Charge pump having AC and DC outputs for touch panel bootstrapping and substrate biasing

• US 10,277,119 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2017
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Yao, Weijun, Stronks, David A., Bae, Hopil, Brahma, Kingsuk, Yao, Wei Hsin, Bi, Yafei, Li, Yingxuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US15/798,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20180062508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/642 Capacitive arrangements H01L23/49589, H01L23/645, H01L23/647, H01L23/66 take precedence; capacitive effects between wiring layers on the semiconductor body H01L23/5222
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps

Abstract

A charge pump that can be configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode is disclosed. The charge pump can comprise a charging capacitor coupled to a first node and configured to transfer a first DC voltage to the first node. The charge pump can also comprise a first output node and a second output node coupled to the first node. During the first mode, the first output node can be configured to output a second DC voltage based on the first DC voltage, and the second output node can be configured to output a third DC voltage based on the first DC voltage. During the second mode, the first output node can be configured to output the second DC voltage, and the second output node can be configured to output an AC voltage, the AC voltage being offset by the third DC voltage.

Claims

1. Charge pump circuitry configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode, the charge pump circuitry comprising:

a first switch formed in a first well in a substrate, wherein the first switch is coupled to a first output node of the charge pump circuitry; and

a second switch formed in a second well in the substrate, wherein the second switch is coupled to a second output node of the charge pump circuitry, and the first well is disposed within the second well,

wherein;

the first output node is configured to output a first voltage to a touch-sensitive device,

the second output node is configured to output a second voltage to the touch-sensitive device, different than the first voltage,

during the first mode, the first output node is configured to output a first DC voltage, and the second output node is configured to output a second DC voltage, and

during the second mode, the first output node is configured to output a first AC voltage, and the second output node is configured to output a second AC voltage.

2. The charge pump circuitry of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive device comprises a touch screen, and the first output node and the second output node are configured to be coupled to respective gate lines of display pixels included in the touch screen.

3. The charge pump circuitry of claim 1, wherein the first voltage is a low voltage, and the second voltage is a high voltage.

4. The charge pump circuitry of claim 1, wherein the first switch and the first output node are part of a first charge pump, and the second switch and the second output node are part of a second charge pump, different than the first charge pump.

5. The charge pump circuitry of claim 1, wherein the first well is biased by the first output node, and the second well is biased by the second output node.

6. The charge pump circuitry of claim 1, wherein the first well is a first type of well, and the second well is a second type of well, different than the first type of well.

7. The charge pump circuitry of claim 6, wherein the first type of well is a p-type well, and the second type of well is an n-type well.

8. The charge pump circuitry of claim 1, wherein the substrate is biased by a DC output node of the charge pump circuitry.

9. A method of fabricating charge pump circuitry, comprising:

forming a first switch in a first well in a substrate, wherein the first switch is coupled to a first output node of the charge pump circuitry; and

forming a second switch in a second well in the substrate, wherein the second switch is coupled to a second output node of the charge pump circuitry, and the first well is disposed within the second well,

wherein;

the first output node is configured to output a first voltage to a touch-sensitive device,

the second output node is configured to output a second voltage to the touch-sensitive device, different than the first voltage,

during a first mode, the first output node is configured to output a first DC voltage, and the second output node is configured to output a second DC voltage, and

during a second mode, the first output node is configured to output a first AC voltage, and the second output node is configured to output a second AC voltage.

10. A method of operating charge pump circuitry configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode, the method comprising:

outputting, at a first output node of the charge pump circuitry, a first voltage to a touch-sensitive device, wherein the charge pump circuitry comprises a first switch formed in a first well in a substrate, and the first switch is coupled to the first output node of the charge pump circuitry;

outputting, at a second output node of the charge pump circuitry, a second voltage to the touch-sensitive device, different than the first voltage, wherein the charge pump circuitry comprises a second switch formed in a second well in the substrate, the second switch is coupled to the second output node of the charge pump circuitry, and the first well is disposed within the second well;

during the first mode;

outputting, at the first output node, a first DC voltage; and

outputting, at the second output node, a second DC voltage; and

during the second mode;

outputting, at the first output node, a first AC voltage; and

outputting, at the second output node, a second AC voltage.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the touch-sensitive device comprises a touch screen, the method further comprises coupling the first output node and the second output node to respective gate lines of display pixels included in the touch screen.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first voltage is a low voltage, and the second voltage is a high voltage.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first switch and the first output node are part of a first charge pump, and the second switch and the second output node are part of a second charge pump, different than the first charge pump.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

biasing the first well with the first output node, and

biasing the second well with the second output node.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the first well is a first type of well, and the second well is a second type of well, different than the first type of well.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first type of well is a p-type well, and the second type of well is an n-type well.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising biasing the substrate with a DC output node of the charge pump circuitry.