Therefore, since the resistor serves as a protection element for ESD, the resistance of the first transistor to ESD can be increased.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 7 of the present invention, in the PLL burn-in circuit defined in claim 1, the current supply comprises a resistor.
Therefore, since the resistor can generate a current proportional to the inter-terminal voltage, a current close to a target value can be supplied to the first transistor.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 8 of the present invention, in the PLL burn-in circuit defined in claim 1, the current supply comprises a transistor.
Therefore, the current can be controlled with a higher precision relative to the case where the current supply is configured by a resistor, and thereby the precision of the load applied to the circuit during the burn-in test can be increased.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 9 of the present invention, in the PLL burn-in circuit defined in any of claims 2 to 4, the current supply is a variable current supply whose current amount can be controlled.
Therefore, by controlling the current amount of the current supply, a current which is more suitable for performing the burn-in test can be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 10 of the present invention, the PLL burn-in circuit defined in claim 9 further includes a monitor circuit which monitors the frequency of the signal outputted from the voltage-controlled oscillator, and varies the current amount of the variable current supply in accordance with the monitoring result.
Therefore, by controlling the current amount of the current supply using the result obtained by monitoring the output signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator, the current amount can be controlled by the oscillation frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator during the burn-in test.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 11 of the present invention, the PLL burn-in circuit defined in any of claims 2 to 4 includes the first transistor having a variable transistor size, and a transistor size varying means which varies the transistor size of the first transistor.
Therefore, by varying the size of the first transistor with the transistor size varying means, the current amount that flows in the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator can be controlled to a value that is suitable for performing the burn-in test.
Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, according to claim 12 of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a current supply which generates a current; a conversion circuit which converts the current from the current supply into a current of a predetermined amount by a current mirror; and an oscillation circuit which receives the converted current and is oscillated with a frequency according to the value of the current when performing a test.
Therefore, a current of a stable value can be supplied to the oscillation circuit as an input current for its oscillation frequency control.
In the PLL burn-in circuit of the present invention, a current mirror circuit is formed by diode-connecting a transistor of the same polarity as the input transistor of the voltage-controlled oscillator, and thereby the current that flows in the voltage-controlled oscillator is controlled by the current supplied from the current supply and the transistor size. Therefore, the current that flows in the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator can be controlled without being practically affected by variations in the voltage-to-current conversion transistor in the voltage-controlled oscillator.
In addition, it is not necessary to modify the voltage-controlled oscillator itself, and area reduction can be achieved by using not the conventional resistor elements of relatively large areas but the transistors, thereby realizing cost reduction.
Accordingly, it is possible to solve the problem in the prior art such as that a failure like non-oscillation of the voltage-controlled oscillator occurs due to that the voltage applied to the voltage-controlled oscillator is adversely affected by element variations or the like and thereby an appropriate burn-in cannot be performed.
Further, in the semiconductor integrated circuit of the present invention, the current supplied from the current source is converted into a current of a predetermined current amount by the current mirror and, when performing the test, the converted current is input to the oscillation circuit to oscillate the oscillation circuit with a frequency according to the value of the current. Therefore, the current that flows in the oscillation circuit can be controlled without being practically affected by variations in the elements in the oscillation circuit.
Accordingly, it is possible to solve the problem in the prior art such as that a failure like non-oscillation of the oscillation circuit occurs due to that the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit is adversely affected by element variations or the like and thereby an appropriate burn-in cannot be performed.
Hereinafter, the best mode to execute the present invention will be described.
In the semiconductor integrated circuit 100, the PLL burn-in circuit 20 connected to the voltage-controlled oscillator (corresponding to the VCO 8-4 in
More specifically, an end of the current supply A114 is connected to a power supply (first power supply) voltage Vcc while the other end thereof is connected to the drain terminal of the transistor Tr213, the gate terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the drain terminal thereof and to an end of the switch SW112a through the diode connection path 13a, the other end of the switch SW112a is connected to the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111 in the VCO 10 through the input terminal 101, and the source terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the ground (second power supply) voltage GND.
