US20010022735A1 - High-efficiency bidirectional voltage boosting device - Google Patents
High-efficiency bidirectional voltage boosting device Download PDFInfo
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- US20010022735A1 US20010022735A1 US09/788,623 US78862301A US2001022735A1 US 20010022735 A1 US20010022735 A1 US 20010022735A1 US 78862301 A US78862301 A US 78862301A US 2001022735 A1 US2001022735 A1 US 2001022735A1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
- H02M3/00—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output
- H02M3/02—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac
- H02M3/04—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters
- H02M3/06—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using resistors or capacitors, e.g. potential divider
- H02M3/07—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using resistors or capacitors, e.g. potential divider using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode, e.g. charge pumps
- H02M3/073—Charge pumps of the Schenkel-type
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a high-efficient bidirectional voltage boosting device.
- Both positive and negative charge pump architectures are known, including a certain number of stages, each comprising a (high-value) boosting capacity, and a switch which is closed or opened in counterphase with the adjacent stage. Charge is transferred from one stage to another (towards the output for positive pumps, towards the supply stage for negative pumps), as controlled by complementary phase signals.
- the switch is formed by diodes (for example MOS transistors, which have gate and drain terminals connected to one another), or by MOS transistors.
- V OUT ( N+ 1) ( V DD ) ⁇ NV T ,
- V T is the threshold voltage of the diodes.
- V OUT ( N+ 1) ( V DD ⁇ V T ).
- the solution which uses NMOS transistors is intended to solve the above-described problem, and requires the use of four phase signals, i.e., two driving signals for the high capacities, and two driving signals for the switches.
- MOS transistors also have threshold voltage problems, and in addition the dependence of the threshold voltage on the source-body voltage drop (the so-called body effect) is detrimental in terms of conductivity of the switches, particularly at high voltages, and thus in particular for the stages that are closest to the output.
- the biasing of the wells takes place through a divider, which, in a specific manner to each well, can generate biasing voltages comprised between ground and the output voltage V OUT of the charge pump, and can therefore meet the following two requirements:
- the well of the NMOS transistor that operates as a switch must be biased to a voltage value that is no higher than the minimum potential present at the drain or source terminals, in order to prevent direct biasing of the bulk-source and bulk-drain junctions.
- the body well of the NMOS transistor that operates as a switch may not be biased to a voltage value that is excessively low, such as to reduce the body effect as far as possible, and therefore maintain adequate conductivity of the NMOS transistor, even at high voltages.
- a two-phase bidirectional charge pump which uses diodes as switches, as described for example in EP-A-0 822 556.
- the input stage is provided with a first switch that, when operating as a positive charge pump, connects the input of the pump to the supply line, and otherwise is open; in addition, the output is provided with a second switch, which, when operating as a negative charge pump, connects the output to ground, and otherwise is open.
- the object of the present invention is to provide a bidirectional voltage boosting device that uses NMOS transistors as switches, such as to obtain the above-described advantages relative to this solution.
- a bidirectional voltage boosting device including a phase generator stage generating phase signals, a charge pump circuit having an input and an output with phase inputs receiving the phase signals, the charge pump circuit having a plurality of voltage boosting stages cascade connected between the input and the output, each voltage boosted stage defining a first and a second transfer node connected to a respective adjacent voltage boosting stage.
- Each voltage boosting stage includes a storage capacitor with a first and a second terminal, the first terminal of the storage capacitor receiving a first one of the phase signals, the second terminal of the storage capacitor being connected to the second transfer node; a switch element formed by an NMOS transistor having a first and a second conduction terminal and a control terminal, the first and second conduction terminals connected respectively to the first transfer node and to the second transfer node; a voltage boosting capacitor having a first terminal receiving a second one of the phase signals, and a second terminal connected to the control terminal of the switch element; a first precharge circuit connected between the first transfer node and the control terminal of the switch element to control charge transfer from the first node to the second node, the first precharge circuit having an activation terminal receiving a first activation signal; and a second precharge circuit connected between the second transfer node and the control terminal of the switch element to control charge transfer from the second transfer node to the first transfer node, the second precharge circuit having an activation terminal receiving a second activation signal.
- a voltage boosting circuit includes a plurality of voltage boosting stages connected in cascade, each voltage boosting stage connected to adjacent stages by first and second transfer nodes.
