Elementary cell and charge pumps comprising such an elementary cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10910945-B2
Application number	US-201916402905-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2019
Priority date	Jun 4, 2018
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

The elementary pumping cell comprises an input (E) receiving an input voltage (Vin), a clock terminal (H) receiving a first clock signal (CK 1 ) and an output (S), a first capacitor (C 1 ) having a first terminal connected to the clock terminal and a second terminal, a first transistor (A 1 ) having a first source/drain terminal coupled to the input, a second source/drain terminal and a gate terminal, a second transistor (A 2 ) having a first source/drain terminal, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the input and a gate terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first capacitor, a third transistor (A 3 ) having a first source/drain terminal coupled to the first source/drain terminal of the second transistor, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the gate terminal of the second transistor and a gate terminal coupled to the input, and a fourth transistor (A 4 ) having a first source/drain terminal coupled to the second source/drain terminal of the first transistor, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the first source/drain terminal of the second and third transistors and a gate terminal coupled to the input. The gate terminal of the first transistor is coupled to the gate terminal of the second transistor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An Elementary pumping cell comprising:
an input terminal arranged to receive an input voltage, a clock terminal arranged to receive a first clock signal and an output terminal;
a first capacitor comprising a first terminal connected to the clock terminal and a second terminal;
a first transistor comprising a first source/drain terminal coupled to the input terminal, a second source/drain terminal and a gate terminal;
a second transistor comprising a first source/drain terminal coupled to the output terminal of the elementary cell, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the input terminal and a gate terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first capacitor;
a third transistor comprising a first source/drain terminal coupled to the first source/drain terminal of the second transistor, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the gate terminal of the second transistor and a gate terminal coupled to the input terminal; and
a fourth transistor comprising a first source/drain terminal coupled to the second source/drain terminal of the first transistor, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the first source/drain terminal of the second and third transistors and a gate terminal coupled to the input terminal,
wherein the gate terminal of the first transistor is directly coupled to the gate terminal of the second transistor.

2. The Elementary cell according to claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth transistors each comprise a well terminal, said well terminals being coupled together at the second source/drain terminal of the first transistor.

3. The Elementary cell according to claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth transistors are transistors of the same type and preferably of PMOS type.

4. A Charge pump half-cell comprising:
an elementary cell according to claim 1 , comprising a clock terminal intended to receive a first clock signal and an output terminal;
a second capacitor comprising a first terminal intended to receive a second clock signal and a second terminal;
a third capacitor comprising a first terminal intended to receive a third clock signal and a second terminal coupled to the output terminal of the elementary cell; and
a fifth transistor comprising a first source/drain terminal coupled to an output terminal of the CP half-cell, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the output terminal of the elementary cell and a gate terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second capacitor.

5. A Dickson-type charge pump, comprising:
a first elementary cell and a second elementary cell produced according to claim 1 , each elementary cell comprising an input terminal, a clock terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal of the second elementary cell being coupled to the output terminal of the first elementary cell;
a fourth capacitor comprising a first terminal intended to receive a fourth clock signal and a second terminal coupled to the output terminal of the first elementary cell; and
a fifth capacitor comprising a first terminal intended to receive a fifth clock signal and a second terminal coupled to the output terminal of the second elementary cell.

6. A Cross-coupled-type charge pump, comprising:
a first elementary cell and a second elementary cell produced according to claim 1 , each elementary cell comprising an input terminal, a clock terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal of the second elementary cell being coupled to the input terminal of the first elementary cell, the clock terminal of the first elementary cell being intended to receive a first clock signal and the clock terminal of the second elementary cell being intended to receive a second clock signal;
a sixth capacitor comprising a first terminal intended to receive a sixth clock signal and a second terminal coupled to the output terminal of the second elementary cell;
a seventh capacitor comprising a first terminal intended to receive a seventh clock signal and a second terminal coupled to the output terminal of the first elementary cell;
a sixth transistor comprising a first source/drain terminal coupled to an output terminal of the cross-coupled-type charge pump, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the output terminal of the first elementary cell and a gate terminal coupled to the second terminal of the sixth capacitor; and
a seventh transistor comprising a first source/drain terminal coupled to the output terminal of the cross-coupled-type charge pump, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the output terminal of the second elementary cell and a gate terminal coupled to the second terminal of the seventh capacitor.

Assignees

• Em Microelectronic Marin Sa

Inventors

• Coustans Mathieu
• Plavec Lubomir
• Dellea Mario

Classifications

• H02M3/07 Primary

  using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode {, e.g. charge pumps} · CPC title

• G11C5/145 Primary

  Applications of charge pumps; Boosted voltage circuits; Clamp circuits therefor (G11C5/141 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02M3/075

  including a plurality of stages and two sets of clock signals, one set for the odd and one set for the even numbered stages · CPC title

• H03G1/00

  Details of arrangements for controlling amplification · CPC title

• H02M3/073 Primary

  Charge pumps of the Schenkel-type · CPC title