Described examples include sensing circuits and reference voltage generators for providing a reference voltage to a sensing circuit. The sensing circuits may sense a state of a memory cell, which may be a PCM memory cell. The sensing circuits may include a cascode transistor. Examples of reference voltage generators may include a global reference voltage generator coupled to multiple bank reference voltage generators which may reduce an output resistance of the voltage generator routing.

Reference voltage generators and sensing circuits

A technique is disclosed for a graphics processing unit (GPU) to enter and exit a power saving deep sleep mode. The technique involves preserving processing state within local memory by configuring the local memory to operate in a self-refresh mode while the GPU is powered off for deep sleep. An interface circuit coupled to the local memory is configured to prevent spurious GPU signals from disrupting proper self-refresh of the local memory. Spurious GPU signals may result from GPU power down and GPU power up events associated with the GPU entering and exiting the deep sleep mode.

System and method for entering and exiting sleep mode in a graphics subsystem

An electronic device for compensating for process variation is provided. The electronic device includes a first circuit configured to consume a current supplied to the first circuit, and a second circuit configured to control the current supplied to the first circuit, The second circuit is configured to generate a signal for controlling the current supplied to the circuit based on a frequency of a pulse signal generated using a second component that is of a same kind as a first component of the first circuit.

Apparatus and method for compensating for process variation in electronic device

An oscillator that includes a first source current leg and first sink current leg to source current and sink current, respectively, during a startup mode of oscillator operation. The oscillator includes a second source current leg and a second sink current leg to source current and sink current, respectively, during a second mode of oscillator operation.

Oscillator with startup circuitry

A voltage reference generator which can be automatically calibrated has a first mode and a second mode. The voltage reference generator provides a bandgap reference voltage with a voltage reference node having a capacitance. Calibration logic, which can be on the same integrated circuit device as the voltage reference generator, executes a calibration sequence including enabling the voltage reference generator in the first mode to produce a voltage on the voltage reference node, holding the voltage by the capacitance, and then enabling the voltage reference generator in the second mode and calibrating the voltage reference generator in the second mode relative to the voltage held on the voltage reference node, to provide the bandgap reference voltage.

Auto-calibrated bandgap reference

A reference circuit, an oscillator architecture that includes the reference circuit and a method for operating the reference circuit are described. In one embodiment, the reference circuit includes a voltage reference generator configured to generate a reference voltage and a current reference generator configured to generate a reference current based on the reference voltage. The current reference generator includes a level shifter circuit configured to generate intermediate voltages based on the reference voltage, a first current reference circuit configured to generate intermediate currents based on the intermediate voltages, where the intermediate currents are correlated to the reference voltage, and a second current reference circuit configured to combine the intermediate currents to generate the reference current. Other embodiments are also described.

Chopper based relaxation oscillator

An oscillator architecture and a method for powering up/down the oscillator architecture are described. In one embodiment, an oscillator architecture includes a reference generator configured to generate reference signals and an in-phase/quadrature (IQ) oscillator configured to generate oscillation signals based on the reference signals. The reference generator includes a distributed start-up circuitry that includes multiple start-up circuits. The IQ oscillator includes at least one turbo comparator having a low power functional mode and a turbo functional mode. Other embodiments are also described.

Min Ming Tarng

Papers

Chopper based relaxation oscillator

Oscillator architecture having fast response time with low current consumption and method for operating the oscillator architecture