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US 6,288,951 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for continuously regulating a charge pump output voltage using a capacitor divider
AssigneeAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.
InventorsPau-Ling Chen, Binh Quang Le
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A non-volatile memory and method for continuously regulating an output of a charge pump of the non-volatile memory for long periods of time at a target output voltage.
Claims18
A method for continuously regulating an output voltage of a charge pump of a non-volatile memory to a target voltage wherein said non-volatile memory comprises a regulator comprising a first regulator sub-circuit and a second regulator sub-circuit, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) regulating said output voltage to said target voltage with said first regulator sub-circuit in conjunction with a single reference voltage for a first period of time;
- (b) disabling said first regulator sub-circuit for a second period of time at the end of said first period of time;
- and
- (c) regulating said output voltage to said target voltage, at the end of said second period of time, with said second regulator sub-circuit in conjunction with said reference voltage for a third period of time while said first regulator sub-circuit is disabled.
1 more element
A non-volatile memory comprising:
- a charge pump;
- and
- a regulator comprising a first regulator sub-circuit, and a second regulator sub-circuit, at least one of said first and second regulator sub-circuits comprising a capacitor divider network, wherein said first regulator sub-circuit regulates an output voltage of said charge pump at a target output voltage while said second regulator sub-circuit is disabled, said second regulator regulates said output voltage at said target output voltage while said first regulator sub-circuit is disabled, and said capacitor divider network of at least one of said first and second regulator sub-circuits is discharged while its respective regulator sub-circuit is disabled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.