Nxp B.v.

Anne Johan Annema

Jos Verlinden

Bram Nauta

Yanyu Jin

Alexander Sebastian Delke

Mark Stefan Oude Alink

Thomas Jan Hoen

Mike Jordens

A temperature sensor and method of temperature sensing is described. A first reference current is provided to a dual-slope ADC during a first slope time duration of a dual-slope ADC conversion cycle. A second reference current is provided to the dual-slope ADC during a second slope time duration of the dual-slope ADC conversion cycle. A digital codeword corresponding to a ratio of the first and second reference currents is then output by the dual-slope ADC. The first and second reference current ratio is related to the temperature.

Temperature sensor

In an embodiment, an integrated circuit die includes a semiconductor substrate, patterned metal layers compiled over the semiconductor substrate, and a tapered multipath inductor formed in the patterned metal layers. The tapered multipath inductor includes, in turn, an inductor input terminal, an inductor output terminal, and N number of parallel inductor tracks electrically coupled between the inductor input terminal and the inductor output terminal. The parallel inductor tracks wind or wrap around an inductor centerline to define a plurality of multipath inductor windings including an innermost winding and an outermost winding. The parallel inductor tracks further vary in track width when progressing from the outermost winding to the innermost winding of the plurality of multipath inductor windings.

Tapered multipath inductors

A frequency reference generator includes (i) an integrated frequency source having drive circuitry that drives a resonant (e.g., non-trimmable LC) tank to generate an oscillator signal, (ii) at least one temperature sensor that generates at least one measured temperature signal, and (iii) a frequency-adjustment circuit that adjusts the oscillator signal frequency to generate the frequency reference based on the measured temperature signal and a (e.g., sample-specific) mapping from temperature to a corresponding frequency-adjustment parameter (e.g., a divisor value for a fractional frequency divider). In some embodiments, a Colpitts oscillator generates the oscillator signal based on the measured temperature signal, where the Colpitts oscillator has voltage/temperature-compensation circuitry that compensates for variations in power supply voltage and operating temperature. Such frequency reference generators achieve substantial PVT insensitivity with as little as a single 1T-trim or even no trim at all.

Frequency reference generator

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Hengelo, Netherlands

Anne Johan Annema