Further, a control terminal voltage setting means 300 is configured by the diode connection path 13a and the switch 12a.
Furthermore, all the constituents of the PLL 200, i.e., the VCO 10, the phase comparator 8-1, the charge pump 8-2, and the feedback frequency-divider 8-5, are included in the semiconductor integrated circuit 100 except that the loop filter 8-3 is externally attached to the semiconductor integrated circuit 100 as described above.
Next, the operation will be described. The switch SW112a is set in the high impedance state during the normal operation to separate the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 in the PLL 200 from the PLL burn-in circuit 20. On the other hand, the switch SW112a is set in the conduction state during the PLL burn-in. When the switch SW112a is set in the conduction state, since the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111 is at the same voltage as the gate terminal of the diode-connected transistor Tr213, a current proportional to the size ratio between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213 flows in the transistor Tr111. For example, assuming that the current at the current supply A114 is 10 μA and the size ratio between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213 is 5:2, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 is 10 μA×5÷2=25 μA.
In the case where one of the divided voltages which are generated using such as the voltage-division resistor 30 comprising the plural resistor elements R1 to R4 connected in series is selected by the selector 40 to be applied to the control voltage input terminal of the voltage-controlled oscillator 8-4 to oscillate the voltage-controlled oscillator 8-4 as shown in
In the configuration of the PLL burn-in circuit of this first embodiment, however, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 can be accurately determined based on the current supplied from the current supply A114 and the size ratio between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213.
To be specific, when the switch SW112a is in the conduction state, the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213 configure a current mirror circuit, and thereby a current proportional to the current which is supplied from the current source A114 to the transistor Tr213 can be supplied to the transistor Tr111.
Therefore, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 is not varied, and an appropriate current can be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator without being affected by element variations or the like, and thereby the oscillation frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 can be stabilized, and a burn-in test with an optimum frequency can be carried out by the simple configuration.
As described above, according to the first embodiment, there is provided the transistor Tr213 which configures a current mirror circuit together with the transistor Tr111 that receives at its gate the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 during burn-in, and a constant current is supplied from the current supply A114 to this transistor Tr213 when the switch SW112a provided between the gates of the transistors 11 and 13 is closed. Therefore, an appropriate constant current can be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator without being affected by element variations or the like, and thereby a burn-in test with an optimum frequency can be carried out while minimizing the area of the circuit added for the burn-in test.
That is, an end of the current supply A114 is connected to the power supply voltage Vcc while the other end thereof is connected to the drain terminal of the transistor Tr213, the gate terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111 via an input terminal 101 and to an end of the switch SW212b which is provided in the diode connection path 13a, the other end of the switch SW212b is connected to the drain terminal of the transistor Tr213, and the source terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the ground voltage GND.
This configuration is identical to the first embodiment except that the switch 12b is provided in the diode connection path 13a of the transistor TR13 instead of the switch 12a which is provided between the gates of the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213.
Next, the operation will be described. The switch SW212b is put in the high impedance state when performing normal operation. On the other hand, the switch SW212b is put in the conduction state when performing PLL burn-in. When the switch SW212b is in the conduction state, a current proportional to the size ratio between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213 flows in the transistor Tr111, and thereby the oscillation frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 can be easily controlled.
That is, when the switch SW212b is in the conduction state, the transistor Tr 11 and the transistor Tr213 configure a current mirror circuit, and thereby a current proportional to the current which is supplied from the current supply A114 to the transistor Tr213 can be supplied to the transistor Tr111.
Thereby, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 is not varied, and the oscillation frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 can be stabilized by the simple configuration.
As described above, according to this second embodiment, there are provided the transistor Tr213 which configures a current mirror circuit together with the transistor Tr111 which receives at its gate the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 during the burn-in, and the switch SW212b placed between the gate and the drain of the transistor Tr12, and a constant current is supplied from the current supply A1 to the transistor Tr12 when this switch SW212b is closed. Therefore, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 is not varied, and an appropriate constant current can be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator without being affected by element variations or the like, and thereby a burn-in test with an optimum frequency can be carried out while minimizing the area of the circuit added for the burn-in test.