- Each voltage boosting stage includes a switch element with a first terminal coupled to the first transfer node, a second terminal coupled to the second transfer node, and a control terminal; a first precharge circuit having a first terminal coupled to a first transfer node, a second terminal coupled to a control terminal of the switch element, and a control terminal coupled to a first activation signal source, the first precharge circuit configured to control charge transfer from the first transfer node to the second transfer node; and a second precharge circuit comprising a first terminal coupled to the second transfer node, a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the switch element, and a control terminal coupled to a second activation signal source, the second precharge circuit configured to control charge transfer from the second transfer node to the first transfer node.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a voltage boosting device according to the invention
- FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified circuit diagram of a circuit in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 shows the equivalent circuit to FIG. 2, when operating as a positive voltage boosting device
- FIG. 4 shows the plot of the phase signals used by the circuit in FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 shows the equivalent circuit to FIG. 2, when operating as a negative voltage boosting device
- FIG. 6 shows the plot of the phase signals used by the circuit in FIG. 5;
- FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the plots respectively of the output voltage and the input current of the circuit of FIG. 5, in a first operation condition
- FIG. 9 shows the plot of the output voltage of the circuit of FIG. 5, in a second operation condition
- FIG. 10 shows a cross-section through a silicon chip, incorporating a detail of the circuit diagram of FIG. 2;
- FIGS. 11 and 12 show simplified circuit diagrams of circuits used in the charge pump device of FIG. 1.
- a bidirectional voltage boosting device 1 having a charge pump circuit 2 , a phase generator stage 3 , and a level translator 4 .
- the charge pump circuit 2 has an input 2 a , receiving an input voltage V IN and an output 2 b , supplying an output voltage V OUT .
- the input 2 a of the charge pump circuit 2 is connected selectively to a supply line 7 , set to a supply voltage V DD (for example 3 V) or to ground, via a selector 8 controlled by a control signal K.
- the charge pump circuit 2 is formed by a plurality N of voltage boosting stages 10 , which are cascade-connected between the input 2 a and the output 2 b of the charge pump circuit 2 , and each receive two of four phase signals A, B, C and D supplied by the phase-generator stage 3 ; in detail, the odd voltage boosting stages 10 receive the phase signals A, B, and the even voltage boosting stages 10 receive the phase signals C, D.
- the phase-generator stage 3 is a logic circuit of a generally known type, with a first input 3 a which receives a clock signal CK, a second input 3 b which receives a logic signal LREV, indicative of the required functioning state (positive or negative) of the voltage boosting device 1 , and four outputs, which supply the phase signals A, B, C, D.
- the phase signals A, B, C, D are logic signals which switch between V DD and 0 V, and the behavior of which depends on the required functioning condition, as described in detail hereinafter.
- the logic signal LREV is supplied from the outside, for example by a nonvolatile memory (not shown), which incorporates the voltage boosting device 1 , on the basis of the required functioning.
- the level translator 4 is connected between the output 2 b of the charge pump circuit 2 and ground, and has a signal input which receives the logic signal LREV, and two outputs, which supply first and second high-voltage signals REV and REVN, opposite to each other, the high or low value of which is determined by the high or low level of the logic signal LREV.
- the logic signal LREV when the charge pump circuit 2 must operate as a positive voltage boosting device, the logic signal LREV has a first logic value (for example high), the first high-voltage signal REV is set to 0 V, and the second high-voltage signal REVN is equal to the output voltage V OUT ; when the charge pump circuit 2 must operate as a negative voltage boosting device, the logic signal LREV has a second logic value (for example low), the first high-voltage signal REV is equal to the output voltage V OUT , and the second high-voltage signal REVN is set to 0 V.
- the logic signal LREV when the charge pump circuit 2 must operate as a positive voltage boosting device, the logic signal LREV has a first logic value (for example high), the first high-voltage signal REV is set to 0 V, and the second high-voltage signal REVN is equal to the output voltage V OUT ;
- the first and second high-voltage signals REV and REVN are supplied to a first and a second input terminal 27 and 28 of the charge pump circuit 2 .
- the output 2 b of the charge pump circuit 2 is connected to a load capacitor 12 .
- FIG. 2 shows two voltage boosting stages of the charge pump circuit 2 , indicated respectively at 10 j and 10 j+ 1 , which have a same structure, but receive different phase signals, as previously described.
