Importance

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Abstract

In an integrated circuit, meta-stability prevention circuitry prevents an oscillator, such as a current-controlled oscillator having a ring of differential inverters, from being turned on, for example, during power up, until after the power-supply voltage is sufficiently high for the oscillator ring to achieve oscillation without going into a meta-stable state. In one implementation, a level detector monitors the power-supply voltage level and generates a logic signal indicating whether or not the power-supply voltage level is sufficiently high. That logic signal and a conventional chip-level power-down control signal are applied to logic circuitry that generates control signals for one or more switch transistors that selectively turn on and off the oscillator ring.

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First Claim