Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Benjamin Howard Ashmore, Jr

John David Porter

Bradley A Sharpe-Geisler

Nicholas A Schmitz

Jeffery Mark Marshall

Bryon I Moyer

A circuit is presented which can produce a temperature insensitive, constant current value. The constant current source comprises transistor pairs which mirror a temperature dependent current into a node along with another temperature dependent current. The node thereby receives two temperature dependent currents, wherein one is inversely dependent to that of the other. More specifically, one current increases as temperature increases, whereas the other current decreases as temperature increases. The two currents may thereby be construed to offset one another such that the output of a common node produces a current output which does not change with either an increase or decrease in temperature imputted upon the current source component.

Temperature insensitive current source

A block clock and initialization circuit for a programmable logic block in a complex very high density programmable logic device generates a plurality of block clock signals and block initialization signals for elements in the programmable logic block. The block clock and initialization circuit includes a block clock generator circuit and a block initialization circuit. The block clock generator circuit receives a first set of product terms in a plurality of product terms and a plurality of clock signals as input signals. In response to the input signals, the block clock generator circuit generates output signals on a plurality of block clock lines. The block initialization circuit receives a second set of product terms in the plurality of product terms as input signals. In response to the input signals, the block initialization circuit generates a plurality of output signals on the block initialization lines.

Block clock and initialization circuit for a complex high density PLD

A programmable logic device (PLD) is presented having an improved sense amplifier. The sense amplifier comprises a cascode-connected pair of transistors coupled between a sense amplifier output and a virtual ground. According to several embodiments, a clipping transistor and a current-channeling transistor can be provided with the sense amplifier to improve its operation. Further, additional current source and current sink transistors can also be added to the sense amplifier design. The clipping transistor helps ensure that any positive-going noise spikes do not deleteriously effect accurate readings of the true value on the input bit line. The current-channeling transistor helps prevent collapse of the bit line caused by significant conductivity of cells connected to the bit line. The combination of clipping and current-channeling provide a relatively narrow voltage range of the bit line voltage, resulting in fast recovery and high speed sensing thereof. The additional current source is used to impute additional current through the amplifying transistor of the cascode-coupled pair of transistors. The additional current sink transistor helps draw the current from the amplifying transistor to a ground supply. Only when the bit line voltage is high will the additional current source and current sink transistors be used.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Benjamin Howard Ashmore, Jr