VOLTAGE LEVEL SHIFT WITH CHARGE PUMP ASSIST

• US 20150288355A1
• Filed: 04/16/2012
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Lau, Ker Yon
• Granted Patent: US 9,391,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/102 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/356113 using additional transistors in the input circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

A charge pump assist circuit to assist a voltage level shifter to toggle an output based on an input. The charge pump assist circuit may be implemented to toggle the output at a higher rate than the voltage level shifter. The voltage level shifter may be biased with an undivided voltage rail, such as an operating voltage of the charge pump assist circuit, rather than a divided voltage rail, while maintaining or increasing a toggle rate. The charge pump assist circuit may include a non-overlapping control generator to generate non-overlapping differential controls, and may further include first and second charge pump multipliers to increase voltages of the differential controls by a multiple of the operating voltage.

Claims

1. A voltage level shift apparatus, comprising:

a voltage level shifter; and

a charge pump assist circuit to assist the voltage level shifter to toggle an output.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charge pump assist circuit is configured to toggle the output at a higher rate than the voltage level shifter.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charge pump assist circuit and the voltage level shifter are configured in parallel with one another.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the voltage level shifter is biased with an undivided voltage rail.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the voltage level shifter is biased with an undivided operating voltage of the charge pump assist circuit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a stacked-transistor driver to generate an output based at least in part on the output of the voltage level shifter and charge pump assist circuit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charge pump assist circuit includes:

a single-ended input; and

control generator circuitry to generate differential replicas of the single-ended input.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control generator circuitry includes non-overlapping generator circuitry to generate the differential replicas with non-overlapping edges.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the charge pump assist circuit further includes:

first and second charge pumps, each to increase a voltage of a corresponding one of the differential replicas.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first and second charge pumps each include a charge pump voltage multiplier to increase the voltage of the corresponding replica by a multiple of an operating voltage of the charge pump assist circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the charge pump assist circuit further includes a differentially controllable switch to couple the output to one of first and second output voltage rails based on outputs of the first and second charge pumps.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the voltage level shifter includes differential outputs; and

the charge pump assist circuit includes first and second differential switches, each to couple a corresponding one of the differential outputs to one of the first and second output voltage rails based on the outputs of the first and second charge pumps.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the charge pump assist circuit further includes:

circuitry to set an initial voltage difference between outputs of the first and second charge pumps.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the charge pump assist circuit further includes:

circuitry to preclude outputs of the first and second charge pumps from falling below a bias voltage of the voltage level shifter.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a communication system to communicate with a communication network;

communication infrastructure to communicate amongst the processor, the communication system, and a user interface system;

a voltage level shifter; and

a charge pump assist circuit to assist the voltage level shifter to toggle an output;

wherein the voltage level shifter and the charge pump assist circuit are configured to voltage level shift data provided by one of the processor, the communication system, and the user interface system.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication system includes a wireless communication system.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further including a housing, wherein the processor, the communication system, voltage level shifter, the charge pump assist circuit, and at least a portion of the user interface system are positioned within the housing.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the charge pump assist circuit includes:

a single-ended input;

control generator circuitry to generate differential replicas of the single-ended input; and

first and second charge pumps, each to increase a voltage of a corresponding one of the differential replicas.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first and second charge pumps each include a charge pump voltage multiplier to increase the voltage of the corresponding replica by a multiple of an operating voltage of the charge pump assist circuit.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the charge pump assist circuit further includes a differentially controllable switch to couple the output to one of first and second output voltage rails based on outputs of the first and second charge pumps.