Method for increasing the input voltage of an integrated circuit with a two-stage charge pump, and integrated circuit
US6933768B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 20, 2003 |
| Grant date | Aug 23, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 20, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02M3/07
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Integrated circuits with charge pumps are frequently used for supplying integrated circuits, in particular memory circuits, with energy. When the input voltages are low, at about 2V or less, the required operating voltage may be less than the required 2.5V or 3.3V. In that case it is no longer ensured that the integrated circuit will operate reliably. A two-stage charge pump is thus provided, in which the second stage is connected with its capacitor in parallel with the first stage. The parallel circuit allows the ratio of the two capacitances to be determined largely freely as a function of predetermined parameters, such as the current, the voltage and the required area. Furthermore, this also has the advantage over a series circuit that, when the two capacitances are connected in parallel, they are added linearly, so that the capacitance size can be defined largely independently and freely.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.