More specifically, an end of the current supply A114 is connected to the power supply voltage Vcc while the other end thereof is connected to the drain terminal of the transistor Tr213, the gate terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the drain terminal thereof via the diode connection path 13a and to the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111 via an input terminal 101, and an end of the switch Sw312c is connected to the source terminal of the transistor Tr213 while the other end thereof is connected to the ground voltage.
Next, the operation will be described. The switch SW312c is put in the high impedance state when performing normal operation to separate the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 from the PLL burn-in circuit 20. On the other hand, the switch SW312c is put in the conduction state when performing PLL burn-in. When the switch SW312 is in the conduction state, a current proportional to the size ratio between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213 is supplied to the transistor Tr111, and thereby the oscillation frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 can be easily controlled.
To be specific, when the switch SW312c is in the conduction state, the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213 configure a current mirror circuit, and thereby a current proportional to the current that is supplied from the current supply A114 to the transistor Tr213 can be supplied to the transistor Tr111.
Thereby, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 is not varied, and the oscillation frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 can be stabilized by the simple configuration.
As described above, according to this third embodiment, there are provided the transistor Tr213 which configures a current mirror circuit together with the transistor Tr111 which receives at its gate the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 during the burn-in, and the switch SW 312c placed between the source of the transistor Tr213 and the ground voltage, and a constant current is supplied from the current supply A114 to the transistor Tr213 by closing this switch SW312c. Therefore, an appropriate constant current can be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator without being affected by element variations or the like, and thereby a burn-in test with the optimum frequency can be performed while minimizing the area of the circuit added for the burn-in test.
More specifically, an end of the current supply A114 is connected to the power supply voltage Vcc while the other end thereof is connected to the drain terminal of the transistor Tr213, the gate terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the drain terminal thereof via the diode connection path 13a and to an end of the switch SW112a, the other end of the switch SW112a is connected to the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111 via the resistor 15 and the input terminal 101, and the source terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the ground voltage GND.
This configuration is identical to the first embodiment except that the resistor 15 which forms a series-connected unit together with the switch SW112a is provided between the switch SW112a and the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111.
Next, the operation will be described. The switch SW112a is put in the high impedance state when performing normal operation, while it is put in the conduction state when performing PLL burn-in. When the switch SW112a is in the conduction state, a current proportional to the size ratio between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213 is supplied to the transistor Tr111. Further, since the resistor 15 is provided between the switch SW112a and the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111, the influence of ESD (electro-static discharge) from the I/O pin of the semiconductor integrated circuit can be reduced, thereby achieving the effects such as an increase in the resistance to ESD and a reduction in the area of the transistor Tr2.
As described above, according to this fourth embodiment, there are provided the transistor Tr213 which configures a current mirror circuit together with the transistor Tr111 which receives at its gate the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 when performing burn-in, and the switch SW112a placed between the gates of the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213, and a constant current is supplied from the current supply A114 to the transistor Tr213 which configures the current mirror circuit by closing this switch SW112a. Therefore, an appropriate constant current can be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator without being affected by element variations or the like, and thereby a burn-in test with the optimum frequency can be performed while minimizing the area of the circuit added for the burn-in test.
Further, since the resistor 15 is inserted between the other end of the switch 12a and the input terminal of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10, the influence of ESD from the I/O pin of the semiconductor integrated circuit having the VCO can be reduced.
If such area increase in the semiconductor integrated circuit is not a problem, the resistor may be omitted and a ESD-compliant transistor may be used instead of the transistor Tr111.
Further, the connection order between the switch 12a and the resistor 15 may be inverted.
Furthermore, as shown in
More specifically, an end of the resistor RA115a is connected to the power supply voltage Vcc while the other end thereof is connected to the drain terminal of the transistor Tr213, the gate terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the drain terminal thereof via the diode connection path 13a and to an end of the switch SW112a, the other end of the switch SW112a is connected to the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111 via the resistor R115 and the input terminal 101, and the source terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the ground voltage.
