Voltage level shift circuits and methods
AssigneeDiodes Incorporated
InventorJin Wang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a charge pump circuit. The charge pump circuit comprises a plurality of terminals, a plurality of switches for selectively coupling the plurality of terminals, and a control circuit. A first input terminal receives a first reference voltage and a second input terminal receives a second reference voltage. First, second, third, and fourth flying capacitor terminals and the first and second input terminals are selectively coupled together in different configurations. The control circuit selects the switches to actuate according to a cycling of at least three phases of configuration. The cycling shifts the first and second reference voltages to provide dual power supply rails.
Claims16
An electrical circuit, comprising
- a first terminal for engaging a first reference voltage;
- a second terminal for engaging a second reference voltage, which is different from the first reference voltage;
- a first capacitor and a second capacitor;
- a plurality of switches operable to selectably connecting the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage to the first capacitor and the second capacitor;
- and
- a third capacitor having two terminals operable to be connected by the plurality of switches to the first capacitor and the second capacitor to generate at one of the two terminals a voltage outside the voltage range between the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage and at the other one of the two terminals a voltage inside the voltage range between and not including the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage.
A integrated circuit chip, comprising:
- a plurality of switches selectably operable to urge on a first capacitor and a second capacitor a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage, which is at a different voltage from the first reference voltage, such that a fraction of the voltage difference is maintained across the first capacitor and across the second capacitor;
- and
- the plurality of switches selectably operable to connect a third capacitor having two terminals to the first capacitor and the second capacitor to yield a voltage at one of the two terminals outside the voltage range between the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage, and a voltage at the other terminal of the two terminals inside the voltage range between but not including the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.