Charge pump regulation control for improved power efficiency

• US 20070139099A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Corporation (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Pan, Feng
• Application Number:
  US11/303,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20070139099A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/536
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps

Abstract

Techniques for efficiently generating an output voltage for use within an electronic device, such as a memory system, are disclosed. A voltage generation circuit generates the output voltage. The voltage generation circuit includes regulation circuitry that controls regulation of the output voltage to maintain the output voltage at a substantially constant level. According to one aspect, regulation is enabled when needed but disabled when regulation is not necessary, thereby reducing power consumption by the regulation circuitry. The voltage generation circuit is therefore able to operate with improved power efficiency.

Claims

1. A voltage generation circuit, comprising:

a charge pump circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, the output voltage being greater than the input voltage, and the charge pump circuit having a control terminal;

a switch operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit; and

a feedback circuit operatively connected to the switch and to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit, the feedback circuit providing a feedback signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit,

wherein the switch serves to enable or disable operation of the feedback circuit.

2. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the voltage generation circuit operates with substantially reduced power when the feedback circuit is disabled by the switch.

3. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the switch is controlled by a control signal to enable the feedback circuit when regulation of the output voltage of the charge pump circuit is needed.

4. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 3, wherein a load is coupled to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit, and

wherein the control signal is dependent on an amount of current being drawn by the load on the output terminal of the charge pump circuit.

5. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein regulation of the output voltage of the charge pump circuit is disabled when the feedback circuit is disabled by the switch.

6. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the switch includes at least a transistor.

7. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the voltage generation circuit further comprises:

a decoupling capacitor operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit.

8. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the voltage generation circuit produces the output voltage for use in a memory product.

9. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the memory product is a FLASH memory device.

10. A voltage generation circuit, comprising:

a charge pump circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, the output voltage being greater than the input voltage, and the charge pump circuit having a control terminal;

a switch operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit;

a resister divider operatively connected to the switch to provide a divided voltage; and

a comparator operatively connected to the resister divider and to a reference voltage, the comparator comparing the divided voltage to the reference voltage to produce a first control signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit.

11. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 10, wherein the switch serves to prevent or substantially limit power consumption by the resister divider when the switch decouples the resister divider from the output terminal of the charge pump circuit.

12. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 10, wherein when the switch decouples the resister divider from the output terminal of the charge pump circuit, the first control signal from the comparator disables regulation of the output voltage by the charge pump circuit.

13. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 12, wherein when the switch couples the resister divider from the output terminal of the charge pump circuit, the first control signal from the comparator enables regulation of the output voltage by the charge pump circuit.

14. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 10, wherein the voltage generation circuit further comprises:

a decoupling capacitor operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit.

15. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 10, wherein the switch is controlled by a second control signal to enable the feedback circuit when regulation of the output voltage of the charge pump circuit is needed.

16. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 15, wherein a load is coupled to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit, and

wherein the second control signal is dependent on an amount of current being drawn by the load on the output terminal of the charge pump circuit.

17. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 10, wherein regulation of the output voltage of the charge pump circuit is disabled when the switch decouples the resister divider from the output terminal of the charge pump circuit.

18. A voltage generation circuit as recited in claim 10, wherein the switch includes at least a transistor.

19. A voltage generation circuit, comprising:

a charge pump circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, the output voltage being greater than the input voltage, and the charge pump circuit having a control terminal;

a switch operatively connected to a ground terminal;

a resister divider operatively connected to the switch and to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit, the resister divider providing a divided voltage, the divided voltage being less than the output voltage from the charge pump circuit; and

a comparator operatively connected to the resister divider and to a reference voltage, the comparator comparing the divided voltage to the reference voltage to produce a first control signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit.

20. A voltage generation circuit, comprising:

a charge pump circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, the output voltage being greater than the input voltage, and the charge pump circuit having a control terminal; and

switchable feedback means for providing a feedback signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit based on the output voltage at the output terminal of the charge pump circuit,

wherein switching of the switchable feedback means operates to enable or disable regulation of the output voltage by the charge pump circuit, and

wherein the voltage generation circuit operates with substantially reduced power when the regulation of the output voltage is disabled.

21. A memory product, comprising:

data storage elements;

a controller for performing data storage and retrieval with respect to the data storage elements; and

at least one voltage generation circuit, the voltage generation circuit comprising;

a charge pump circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, the output voltage being greater than the input voltage, and the charge pump circuit having a control terminal;

a switch operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit; and

a feedback circuit operatively connected to the switch and to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit, the feedback circuit providing a feedback signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit, the switch serving to enable or disable operation of the feedback circuit.

22. A memory product as recited in claim 21, wherein the memory product is a memory card.

23. A memory product as recited in claim 21, wherein the data storage elements provide non-volatile data storage.

24. A memory product as recited in claim 21, wherein the data storage elements provide semiconductor-based data storage.

25. A memory product as recited in claim 24, wherein the data storage elements are EEPROM or FLASH.

26. A memory product as recited in claim 21, wherein each of the data storage elements comprise at least one floating-gate storage device.

27. A memory product as recited in claim 21, wherein the memory system is a removable data storage product.

28. A memory product as recited in claim 21, wherein the memory product is removably coupled to a host.

29. A memory system as recited in claim 28, wherein the host is a computing device.

30. An electronic system, comprising:

a data acquisition device; and

a data storage device removably coupled to the data acquisition unit, the data storage device storing data acquired by the data acquisition device, and the data storage device including at least;

data storage elements;

a controller for performing data storage and retrieval with respect to the data storage elements; and

at least one voltage generation circuit, the voltage generation circuit including at least;

a charge pump circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, the output voltage being greater than the input voltage, and the charge pump circuit having a control terminal;

a switch operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit; and

a feedback circuit operatively connected to the switch and to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit, the feedback circuit providing a feedback signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit, the switch serving to enable or disable operation of the feedback circuit.

31. An electronic system as recited in claim 30, wherein the data acquisition device is one of a camera, a network card or appliance, a hand-held or notebook computer, a set-top box, a hand-held or other small media player/recorder, and a medical monitor.