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US 6,501,325 B1Granted
Low voltage supply higher efficiency cross-coupled high voltage charge pumps
AssigneeCypress Semiconductor Corporation
InventorAnita Meng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus comprising a number of cross-coupled charge pump stages configured to generate an output voltage in response to (i) a supply voltage, (ii) a first signal, and (iii) a second signal, where the output voltage has a greater magnitude than the supply voltage.
Claims23
An apparatus comprising:
- a cross-coupled charge pump circuit configured to generate an output voltage in response to (i) a supply voltage, (ii) a first signal, and (iii) a second signal, wherein (A) said output voltage has a greater magnitude than said supply voltage and (B) said charge pump circuit comprises a plurality of directly serially connected charge pump stages comprising (a) first and second cross-coupled pump transistors each having a respective diode-connected transistor connected in parallel across a source and a drain and (b) a first bias transistor cross-coupled with a second bias transistor and said bias transistors are configured to bias wells of (i) said first and second pump transistors and (ii) said diode-connected transistors of an adjacent charge pump stage.
An apparatus for generating an output voltage having a greater magnitude than a supply voltage comprising:
- first means for pumping a first charge in response to a first signal, a second signal, and said supply voltage, wherein said first pumping means comprises a first pumping transistor having a drain and source connected in parallel with a first diode-connected transistor;
- second means for pumping a second charge in response to said first and second signals and said supply voltage, wherein said second pumping means comprises a second pumping transistor having a drain and source connected in parallel with a second diode-connected transistor;
- means for cross-coupling and directly serially connecting a plurality of said first and second charge pumping means;
- and
- means for cross-coupling a first bias transistor with a second bias transistor, wherein said bias transistors are configured to bias wells of (i) said first and second pump transistors and (ii) said diode-connected transistors of an adjacent charge pump stage.
2 more elements
A method for generating an output voltage having a greater magnitude than a supply voltage comprising the steps of:
- (A) generating a first output in response to (i) a first input and a second input and (ii) a first clock and a second clock, wherein said first generator comprises a first pumping transistor having a drain and source connected in parallel with a first diode-connected transistor;
- (B) generating a second output in response to (i) said first and second inputs and (ii) said first and a second clocks, wherein said second generator comprises a second pumping transistor having a drain and source connected in parallel with a second diode-connected transistor;
- (C) cross-coupling and directly serially connecting a plurality of said first and second output generators to generate said output voltage;
- and
- (D) cross-coupling a first bias transistor with a second bias transistor, wherein said bias transistors are configured to bias wells of (i) said first and second pump transistors and (ii) said diode-connected transistors of an adjacent charge pump stage.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a cross-coupled charge pump circuit configured to generate an output voltage in response to (i) a supply voltage, (ii) a first signal, and (iii) a second signal, wherein (a) said output voltage has a greater magnitude than said supply voltage and (b) said charge pump circuit comprises a plurality of serially connected charge pump stages (i) comprising first and second cross-coupled transistors, first and second switch circuits coupled to a respective gate of said first and second transistors and a first source/drain of each of said first and second transistors, and (ii) configured to control backflow between said charge pump stages.
An apparatus comprising:
- a cross-coupled charge pump circuit configured to generate an output voltage in response to (i) a supply voltage, (ii) a first signal, and (iii) a second signal, wherein (a) said output voltage has a greater magnitude than said supply voltage and (b) said charge pump circuit comprises a driver circuit (i) configured to present said output voltage and (ii) comprising a first driver transistor cross-coupled with a second driver transistor, a first isolation transistor cross-coupled with a second isolation transistor, and a first bias transistor cross-coupled with a second bias transistor, wherein said bias transistors are configured to bias wells of said driver and said isolation transistors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.