Low voltage boosted analog transmission gate

• US 20050195015A1
• Filed: 03/05/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Goldman, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US10/794,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195015A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/391
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/08 Word line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, for word lines

Abstract

A drive boost circuit provides a boosted voltage potential for driving the gate of pass device. The drive boost circuit may be one or more stages and include an inverter pair where the first inverter is powered from an operating voltage while the second inverter receives the generated boosted voltage potential that is used to drive the gate of a pass transistor.

Claims

1. A circuit having a pass transistor, comprising:

a capacitor;

a first inverter and a terminal of the capacitor to receive an enable signal that boosts a charge stored on the capacitor to a voltage potential higher than an operating voltage of the first inverter; and

a second inverter coupled to the first inverter to generate an output signal to drive a gate of the pass transistor, where the second inverter receives power from the voltage potential stored at another terminal of the capacitor.

2. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the enable signal at a first level conditions the charge stored on the capacitor and at a second level boosts the charge on the capacitor to the voltage potential that is higher than the operating voltage.

3. The circuit of claim 1 further including a diode connected device having a gate and drain to receive the operating voltage and a source coupled to a terminal of the capacitor to provide the voltage potential.

4. The circuit of claim 3 wherein the diode connected device is an N-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) transistor.

5. A circuit, comprising:

a first inverter to receive an enable signal and generate a complemented enable signal, the first inverter to operate from an operating potential and a ground potential; and

a second inverter having an input to receive the complemented enable signal and operate from a boosted voltage potential that is different from the operating potential of the first inverter and supply an output signal having an amplitude greater than an amplitude of the enable signal.

6. The circuit of claim 5 further including a capacitor having a first terminal connected to an input of the first inverter and a second terminal connected to the second inverter to supply the boosted voltage potential.

7. The circuit of claim 5 further including a transistor having a gate and drain to receive the operating potential and a source coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor.

8. The circuit of claim 5 further including a pass transistor having a gate coupled to an output of the second inverter, a source to receive an input signal and a drain to provide an output signal.

9. A circuit, comprising:

a first stage to receive a precharge signal and an enable signal and generate a first boosted signal;

a second stage to receive the precharge signal and the first boosted signal and generate a second boosted signal, where the first and second boosted signals have amplitudes greater than an amplitude of the enable signal; and

a serially connected inverter pair where a first inverter has an input coupled to an output of the second stage and a second inverter receives power from the second boosted signal to generate an output signal.

10. The circuit of claim 9, wherein the first stage further includes:

a first capacitor; and

a first device having a gate connected to a drain, and further having a source coupled through the first capacitor to an output of the first stage.

11. The circuit of claim 10, wherein the second stage further includes:

a second capacitor; and

a second device having a gate connected to the source of the first device, and further having a source coupled through the second capacitor to an output of the second stage.

12. The circuit of claim 9, further including a pass transistor having a gate coupled to an output of the second inverter, a source to receive an input signal and a drain to provide an output signal.

13. A system, comprising:

first and second antennas;

a transceiver coupled to the first and second antennas; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor includes a first inverter to receive an enable signal and a second inverter to generate an output signal having an amplitude greater than an amplitude of the enable signal.

14. The system of claim 13, further including:

a capacitor having a first terminal connected to an input of the first inverter and a second terminal connected to the second inverter to supply a boosted voltage potential; and

a transistor having a gate and drain to receive an operating voltage and a source coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor.

15. The system of claim 13, further including:

a first stage logic gate to receive an enable signal and a precharge signal and generate a first boosted signal; and

a second stage logic gate to receive the precharge signal and the first boosted signal and generate a second boosted signal, the second boosted signal to provide the second inverter with a boosted voltage potential.

16. The system of claim 13, further including:

a pass device having a control gate coupled to an output of the second inverter, a first current conducting terminal to receive an input signal and a second current conducting terminal to provide an output signal.

17. A method, comprising:

precharging a node;

transitioning an input signal from a low voltage level to a high voltage level to capacitively couple the node from a first voltage value to a boosted voltage potential;

complementing the input signal in a first inverter; and

using the complemented input signal at a second inverter and the boosted voltage potential to generate an output signal having an amplitude substantially at the boosted voltage potential.

18. The method of claim 17 further including:

driving a gate of a pass transistor with the output signal from the second inverter.

19. The method of claim 18 further including:

receiving a signal at a source of the pass transistor and passing the signal to a drain without amplitude loss.