Electronic device with a charge recycling mechanism
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorMichele Piccardi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic device includes: a clock booster circuit configured to store charges on doubler capacitors therein, wherein each doubler capacitor is connected to a corresponding clock signal; secondary booster circuit including booster capacitors that are each coupled to one of the doubler capacitors, the secondary booster circuit configured to provide one or more stage outputs based on boosting the charges stored on the doubler capacitors; and connecting switches that each connect one of the doubler capacitors to one of the booster capacitors during recycling durations, wherein the recycling duration occurs after generating the one or more stage outputs; wherein the clock signals correspond to a state during the recycling duration.
Claims20
An electronic device, comprising:
- a clock booster circuit configured to store charges on doubler capacitors therein, wherein each doubler capacitor is connected to a corresponding clock signal;
- a secondary booster circuit including booster capacitors that are each coupled to one of the doubler capacitors, the secondary booster circuit configured to provide one or more stage outputs based on boosting the charges stored on the doubler capacitors;
- and
- connecting switches that each connect one of the doubler capacitors to one of the booster capacitors during recycling durations, wherein the recycling duration occurs after generating the one or more stage outputs;
- wherein the clock signals correspond to a state during the recycling duration.
A method of operating an electronic device including a clock doubler circuit including doubler capacitors and a secondary booster circuit, comprising:
- setting clock signals to low states during a recycling duration, wherein the clock signals are each configured to charge a corresponding doubler capacitor within the clock doubler circuit;
- closing one or more connecting switches to electrically connect the clock doubler circuit to the secondary booster circuit during the recycling duration;
- and
- providing a recycled charge from the secondary booster circuit to one or more of the doubler capacitors through the closed one or more connecting switches during the recycling duration.
A method of operating a charge pump, comprising:
- precharging doubler capacitors to store boosted intermediate voltages using complementary clock signals;
- providing pump outputs at corresponding booster capacitors based on the boosted intermediate voltages;
- providing recycled charges from the booster capacitors to the doubler capacitors after generating the pump outputs, wherein:
- the recycled charges are received at the doubler capacitors, and
- providing the recycled charges includes driving the complementary clock signals low;
- and
- discharging remaining charges from the booster capacitors to electrical ground after providing the recycled charge.
An electronic device, comprising:
- a first charge pump circuit and a second charge pump circuit configured to generate outputs greater than a supply voltage, wherein:
- the first and second charge pump circuits are complementary;
- and
- the first and second charge pump circuits each include:
- a first stage circuit including a master circuit configured to operate a slave circuit to precharge a first stage capacitor therein;
- a second stage circuit coupled to the slave circuit to generate one of the outputs using a second stage capacitor therein based on boosting precharged voltage levels at the first stage capacitor;
- and
- providing charges on the second stage capacitor to the first stage capacitor after generating the one of the outputs;
- and
- wherein:
- the first stage circuit is configured to precharge the first stage capacitor having a voltage potential above electrical ground based on the charges provided from the second stage capacitor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.