Rectifier circuit, and corresponding device and method

A device, including:

• a rectifier circuit, and
• at least one charge capacitor coupled to the output of said rectifier circuit for charging by a dc output voltage;
• wherein the rectifier circuit comprises:
• at least one rectifier cell including a first and a second branch extending in parallel between two opposed nodes,
• wherein the first branch includes a first pair of transistors arranged with cascaded current paths with a first intermediate point therebetween,
• wherein the second branch includes a second pair of transistors arranged with cascaded current paths with a second intermediate point therebetween,
• wherein each of the first and second pairs of transistors includes a first transistor with a control terminal coupled to one of said opposed nodes and a second transistor with a control terminal coupled to the other of said opposed nodes,
• wherein an ac differential input signal applied across said opposed nodes produces a dc output voltage across said first and second intermediate points,
• the rectifier circuit further including conduction control terminals active on bulks of said first and transistors to vary a transistor threshold voltage thereof, with said threshold voltage at a first value during forward conduction of said transistors and at a second value during reverse conduction of said transistors, respectively.

A method of operating a rectifier circuit, including at least one rectifier cell with a first and a second branch extending in parallel between two opposed nodes, wherein:

• the first branch includes a first pair of transistors of a first polarity arranged with cascaded current paths with a first intermediate point therebetween,
• the second branch includes a second pair of transistors of a second polarity arranged with cascaded current paths with a second intermediate point therebetween,
• each of said first and second pairs of transistors includes a first transistor with a control terminal coupled to one of said opposed nodes and a second transistor with a control terminal coupled to the other of said opposed nodes,
• the method including:
• applying an ac differential input signal across said opposed nodes to produce a dc output voltage across said first and second intermediate points,
• acting on the bulks of said transistors to vary the transistor threshold voltage by bringing said threshold voltage to a first value and to a second value during forward conduction and during reverse conduction of said transistors, respectively.

A rectifier circuit, comprising:

• a plurality of rectifier stages, wherein each rectifier stage comprises:
• a first node;
• a second node;
• a first pair of transistors of a first conductivity type having source-drain paths coupled in series between the first and second nodes, the first pair including a first transistor having a gate coupled to the second node and a second transistor having a gate coupled to the first node;
• and
• a second pair of transistors of a second conductivity type having source-drain paths coupled in series between the first and second nodes, the second pair including a third transistor having a gate coupled to the second node and a fourth transistor having a gate coupled to the first node;
• wherein bulk terminals of the first and third transistors are coupled to second nodes of other rectifier stages and wherein bulk terminals of the second and fourth transistors are coupled to first nodes of said other rectifier stages.