Ring oscillator with variable loading
US6842078B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 31, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jan 11, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 31, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03L7/18
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A ring oscillator circuit device is achieved. The device comprises an odd number of inverting stages. Each inverting stage has an input terminal and an output terminal. The inverter stages are coupled in a ring such that the output terminals of preceding inverting stages are coupled to the input terminals of subsequent inverting stages. A variable capacitor is included. The variable capacitor comprises a conductive layer overlying a bulk semiconductor region with a dielectric layer therebetween. The conductive layer is coupled to the output terminal of one of the inverting stages. The value of the variable capacitor depends on a bulk voltage that is coupled to the bulk semiconductor region. The ring oscillator is used for analyzing load dependence of hot carrier injection. The ring oscillator is used as a voltage-controlled oscillator in a phase-locked loop circuit.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.