Charge pump systems and methods
US8232833B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 23, 2007 |
| Grant date | Jul 31, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 5, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02M1/322
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Digital multilevel memory systems and methods include a charge pump for generating regulated high voltages for various memory operations. The charge pump may include a plurality of pump stages. Aspects of exemplary systems may include charge pumps that performs orderly charging and discharging at low voltage operation conditions. Additional aspects may include features that enable state by state pumping, for example, circuitry that avoids cascaded short circuits among pump stages. Each pump stage may also include circuitry that discharges its nodes, such as via self-discharge through associated pump interconnection(s). Further aspects may also include features that: assist power-up in the various pump stages, double voltage, shift high voltage levels, provide anti-parallel circuit configurations, and/or enable buffering or precharging features, such as self-buffering and self-precharging circuitry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.