Series and parallel hybrid switched capacitor networks for IC power delivery

• US 9,318,952 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Oraw, Bradley S., Kamgaing, Telesphor
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Jue
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Lakaisha
• Application Number:
  US14/180,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20140159681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/008 Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps

Abstract

Series switches for power delivery. A regulator operated as a current source is arranged in parallel with a switched capacitor divider. A switched capacitor divider is configured in series with a plurality of linear regulators with each regulating one of a plurality of voltage outputs from the switched capacitor divider. In another embodiment, a series switch bridge has a first pair of switches connected in series with a second pair of switches across a voltage input, each switch within a pair of switches is switched in-phase with the other while the first pair of switches is switched out of phase with the second pair of switches. A balancing capacitor is coupled across one switch in both the first and second pair to be in parallel when either of the pair of switches is closed to reduce a charge imbalance between the switches.

Claims

1. A power delivery network comprising:

a first power delivery stage coupled to receive a first input voltage and to provide a first output voltage based on the first input voltage, the first power delivery stage comprising a first voltage regulator and a first switched capacitor converter coupled in parallel; and

a second power delivery stage coupled to receive the first output voltage and to provide a plurality of output voltages based on the first output voltage, the second power delivery stage comprising;

a second voltage regulator and a second switched capacitor converter coupled in parallel, and coupled to receive the first output voltage and to provide one of the plurality of output voltages based on the first output voltage, and

a third voltage regulator coupled to receive the first output voltage and to provide a second of the plurality of output voltages based on the first output voltage.

2. The power delivery network of claim 1, wherein:

the first switched capacitor converter and the second switched capacitor converter each comprise a divide-by-four switched capacitor divider (SCD).

3. The power delivery network of claim 1, wherein the first switched capacitor converter comprises a switched capacitor divider, the switched capacitor divider comprising:

a plurality of FETs coupled in series with one another across the first input voltage; and

a plurality of capacitors connected across the first input voltage and coupled with the plurality of FETs to divide the first input voltage and to provide the first output voltage, wherein the first output voltage is a fraction of the first input voltage.

4. The power delivery network of claim 1, wherein the first voltage regulator, the second voltage regulator, and the third voltage regulator each comprise a linear regulator.

5. The power delivery network of claim 1, wherein the first voltage regulator, the second voltage regulator, and the third voltage regulator each comprise a buck converter.

6. A power delivery network comprising:

a parallel hybrid converter stage coupled to receive a first input voltage and to provide a first output voltage based on the first input voltage, the parallel hybrid converter stage comprising a first voltage regulator and a first switched capacitor divider coupled in parallel;

a second parallel hybrid converter stage coupled to receive the first output voltage and to provide a second output voltage based on the first output voltage, the second parallel hybrid converter stage comprising a second voltage regulator and a second switched capacitor divider coupled in parallel;

a third voltage regulator coupled with the first output voltage and to provide a third output voltage; and

a fourth voltage regulator coupled with the first output voltage and to provide a fourth output voltage.

7. The power delivery network of claim 6, wherein:

the first switched capacitor divider and second switched capacitor divider each comprise a divide-by-four switched capacitor divider (SCD).

8. The power delivery network of claim 6, wherein the first switched capacitor divider comprises:

a plurality of FETs coupled in series with one another across the first input voltage; and

a plurality of capacitors connected across the first input voltage and coupled with the plurality of FETs to divide the first input voltage and to provide the first output voltage, wherein the first output voltage is a fraction of the first input voltage.

9. The power delivery network of claim 6, wherein the first voltage regulator, the second voltage regulator, the third voltage regulator, and the fourth voltage regulator each comprise a linear regulator.

10. The power delivery network of claim 6, wherein the first voltage regulator, the second voltage regulator, the third voltage regulator, and the fourth voltage regulator each comprise a buck converter.

11. A power delivery network comprising:

a parallel hybrid converter stage coupled to receive a first input voltage and to provide a first output voltage based on the first input voltage, the parallel hybrid converter stage comprising a first voltage regulator and a first switched capacitor divider coupled in parallel;

a second parallel hybrid converter stage coupled to receive the first output voltage and to provide a second output voltage based on the first output voltage, the second parallel hybrid converter stage comprising a second voltage regulator and a second switched capacitor divider coupled in parallel; and

a third parallel hybrid converter stage coupled to receive the first output voltage and to provide a third output voltage based on the first output voltage, the third parallel hybrid converter stage comprising a third voltage regulator and a third switched capacitor divider coupled in parallel.

12. The power delivery network of claim 11, wherein:

the first switched capacitor divider, the second switched capacitor divider, and the third switched capacitor divider each comprise a divide-by-four switched capacitor divider (SCD).

13. The power delivery network of claim 11, wherein the first switched capacitor divider comprises:

a plurality of FETs coupled in series across the first input voltage; and

a plurality of capacitors connected across the first input voltage and coupled with the plurality of FETs to divide the first input voltage and to provide the first output voltage, wherein the first output voltage is a fraction of the first input voltage.

14. The power delivery network of claim 11, wherein the first voltage regulator, the second voltage regulator, and the third voltage regulator comprise linear regulators.

15. The power delivery network of claim 11, wherein the first voltage regulator, the second voltage regulator, and the third voltage regulator comprise buck converters.