Charge pump circuit

• US 6,736,474 B1
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: John W. Tiede
• Inventors: Tiede, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZWEIZIG, JEFFERY SHAWN
• Application Number:
  US10/190,916
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 327/530, 327/534, 327/535, 327/536, 327/537
• US Class Current: 327/536
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/073 Charge pumps of the Schenkel-type
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/075 including a plurality of stages and two sets of clock signals, one set for the odd and one set for the even numbered stages

Abstract

A charge pump circuit includes a first capacitor having an input coupled to a first signal. A second capacitor has an input coupled to a second signal. A first diode has an anode coupled to an output of the first capacitor and a cathode coupled to an output of the second capacitor. A second diode has an anode coupled to the output of the second capacitor and a cathode coupled to the output of the first capacitor. A controllable switch has a control input coupled to the output of the second capacitor and couples the output of the first capacitor to an output of the charge pump circuit.

Claims

1. A charge pump circuit, comprising:

a first capacitor having an input coupled to a first signal;

a second capacitor having an input coupled to a second signal, wherein the second capacitor is sufficiently large to efficiently divide the second signal voltage;

a first diode having an anode coupled to an output of the first capacitor and a cathode coupled to an output of the second capacitor;

a second diode having an anode coupled to the output of the second capacitor and a cathode coupled to the output of the first capacitor, wherein the second diode has a minimum channel length; and

a controllable switch having a control input coupled to the output of the second capacitor and connecting the output of the first capacitor to an output of the charge pump circuit, wherein the controllable switch has a channel length greater than a minimum channel length.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the controllable switch is a transistor.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the output of the first capacitor is coupled to an input of the charge pump circuit.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first diode is an isolated gate field effect transistor configured as a diode.

5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the second diode is an isolated gate field effect transistor configured as a diode.

6. The circuit of claim 2, wherein a gate voltage of the transistor has a transient voltage overshoot.

7. A charge pump circuit, comprising:

a first charge pump stage having a single switching transistor coupled to a diode, wherein the single switch transistor has a channel length greater than a minimum channel length and the diode has the minimum channel length; and

a second charge pump stage having an input coupled to an output of the first charge pump stage.

8. The charge pump circuit of claim 7, further including a plurality of charge pump stages coupled to the second charge pump stage.

9. The charge pump circuit of claim 7, wherein the first charge pump stage comprises:

a first capacitor having an;

input coupled to a first signal;

a second capacitor having an input coupled to a second signal; and

a first diode having an anode coupled to an output of the first capacitor and a cathode coupled to an output of the second capacitor.

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

a second diode having an anode coupled to the output of the second capacitor and a cathode coupled to the output of the first capacitor; and

the single switching transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the second capacitor and connecting the output of the first capacitor to an output of the charge pump circuit.

11. The charge pump circuit of claim 10, wherein a gate to source threshold voltage of the single switching transistor is greater than a threshold voltage of the second diode.

12. The charge pump circuit of claim 7, wherein the second charge pump stage has a single switching transistor.

13. A charge pump circuit, comprising:

means for generating a first signal;

means for storing a first charge coupled to the means for generating the first signal;

means for generating a second signal;

means for storing a second charge coupled to the means for generating the second signal;

means for controlling a first current flow coupled between an output of the means for storing the first charge and an output of the means for storing the second charge;

means for controlling a second current flow coupled between the output of the means for storing the first charge and the output of the means for storing the second charge, the means for controlling the second current flow having a current bias opposite of the means for controlling the first current flow, wherein the means for controlling a second current flow has a minimum channel length; and

means for switching having a means for controlling the means for switching coupled to the output of the second means for storing the second charge, the means for switching coupling an input of the charge pump circuit to an output of the charge pump circuit, wherein the means for switching has a channel length longer than a minimum channel length.

14. The charge pump circuit of claim 13, wherein the means for storing the first charge is a capacitor.

15. The charge pump circuit of claim 13, wherein the means for controlling the first current flow is a diode.

16. The charge pump circuit of claim 13, wherein the means for switching is a transistor.

17. The charge pump circuit of claim 16, wherein a gate voltage of the transistor has a transient voltage overshoot.