This configuration is identical to the first embodiment except that the resistor 15 which forms a series-connected unit 24a together with the switch SW112a is provided between the switch SW112a and the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111, and the resistor RA115a is provided instead of the current supply A114.
Next, the operation will be described. The switch SW112a is put in the high impedance state when performing normal operation, while it is put in the conduction state when performing PLL burn-in.
When the switch SW112a is in the conduction state, since a current which is determined by the magnitude of the resistance value of the resistor RA115a and the voltages applied to the both ends of the resistor RA115a is supplied to the transistor Tr213, the current that flows in the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 can be determined by the magnitude of the resistor RA115a and the size ratio between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213.
That is, when the switch SW112a is in the conduction state, the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr113 configure a current mirror circuit, and thereby a current proportional to the current that is supplied from the current supply A114 to the transistor Tr 213 can be supplied to the transistor Tr111.
Thereby, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 is not varied, and the oscillation frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 can be stabilized by the simple configuration.
As described above, according to this fifth embodiment, there are provided the transistor Tr2 which configures a current mirror circuit together with the transistor Tr1 which receives at its gate the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 when performing burn-in, and the switch SW112a placed between the gates of the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213, and a constant current is supplied from the resistor RA115a to the transistor Tr2 by closing the switch SW112a. Therefore, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 is not varied, and an appropriate current can be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator without being affected by element variations or the like, and thereby a burn-in test with the optimum frequency can be performed while minimizing the area of the circuit added for the burn-in test.
Further, since the resistor 15 is inserted between the other end of the switch 12a and the input terminal of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10, the influence of ESD from the I/O pin of the semiconductor integrated circuit having the VCO can be reduced.
The resistor RA115a can also be configured by diode-connecting a transistor whose polarity is different from that of the transistor Tr1.
Further, as shown in
Furthermore, also in the first to fourth embodiments, the resistor RA115a may be provided instead of the current supply 14 with the same effect of the fifth embodiment.
More specifically, an end of the variable current supply A214a is connected to the power supply voltage Vcc while the other end thereof is connected to the drain terminal of the transistor Tr213, the gate terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the drain terminal thereof via the diode connection path 13a and to an end of the switch SW112a, the other end of the switch SW112a is connected through the resistor R115 and the input terminal 101 to the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111 which converts a control voltage into a current in the voltage-controlled oscillator 10, the source terminal of the transistor Tr213 is connected to the ground voltage, and the monitor circuit 16 controls the magnitude of the current that is supplied from the variable current supply A214a in accordance with the result obtained by monitoring the oscillation frequency of the signal outputted from the voltage-controlled oscillator 10.
Next, the operation will be described. The switch SW112a is put in the high impedance state when performing normal operation while it is put in the conduction state when performing PLL burn-in, and thereby the operation is switched. When the switch SW112a is in the conduction state, since a current which is determined by the variable current supply A214a is supplied to the transistor Tr213, a current which is determined by the current supplied from the variable current supply A214a and the size ratio between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213 is supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator 10.
The monitor circuit 16 monitors the oscillation frequency of the output signal OUT from the voltage-controlled oscillator 10, and controls the current supplied from the variable current supply A214a in accordance with the monitored result, and thereby the output signal frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator during the burn-in test can be set to an appropriate value.
As described above, according to this sixth embodiment, there are provided the transistor Tr2 which configures a current mirror circuit together with the transistor Tr1 which receives at its gate the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 when performing burn-in, and the switch SW112a placed between the gates of the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr213, and a constant current whose current value is variable is supplied from the variable current source A214a to this transistor Tr2 by closing the switch SW112a. Therefore, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 is not varied, and an appropriate current can be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator without being affected by element variations or the like, and thereby a burn-in test with the optimum frequency can be performed while minimizing the area of the circuit added for the burn-in test.
Further, since the resistor 15 is inserted between the other end of the switch 12a and the input terminal of the VCO 10, the influence of ESD from the I/O pin of the semiconductor integrated circuit having the VCO can be reduced.
