Booster, IC card having the same, and electronic equipment having the same

• US 20010026187A1
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Published: 10/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Oku, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 6,525,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/536
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/073 Charge pumps of the Schenkel-type

Abstract

A booster is provided with first to k-th (k is an even number) transistors connected to one another in series, first to k-th capacitors each having an end connected to the gate and source of each of the first to k-th transistors, and a clock driver which supplies clock signals out of phase with one another to the other ends of the first to k-th capacitors. The clock driver simultaneously supplies low-level clock signals to two or more adjacent capacitors out of the first to k-th capacitors.

Claims

1. A booster, comprising:

first to k-th (k is an even number) transistors connected to one another in series;

first to k-th capacitors each having a terminal connected to a gate and a source of each of said first to k-th transistors; and

a clock driver which supplies clock signals out of phase with one another to the other terminals of said first to k-th capacitors, said clock driver simultaneously supplying low-level clock signals to two or more adjacent capacitors out of said first to k-th capacitors.

2. The booster according to

claim 1

, wherein when said first to k-th capacitors are divided from said first capacitor into groups each constituted by n capacitors (n is a submultiple of k), clock signals with n phases are supplied to said first to n-th capacitors, said clock signals with n phases having high periods which do not overlap one another and rising timings which are shifted in order of said first to n_th capacitors, and clock signals with n phases are supplied to each of the other groups with a fixed amount delay to said clock signals supplied to said first to n-th capacitors.

3. The booster according to

claim 1

, wherein said clock driver comprises:

a frequency demultiplier which divides a reference clock signal to k kinds of divided signals and inverted divided signals, which are inverted signals of said k kinds of divided signals; and

a logical gate which obtains a logic synthesis of said k kinds of divided signals and said k kinds of inverted divided signals so as to produce said clock signals with k phases.

4. The booster according to

claim 2

, wherein said clock driver comprises:

a frequency demultiplier which divides a reference clock signal to said clock signals with n phases; and

a delay circuit which delays said clock signals with n phases by a fixed amount for each of said groups so as to produce clock signals with n phases for each of said groups.

5. The booster according to

claim 4

, wherein said delay circuit comprises an even number of inverters connected to one another in series for each of said groups.

6. The booster according to

claim 1

, further comprising a first-stage transistor which is connected to a previous stage of said first transistor and is diode-connected to a power source.

7. The booster according to

claim 1

, further comprising a first-stage transistor which is connected to a previous stage of said first transistor and receives at a gate thereof a clock signal other than said first clock signal out of said clock signals with k phases.

8. An IC card which said booster according to

claim 1

, comprising

a memory circuit for writing and deleting data according to a voltage outputted from said booster.

9. The IC card according to

claim 8

, further comprising a conversion circuit which converts a received radio wave to a voltage to be supplied to said booster.

10. Electronic equipment with said booster according to

claim 1

, comprising

a voltage supply circuit which supplies voltage to said booster.