Patent · US Expired

Voltage boosting circuit for generating boosted voltage phases

US6064594A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
3References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 26, 1999
Grant dateMay 16, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 26, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C5/145
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A voltage boosting circuit for use in an integrated circuit having at least four driving voltage phases that include first and second voltage phases with amplitudes substantially equal to the supply voltage, and first and second boosted voltage phases. The voltage boosting circuit includes an input that receives the first or second voltage phase, an output that supplies the first or second boosted voltage phase, and a charge node that is coupled to the input. Additionally, a supply voltage precharge circuit precharges the charge node, and an additional transistor is connected between the supply voltage and the charge node. The additional transistor is driven by a voltage with a greater amplitude than the supply voltage so that the charge node is precharged up to the supply voltage and the first or second boosted voltage phase that is output by the voltage boosting circuit reaches an amplitude equal to substantially twice the supply voltage. In one preferred embodiment, the additional transistor is an N-channel transistor, the voltage that drives the additional transistor is the second boosted voltage phase, and the first boosted voltage phase is supplied at the output of the voltag…

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