Further, as shown in
Furthermore, also in the first to fourth embodiments, the variable current supply 14a and the monitor circuit 16 may be provided instead of the current supply 14 with the same effect of the sixth embodiment.
More specifically, an end of the current supply A114 is connected to the power supply voltage Vcc while the other end thereof is connected to the drain terminal of the transistor Tr2130, the gate terminal of the transistor Tr2130 is connected to the drain terminal thereof via the diode connection path 13a and to an end of the resistor R115, the other end of the resistor R115 is connected to the gate terminal of the transistor Tr111 via the switch SW112a and the input terminal 101, and the source terminal of the transistor Tr2130 is connected to the ground voltage.
Further, in
Next, the operation will be described. The switch SW112a is put in the high impedance state when performing normal operation while it is put in the conduction state when performing PLL burn-in. When the switch SW112a is in the conduction state, a current proportional to the size ratio between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr2130 is supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator 10. Since the size of the transistor Tr2130 can be varied according to the input signal from the control circuit 30, the current that flows into the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 can be adjusted as desired by adjusting the two parameters, i.e., the amount of current supplied by the current supply A114 and the size of the transistor Tr2130, and thereby the oscillation frequency of the output signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator can be adjusted to an appropriate value.
As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, there are provided the transistor Tr2130 which configures a current mirror circuit together with the transistor Tr1 which receives at its gate the control voltage of the voltage-controlled oscillator 10 when performing burn-in, and the switch SW112a placed between the transistor Tr111 and the transistor Tr2130, and a constant current is supplied from the current source A114 to the transistor Tr2130 by closing the switch SW112a. Therefore, the current that flows in the transistor Tr111 is not varied, and an appropriate current can be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator without being affected by element variations or the like, and thereby a burn-in test with the optimum frequency can be performed while minimizing the area of the circuit added for the burn-in test, and furthermore, the output signal frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator during the burn-in test can be set to an appropriate value.
Further, since the size of the transistor Tr2130 can be varied according to the control signal of the control circuit 60, the current that flows in the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator can be adjusted as desired by varying the size of the transistor Tr2130 with the current value of the current source A114 being varied, and thereby the oscillation frequency of the output signal from the voltage-controlled oscillator can be adjusted to an appropriate value.
Further, since the resistor 15 is inserted between the switch 12a and the input terminal of the VCO 10, the influence of ESD from the I/O pin of the semiconductor integrated circuit having the VCO can be reduced.
Further, as shown in
Furthermore, also in the first to fourth embodiments, the transistor 130 and the control circuit 60 may be provided instead of the transistor 13 with the same effect of this seventh embodiment.
While in the second to seventh embodiment the descriptions and illustrations of the semiconductor integrated circuit, the VCO, and the external loop filter are omitted, it is needless to say that the second to seventh embodiments also include these elements identical to those of the first embodiment.
Further, while in the first to seventh embodiments the target of the burn-in test is the PLL circuit, the circuit to be the target may be other than the PLL circuit so long as it has a VCO which does not perform self-propelled oscillation.
Furthermore, while the PLL burn-in circuit according to any of the first to seventh embodiments has the transistor Tr111 which is an NMOS transistor, the present invention is also applicable to the case where the transistor 11 is a PMOS transistor. In this case, a PLL burn-in circuit can be configured by interchanging the power supply voltage and the ground voltage.
As described above, in the PLL burn-in circuit adopting the present invention, the current to be supplied to the ring oscillator in the voltage-controlled oscillator can be adjusted to the current amount suitable to perform a burn-in test without being affected by element variations, and thereby the burn-in test for the voltage-controlled oscillator can be performed with the optimum condition to enhance the reliability of the test. Further, the increase in the area required to apply the present invention is smaller than that of the conventional method, resulting in a cost reduction of the semiconductor integrated circuit.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-349313 | Dec 2006 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2007/074486 | 12/20/2007 | WO | 00 | 6/25/2009 |
