Switched capacitor charge sharing technique for integrated circuit devices enabling signal generation of disparate selected signal values
AssigneesUnited Memories, Inc., Sony Corporation
InventorsMichael C. Parris, Douglas B. Butler, Kim C. Hardee
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Abstract
A switched capacitor charge sharing technique for integrated circuit devices which allows for efficient charge sharing and signal level generation of exact desired values, and wherein the signal levels of the circuits sharing the charge do not have to have the same voltage levels. In a particular embodiment of the technique of the present invention disclosed herein, a switched capacitor is used to share charge between, for example, two different signals or two different groups of signals. The size of the capacitor can be adjusted to obtain the required signal level of the various signals.
Claims44
A charge sharing circuit for first and second pairs of complementary signal lines comprising:
- a capacitor coupled between first and second circuit nodes;
- a first input circuit having an output coupled to a first one of said first pair of complementary signal lines, said first input circuit being coupled between a supply voltage source and a second one of said first pairs of complementary signal lines;
- a second input circuit having an output coupled to said second one of said first pair of complementary signal lines, said first input circuit being coupled between said supply voltage source and said first circuit node;
- a first switching device for selectively coupling said first one of said first pair of complementary signal lines to said first circuit node;
- a third input circuit having an output coupled to a first one of said second pair of complementary signal lines, said third input circuit being coupled between a reference voltage level and a second one of said second pair of complementary signal lines;
- a fourth input circuit having an output coupled to said second one of said second pair of complementary signal lines, said fourth input circuit being coupled between said reference voltage level and said second circuit node;
- a first output circuit coupled to said first and second ones of said first pair of complementary signal lines and said second circuit node;
- a second output circuit coupled to said first and second ones of said second pair of complementary signal lines and said first circuit node;
- and
- a second switching device for selectively coupling said first one of said second pair of complementary signal lines to said second circuit node.
A charge sharing circuit for first and second pairs of complementary signal lines comprising:
- a capacitor coupled between first and second circuit nodes;
- a first circuit coupled between a supply voltage source and a reference voltage level and coupled to first ones of said first and second pairs of complementary signal lines and said first circuit node;
- a second circuit coupled between said supply voltage source and said reference voltage level and coupled to second ones of said first and second pairs of complementary signal lines and said second circuit node;
- a third circuit coupled between said first ones of said first and second pairs of complementary signal lines and to said second circuit node;
- and
- a fourth circuit coupled between said second ones of said first and second pairs of complementary signal lines and to said first circuit node.
A data read driver for an integrated circuit memory array comprising:
- a first transistor responsive to a data read signal for coupling a supply voltage to a local data read line;
- a second transistor responsive to a global clock signal for coupling a reference voltage level to a global data read line;
- and
- a charge sharing circuit coupled between said local data read line and said global data read line.
A charge sharing method comprising:
- providing a capacitor having first and second terminals thereof;
- firstly coupling a first signal line to said first terminal of said capacitor and coupling a second signal line to said second terminal of said capacitor;
- firstly decoupling said first and second signal lines from said first and second terminals of said capacitor respectively;
- secondly coupling said first signal line to said second terminal of said capacitor and coupling said second signal line to said first terminal of said capacitor;
- secondly decoupling said first and second signal lines from said second and first terminals of said capacitor respectively;
- and
- repeating said process of firstly coupling, firstly decoupling, secondly coupling and secondly decoupling.
A method for recycling charge between first and second signals comprising:
- providing a charge sharing circuit;
- and
- reusing current in said charge sharing circuit to drive said first signal from a first voltage level to a second voltage level and to drive said second signal from a third voltage level to a fourth voltage level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.