Fast converter for crossing voltage domains

• US 7,551,035 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2006
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Westra, Jan Roelof, Arslan, Erol, van der Goes, Franciscus Maria Leonardus
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PATRICIA T
• Application Number:
  US11/508,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20070182605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 330/311, 330/277, 330/302
• US Class Current: 330/311
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/343 with semiconductor devices only

Abstract

A voltage domain crossing circuit and method are disclosed. In one embodiment, the voltage domain crossing circuit comprises an AC coupling component, a DC biasing component and a high voltage output amplifier. The AC coupling component receives an input low voltage signal and AC couples and splits the signal into two voltages. The two voltages are then DC biased to a predetermined bias voltage using the DC biasing component. The high voltage output amplifier then amplifies the biased voltages in the high voltage domain yielding a signal in the high voltage domain. Other embodiments of the voltage domain crossing circuit and method are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A voltage domain crossing circuit, configured to provide an output signal in a high voltage domain based on an input signal from a low voltage domain, the low voltage domain having a lesser maximum operating voltage than the high voltage domain, comprising:

an AC coupling component configured to split the input signal from the low voltage domain into a first voltage signal and a second voltage signal;

a DC biasing component, coupled to the AC coupling component, configured to bias the first voltage signal with a first DC voltage to provide a first DC biased voltage signal and to bias the second voltage signal with a second DC voltage to provide a second DC biased voltage signal; and

a high voltage output amplifier, coupled to the DC biasing component, configured to amplify the first DC biased voltage signal and the second DC biased voltage signal in the high voltage domain to provide the output signal in the high voltage domain.

2. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a low voltage input amplifier, coupled to the AC coupling component, configured to amplify the input signal in the low voltage domain.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the AC coupling component comprises:

a first capacitor; and

a second capacitor.

4. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the DC biasing component comprises:

a first resistor coupled to the first capacitor; and

a second resistor coupled to the second capacitor.

5. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the high voltage output amplifier comprises:

a first transistor coupled to the first capacitor; and

a second transistor coupled to the second capacitor.

6. The circuit of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first capacitor and the second capacitor are pre-charged to a predetermined voltage using one or more high-ohmic resistors.

8. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a DC bias generation circuit.

7. A voltage domain crossing circuit, comprising:

an AC coupling component configured to split an input signal into a first voltage signal and a second voltage signal;

a DC biasing component configured to bias the first voltage signal with a first DC voltage to provide a first DC biased voltage signal and to bias the second voltage signal with a second DC voltage to provide a second DC biased voltage signal, the DC biasing component including;

a first capacitor,

a second capacitor, at least one of the first capacitor and the second capacitor being pre-charged to a predetermined voltage using one or more high-ohmic resistors,

a first transistor coupled across the first resistor, and

a second transistor coupled across the second resistor; and

a high voltage output amplifier, coupled to the DC biasing component, configured to amplify the first DC biased voltage signal and the second DC biased voltage signal in a high voltage domain to provide an output signal in the high voltage domain.

9. A voltage domain crossing circuit, configured to provide an output signal in a high voltage domain based on an input signal from a low voltage domain, the low voltage domain having a lesser maximum operating voltage than the high voltage domain, comprising:

an AC coupling component, having a first capacitor and a second capacitor, configured to split the input signal from the low voltage domain into a first voltage signal and a second voltage signal;

a DC biasing component, having a first resistor coupled to the first capacitor and a second resistor coupled to the second capacitor, configured to bias the first voltage signal with a first DC voltage to provide a first DC biased voltage and the second voltage signal with a second DC voltage to provide a second DC biased voltage; and

a high voltage output amplifier, coupled to the DC biasing component, configured to amplify the first DC biased voltage signal and the second DC biased voltage signal in the high voltage domain to provide the output signal in the high voltage domain.

10. The circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

a low voltage input amplifier, coupled to the AC coupling component, configured to amplify the input signal in the low voltage domain.

