Voltage booster circuit of the charge-pump type with bootstrapped oscillator
First Claim
1. A charge pump comprising:
- a stage of a voltage-boosting circuit comprising a transistor and a capacitor; and
a transistor switching control circuit coupled to the stage and controlling the switching of the transistor, the transistor switching control circuit comprising;
a ring oscillator generating an oscillator signal at an oscillator frequency;
a phase splitter stage receiving the oscillator signal and generating a plurality of non-overlapping phase-split signals substantially at the oscillator frequency;
a non-bootstrapped output stage, receiving the plurality of non-overlapping phase-split signals, and generating a plurality of non-bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals that switch between a zero voltage and a supply voltage substantially at the oscillator frequency; and
a bootstrapped output stage, receiving the plurality of non-overlapping phase-split signals, and generating a plurality of bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals that switch between the zero voltage and a voltage of greater magnitude than the supply voltage substantially synchronously with the non-bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to charge-pump circuits used for the generation, in an integrated circuit, of an internal supply voltage Vpp which is considerably greater than the external supply voltage Vcc. In a charge pump configuration with capacitors and transistors, certain transistors must be driven by bootstrapped logic signals, i.e., having a logic level which is greater than Vcc in order to overcome the threshold voltage of the transistors. According to the invention, there is an oscillator followed by a phase splitter stage which is in turn followed by a bootstrap amplifier stage. The oscillator is a ring oscillator having a number of logic gates which is as small as possible, preferably only three. A satisfactory frequency stability of the charge pump is thus obtained and therefore its design is made easier and its adaptability to various electronic circuits is improved.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A charge pump comprising:
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a stage of a voltage-boosting circuit comprising a transistor and a capacitor; and a transistor switching control circuit coupled to the stage and controlling the switching of the transistor, the transistor switching control circuit comprising; a ring oscillator generating an oscillator signal at an oscillator frequency; a phase splitter stage receiving the oscillator signal and generating a plurality of non-overlapping phase-split signals substantially at the oscillator frequency; a non-bootstrapped output stage, receiving the plurality of non-overlapping phase-split signals, and generating a plurality of non-bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals that switch between a zero voltage and a supply voltage substantially at the oscillator frequency; and a bootstrapped output stage, receiving the plurality of non-overlapping phase-split signals, and generating a plurality of bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals that switch between the zero voltage and a voltage of greater magnitude than the supply voltage substantially synchronously with the non-bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A charge pump comprising:
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means using a switching technique for creating a voltage of greater magnitude than a supply voltage; and means for controlling the switching technique, comprising; first means for receiving an oscillator signal at an oscillator frequency and generating a plurality of intermediate signals; second means for receiving the plurality of intermediate signals and generating a first plurality of phase-split signals, each of the first plurality of phase-split signals switching between a first voltage and a second voltage; and third means for receiving the plurality of intermediate signals and generating a second plurality of phase-split signals, each of the second plurality of phase-split signals switching between the first voltage and a third voltage that is different from the second voltage. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A charge pump comprising:
- means using a switching technique for creating a voltage of greater magnitude than a supply voltage; and
means for controlling the switching technique comprising; oscillator means for generating an oscillator signal at an oscillator frequency; phase-split means for receiving the oscillator signal and generating a plurality of non-overlapping phase-split signals at the oscillator frequency; non-boosting generator means for receiving the plurality of non-overlapping phase-split signals and generating a plurality of non-bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals switching between a zero voltage and the supply voltage substantially at the oscillator frequency; and boosting generator means for receiving the plurality of non-overlapping phase-split signals and generating a plurality of bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals, the bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals switching between the zero voltage and a voltage of greater magnitude than the supply voltage and switching substantially synchronously with the non-bootstrapped non-overlapping output signals. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
- means using a switching technique for creating a voltage of greater magnitude than a supply voltage; and
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14. A charge pump comprising:
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a voltage-boosting circuit; first means for receiving an oscillator signal and generating a plurality of intermediate signals; second means, coupled to the voltage-boosting circuit and responsive to the plurality of intermediate signals, for providing a first plurality of phase-split signals to the voltage-boosting circuit, each of the first plurality of phase-split signals switching between a first voltage and a second voltage; and third means, coupled to the voltage-boosting circuit and responsive to the plurality of intermediate signals, for providing a second plurality of phase-split signals to the voltage-boosting circuit, each of the second plurality of phase-split signals switching between a first voltage and a third voltage that is different from the second voltage. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus comprising:
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a charge pump circuit for creating an output voltage of greater magnitude than a supply voltage in response to signals received at an input of the charge pump circuit; and a control circuit, coupled to the charge pump circuit, the control circuit having an input that receives an oscillator signal at an oscillator frequency, a first output that provides a first plurality of phase-split signals to the input of the charge pump circuit, each of the first plurality of phase-split signals switching between a first voltage and a second voltage, and a second output that provides a second plurality of phase-split signals to the input of the charge pump circuit, each of the second plurality of phase-split signals switching between a first voltage and a third voltage that is different from the second voltage; wherein the control circuit includes; a phase splitter, having an input that receives that receives the oscillator signal, a first output that provides a first plurality of internal signals, and a second output that provides a second plurality of internal signals; a first output stage, having an input that receives the first plurality of internal signals and the second plurality of internal signals and an output that provides the first plurality of phase-split signals; and a second output stage, having an input that receives the first plurality of internal signals and the second plurality of internal signals and an output that provides the second plurality of phase-split signals. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification