Patent · US Expired

Charge pump type of negative voltage generator circuit and method

US5841314A · kind A · utility

8Cited by
3References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 13, 1996
Grant dateNov 24, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 13, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG05F3/205
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Disclosed is a charge pump type of negative voltage generator circuit, constructed on a P type substrate and supplying a negative voltage at one output by the pumping of negative charges in n series-connected pumping cells, n being an integer, these pumping cells including P type transistors whose wells are connected to a node to be positively biased. This circuit includes a switching circuit for selectively supplying, at the node, a voltage for biasing of the wells that is greater than or equal to the potential present at the output so long as this potential is greater than a positive reference voltage, and provides a voltage of fixed value for biasing of the wells when the potential present at the output is smaller than the reference voltage. Thus, the appearance of latchup phenomena in the transistors of the pumping cells is prevented.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.