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US 6,151,229 AGranted
Charge pump with gated pumped output diode at intermediate stage
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorsMase J. Taub, Xin Liu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A reconfigurable charge pump is disclosed. A gated pumped output diode is coupled between the outputs of an intermediate pump stage and a final pump stage of the reconfigurable charge pump. When a control signal is in a first state, the gated pumped output diode is placed in a non-conducting state to prevent back conduction of current from the output of the final pump stage to the intermediate pump stage. When the control signal is in a second state, the gated pumped output diode is placed in a transparent state to conduct current from the output of the intermediate pump stage to an output of the reconfigurable charge pump.
Claims21
A reconfigurable charge pump comprising:
- a plurality of pump stages including an intermediate pump stage and a final pump stage, the intermediate pump stage and the final pump stage having respective outputs;
- and
- a sated pumped output diode coupled between the output of the intermediate pump stage and the output of the final pump stage, wherein the gated pumped output diode is transparent to the output of the charge pump.
A method of operating a charge pump comprising:
- developing a first output voltage in a first plurality of pump stages of the charge pump;
- coupling the first output voltage to an output of the charge pump through a first gated pumped output diode, wherein the first gated pumped output diode is transparent to the output of the charge pump;
- reconfiguring the charge pump to develop a second output voltage in response to a control signal by coupling at least one additional pump stage and a second pumped output diode between the first plurality of pump stages and the output of the charge pump;
- and
- disabling a first clock signal used to clock the first gated pumped output diode in response to the control signal to prevent back conduction of current through the first gated pumped output diode.
2 more elements
A reconfigurable charge pump comprising:
- a first plurality of pump stages to develop a first output voltage;
- a first gated pumped output diode to couple the first output voltage from the first plurality of pump stages to an output of the charge pump, wherein the first gated pumped output diode is transparent to the output of the charge pump;
- at least one additional pump stage coupled to receive the first output voltage from the first plurality of pump stages via a stage coupling transistor, the at least one additional pump stage being configured to develop a second output voltage when the stage coupling transistor is in a conducting state;
- a second pumped output diode to couple the second output voltage from the at least one additional pump stage to the output of the charge pump;
- and
- a control signal path coupled to the stage coupling transistor and to the first gated pumped output diode, the control signal path being configured to deliver a control signal to place the stage coupling transistor in the conducting state and to disable the first gated pumped output diode from back conducting current to the first plurality of pump stages.
3 more elements
A reconfigurable charge pump comprising:
- first voltage developing means for developing a first output voltage;
- a first coupling means for coupling the first output voltage from the first voltage developing means to an output means of the charge pump, wherein the first coupling means is transparent to the output of the charge pump;
- second voltage developing means for receiving the first output voltage from the first voltage developing means via a switching means, the second voltage developing means being configured to develop a second output voltage when the switching means is in a conducting state;
- a second coupling means for coupling the second output voltage from the second voltage developing means to the output means of the charge pump;
- and
- a control means for delivering a control signal to place the switching means in the conducting state and to disable the first coupling means from back conducting current to the first voltage developing means.
3 more elements
A reconfigurable charge pump comprising:
- a clock signal generator to generate a plurality of clock signals;
- a first plurality of pump stages coupled to one another and to the plurality of clock signals to generate a first output voltage;
- a first pumped output diode coupled between a final pump stage of the first plurality of pump stages and an output of the charge pump, the first pumped output diode further being coupled to receive a first clock signal of the plurality of clock signals, the first pumped output diode being configured to couple a voltage output from the final pump stage to the output of the charge pump in response to a pulse of the first clock signal;
- at least one additional pump stage coupled to the final pump stage via a switching transistor;
- a second pumped output diode coupled between the at least one additional pump stage and the output of the charge pump;
- and
- a signal path coupled to deliver a control signal to the switching transistor and to the first pumped output diode, the control signal placing the switching transistor in a conducting state and disabling the first clock signal coupled to the first pumped output diode when in a first state.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.