11. The circuit of claim 9, wherein the high voltage output amplifier comprises:

a first transistor coupled to the first capacitor; and

a second transistor coupled to the second capacitor.

12. The circuit of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first capacitor and the second capacitor are pre-charged to a predetermined voltage using one or more high-ohmic resistors.

13. A voltage domain crossing circuit, comprising:

an AC coupling component, having a first capacitor and a second capacitor, configured to split an input signal from a low voltage domain into a first voltage signal and a second voltage signal;

a DC biasing component, having a first resistor coupled to the first capacitor and a second resistor coupled to the second capacitor, configured to bias the first voltage signal with a first DC voltage to provide a first DC biased voltage signal and the second voltage signal with a second DC voltage to provide a second DC biased voltage signal, the DC biasing component including;

a first transistor coupled across the first resistor; and

a second transistor coupled across the second resistor; and

a high voltage output amplifier, coupled to the DC biasing component, configured to amplify the first DC biased voltage signal and the second DC biased voltage signal in a high voltage domain to provide an output signal in the high voltage domain.

14. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the first transistor and the second transistor each comprise:

a diode connected transistor.

15. A voltage domain crossing circuit, comprising:

an AC coupling component configured to split an input signal from a low voltage domain into a first voltage signal and a second voltage signal;

a DC biasing component, coupled to the AC coupling component, configured to bias the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal using a predetermined bias voltage;

a DC bias generation component, coupled to the DC biasing component, configured to generate the predetermined bias voltage; and

a high voltage output amplifier, coupled to the DC biasing component, configured to amplify the first DC biased voltage signal and the second DC biased voltage signal in a high voltage domain, the high voltage domain having a greater maximum operating voltage than the low voltage domain, to provide an output signal in the high voltage domain.

16. The circuit of claim 15, further comprising:

a low voltage input amplifier, coupled to the AC coupling component, configured to amplify the input signal in the low voltage domain.

17. The circuit of claim 15, wherein the AC coupling component comprises:

a first capacitor and a second capacitor.

18. The circuit of claim 17, wherein the DC biasing component comprises:

a first resistor coupled to the first capacitor; and

a second resistor coupled to the second.

19. The circuit of claim 17, wherein the high voltage output amplifier comprises:

a first transistor coupled to the first capacitor; and

a second transistor coupled to the second capacitor.

20. The circuit of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first capacitor and the second capacitor are pre-charged to a predetermined voltage using one or more high-ohmic resistors.

22. The circuit of claim 15, wherein the DC bias generation component comprises:

diode connected transistors coupled to the DC biasing component.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

amplifying the input signal in the low voltage domain.

21. A voltage domain crossing circuit, comprising:

an AC coupling component, including a first capacitor and a second capacitor, configured to split an input signal into a first voltage signal and a second voltage signal;

a DC biasing component, coupled to the AC coupling component, configured to bias the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal using a predetermined bias voltage, the DC biasing component including;

a first resistor coupled to the first capacitor,

a second resistor coupled to the second,

a first transistor coupled across the first resistor, and

a second transistor coupled across the second resistor;

a DC bias generation component, coupled to the DC biasing component, configured to generate the predetermined bias voltage; and

a high voltage output amplifier, coupled to the DC biasing component, configured to amplify the first DC biased voltage signal and the second DC biased voltage signal in a high voltage domain to provide an output signal in the high voltage domain.

23. A method for transforming voltage domains signals, comprising:

AC coupling an input signal from a low voltage domain;

splitting the low voltage signal into a first voltage signal and a second voltage signal;

DC biasing the first voltage signal with a first DC voltage to provide a first DC biased voltage signal and the second voltage signal with a second DC voltage to provide a second DC biased voltage signal; and

amplifying the first DC biased voltage signal and the second DC biased voltage signal in a high voltage domain, the high voltage domain having a greater maximum operating voltage than the low voltage domain.