Nxp B.v.

Yanyu Jin

Jos Verlinden

Anne Johan Annema

Bram Nauta

Alexander Sebastian Delke

Mark Stefan Oude Alink

Maoqiang Liu

Thomas Jan Hoen

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

An LC oscillator has a tank driver connected to cause a matched-resistance LC tank to oscillate. The LC tank has an inductor leg in parallel with a capacitor leg. The inductor leg has an explicit inductor having an implicit resistance level R. The capacitor leg has an explicit capacitor having an implicit resistance level Rconnected in series with an explicit resistor having an explicit resistance level R, where R=(R+R) is substantially equal to R. The LC oscillator may have a non-trimmable LC tank and be part of a temperature-compensated frequency reference generator having standalone frequency adjustment circuitry that offers better than &#xb1;0.1% frequency accuracy (after single trim and batch calibration) over process, voltage, and temperature variations, and lifetime, which can serve as a low-cost replacement for a crystal oscillator for many applications.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Yanyu Jin