# US 11,115,033 B1 · Speed-up charge pump and phase-locked loop and method for operating the same

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- Number: US 11,115,033 B1
- Document ID: US11115033B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 17/065,414
- Filed: 2020-10-07
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2020-09-09
- Assignees: United Microelectronics Corp.
- Applicants: United Microelectronics Corp.
- Inventors: Kun-Yuan Wu; Wei-Jen Wang; Chien-Fu Chen; Cheng-Yang Tsai; Ruei-Yau Chen; Yu-Lin Chen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115033B1

## CPC

- H03L 7/0895: {Details of the current generators (H03L7/0893 takes precedence)}
- H03L 7/089: the phase or frequency detector generating up-down pulses (H03L7/087 takes precedence)
- H03L 7/099: concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop
- H03L: AUTOMATIC CONTROL, STARTING, SYNCHRONISATION OR STABILISATION OF GENERATORS OF ELECTRONIC OSCILLATIONS OR PULSES (generation of oscillations H03B)

## Abstract

A speed-up charge pump includes a first charge pump for receiving an up signal and a down signal in digital form to produce a first voltage control signal at an output node. Further, at least one speed-up phase detector includes a first circuit path to receive the up signal and delay the up signal by a predetermined delay as a delay up signal and operate the up signal and the delay up signal by AND logic into an auxiliary up signal; and a second circuit path to receive the down signal and delay the down signal by the predetermined delay as a delay down signal and operate the down signal and the delay down signal by AND logic into an auxiliary down signal. A second charge pump is respectively receiving the auxiliary up and down signals to produce a second voltage control signal also at the output node.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic circuit, comprising:
a speed-up charge pump, comprising:
a first charge pump, receiving an up signal and a down signal in digital form to produce a first voltage control signal at an output node;
at least one speed-up phase detector, comprising:
a first circuit path to receive the up signal and delay the up signal by a predetermined delay as a delay up signal and operate the up signal and the delay up signal by AND logic into an auxiliary up signal unrelated to the down signal; and
a second circuit path to receive the down signal and delay the down signal by the predetermined delay as a delay down signal and operate the down signal and the delay down signal by AND logic into an auxiliary down signal unrelated to the up signal; and
at least one second charge pump, respectively receiving the auxiliary up and down signals to produce a second voltage control signal also at the output node.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic circuit of claim 1, wherein a quantity of the at least one speed-up phase detector is one with the predetermined delay and a quantity of the at least one second charge pump is one.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic circuit of claim 1, wherein a quantity of the at least one speed-up phase detector is plural with a plurality of the predetermined delays and a quantity of the at least one second charge pump is plural corresponding to the quantity of the at least one speed-up phase detector.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic circuit of claim 1, wherein the first charge pump includes:
a first inverter, to receive the up signal;
a first transistor pair, to receive the down signal; and
a first power source string, between a ground voltage and a system voltage, under control by outputs from the first inverter and the first transistor pair to provide the first voltage control signal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The electronic circuit of claim 4, wherein the second charge pump includes:
a second inverter, to receive the auxiliary up signal;
a second transistor pair, to receive the auxiliary down signal; and
a second power source string, between the ground voltage and the system voltage, under control by outputs from the second inverter and the second transistor pair to provide the second voltage control signal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electronic circuit of claim 1, wherein the first voltage control signal and the second voltage control signal at the output node are used to control a voltage control oscillator to produce a frequency pulse signal.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The electronic circuit of claim 1, in each of the speed-up phase detector,
the first circuit path comprising:
a first delay circuit with the predetermined delay, receiving the up signal and outputting the delay up signal; and
a first AND logic gate, receiving the up signal and the delay up signal and outputting the auxiliary up signal, and
the second circuit path comprising:
a second delay circuit with the predetermined delay, receiving the down signal and outputting the delay down signal; and
a second AND logic gate, receiving the down signal and the delay down signal and outputting the auxiliary down signal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The electronic circuit of claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit is serving as a phase-locked loop, the electronic circuit further comprising:
a phase frequency detector, receiving a reference signal with a reference frequency and a feedback signal, and outputting the up signal and the down signal as received by the speed-up charge pump;
a low-pass filter, filtering the first and second voltage control signals at the output node;
a voltage control oscillator, receiving a voltage output of the low-pass filter to generate a frequency signal; and
a frequency divider, receiving the frequency signal to dividing in frequency by a factor N, being integer and greater than 0,
wherein an output of the frequency divider as the feedback signal is received by the phase frequency detector.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The phase-locked loop of claim 8, wherein the at least one speed-up phase detector is single with the predetermined delay and the at least one second charge pump is single.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The phase-locked loop of claim 8, wherein the at least one speed-up phase detector is plurality with a plurality of the predetermined delays and the at least one second charge pump is plurality corresponding to a quantity of the at least one speed-up phase detector.

