Patent · US Expired

Monolithic CMOS digital temperature measurement circuit

US4165642A · kind A · utility

60Cited by
3References
15Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 22, 1978
Grant dateAug 28, 1979
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 22, 1998

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01K7/01
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A monolithic integrated complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuit senses internal junction temperature and converts it to a binary coded decimal output signal. The circuit compares a temperature dependent junction voltage with a bandgap reference voltage controlled by a very stable amplifier. The comparison differential is then converted to a binary coded decimal output signal by an analog to digital converter. The circuit utilizes parasitic bipolar NPN transistor elements formed from a substrate of the chip in a conventional CMOS fabrication process. The principles of the present invention are also broadly applicable to other semiconductor technologies such as integrated injection logic (I.sup.2 L).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.