### Claim 11

A method for operating an electronic circuit, comprising:
providing a speed-up charge pump, comprising:
providing a first charge pump, receiving an up signal and a down signal in digital form to produce a first voltage control signal at an output node;
providing at least one speed-up phase detector, comprising:
providing a first circuit path to receive the up signal and delay the up signal by a predetermined delay as a delay up signal and operate the up signal and the delay up signal by AND logic into an auxiliary up signal unrelated to the down signal; and
providing a second circuit path to receive the down signal and delay the down signal by the predetermined delay as a delay down signal and operate the down signal and the delay down signal by AND logic into an auxiliary down signal unrelated to the up signal; and
providing at least one second charge pump, respectively receiving the auxiliary up and down signals to produce a second voltage control signal also at the output node.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein a quantity of the at least one speed-up phase detector as provided is one with the predetermined delay and a quantity of the at least one second charge pump is one.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein a quantity of the at least one speed-up phase detector as provided is plural with a plurality of the predetermined delays and a quantity of the at least one second charge pump is plural corresponding to the quantity of the at least one speed-up phase detector.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the first charge pump as provided includes:
a first inverter, to receive the up signal;
a first transistor pair, to receive the down signal; and
a first power source string, between a ground voltage and a system voltage, under control by outputs from the first inverter and the first transistor pair to provide the first voltage control signal.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the second charge pump as provided includes:
a second inverter, to receive the auxiliary up signal;
a second transistor pair, to receive the auxiliary down signal; and
a second power source string, between the ground voltage and the system voltage, under control by outputs from the second inverter and the second transistor pair to provide the second voltage control signal.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the first voltage control signal and the second voltage control signal at the output node is used to control a voltage control oscillator to produce a frequency pulse signal.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, in each of the speed-up phase detector as provided,
the first circuit path comprising:
a first delay circuit with the predetermined delay, receiving the up signal and outputting the delay up signal; and
a first AND logic gate, receiving the up signal and the delay up signal and outputting the auxiliary up signal, and
the second circuit path comprising:
a second delay circuit with the predetermined delay, receiving the down signal and outputting the delay down signal; and
a second AND logic gate, receiving the down signal and the delay down signal and outputting the auxiliary down signal.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic circuit as provided is serving as a phase-locked loop, the method further comprising:
providing a phase frequency detector, receiving a reference signal with a reference frequency and a feedback signal, and outputting the up signal and the down signal as received by the speed-up charge pump;
providing a low-pass filter, filtering the first and second voltage control signals at the output node;
providing a voltage control oscillator, receiving a voltage output of the low-pass filter to generate a frequency signal; and
providing a frequency divider, receiving the frequency signal to dividing a frequency by a factor N, being integer and greater than 0,
wherein an output of the frequency divider as the feedback signal is received by the phase frequency detector.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one speed-up phase detector as provided is single with the predetermined delay and the at least one second charge pump is single.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one speed-up phase detector as provided is plurality with a plurality of the predetermined delays and the at least one second charge pump is plurality corresponding to a quantity of the at least one speed-up phase detector.