- 10 j and 10 j+ 1 have a same structure, but receive different phase signals, as previously described.
- the voltage boosting stage 10 j will be described, the components of which are identified by a reference number and by the letter j; the voltage boosting stage 10 j+ 1 has identical components, which are identified by the same reference number and by j+1.
- the voltage boosting stage 10 j comprises a storage capacitor 14 j ; a charge transfer transistor 15 j ; a boost capacitor 16 j ; a first and a second precharge transistor 20 j and 22 j ; and a first and a second inverter 21 j , 23 j.
- the storage capacitor 14 j has a first terminal connected to a charge transfer node 30 j , and a second terminal which receives the phase signal D.
- the charge transfer transistor 15 j is connected between the charge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j , and a charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1 of a voltage boosting stage 10 j ⁇ 1, connected to the left of the voltage boosting stage 10 j , and has a gate terminal connected to a precharge node 25 j .
- the charge transfer transistor 15 j is formed in triple well, as shown in FIG. 7, and has a bulk terminal Bj biased accordingly, as described hereinafter.
- the boost capacitor 16 j has a first terminal connected to the precharge node 25 j , and a second terminal which receives the phase signal C.
- the first precharge transistor 20 j is connected between the charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j ⁇ 1 and the precharge node 25 j , and has a gate terminal connected to the output of the first inverter 21 j ; in turn, the latter has a signal input connected to the first input terminal 27 of the charge pump circuit 2 and receives the first high-voltage signal REV.
- the first inverter 21 j further has a supply input connected to the charge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j.
- the second precharge transistor 22 j is connected between the charge transfer node 30 j and the precharge node 25 j , and has a gate terminal connected to the output of the second inverter 23 j ; in turn, the latter has a signal input connected to the second input terminal 28 of the charge pump circuit 2 , and receives the second high-voltage signal REVN. Furthermore, the second inverter 23 j has a supply input connected to the charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1.
- the voltage boosting stage 10 j+ 1 has the same structure, and differs from the voltage boosting device 10 j only in that the storage capacitor 14 j+ 1 receives the phase signal B, and the boost capacitor 16 j+ 1 receives the signal A. Similarly, the voltage boosting stage 10 j ⁇ 1 (of which only the storage capacitor 14 j ⁇ 1 is shown) receives the signals A and B.
- the charge pump circuit 2 when the charge pump circuit 2 must operate as a positive voltage boosting device, the first high-voltage signal REV is low, and the second high-voltage signal REVN is high; consequently, a conductive path is present between the node 30 j and the gate terminal of the first precharge transistor 20 j , which is thus on; on the other hand, the second inverter 23 j connects the gate terminal of the second precharge transistor 22 j to ground, and thus the second precharge transistor 22 j is off.
- the voltage boosting stages 10 j and 10 j+ 1 of the charge pump circuit 2 can thus be represented as shown in FIG. 3.
- the charge pump circuit 2 when the charge pump circuit 2 must operate as a negative voltage boosting device, the first high-voltage signal REV is high, and the second high-voltage signal REVN is low; consequently, the second inverter 23 j generates a conductive path between the charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1 and the gate terminal of the second precharge transistor 22 j , which is on, whereas the first precharge transistor 20 j is off.
- the voltage boosting stages 10 j and 10 j+ 1 of the charge pump circuit 2 can thus be represented as shown in FIG. 5.
- phase signal A switches from high to low
- signal B switches from low to high
- signals C and D are low and high respectively.
- the charge transfer nodes 30 j ⁇ 1 and 30 j are at a high voltage (with values which are dependent on the number of preceding voltage boosting stages 10 , with the transfer node 30 j at a potential which is higher than that of the transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1), and the precharge node 25 j is discharged, as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter; consequently, the first precharge transistor 20 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j is on, and allows pre-charging of the precharge node 25 j (and thus of the boost capacitor 16 j ), to the voltage present at the charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j ⁇ 1. In addition, the charge transfer transistor 15 j is off.
- phase signals C and D switch respectively to the high state and low state (instant t 1 )
- the first precharge transistor 20 j switches off, and allows the precharge node 25 j to go to a high voltage, at a value resulting from the sum of the voltage previously reached, plus the voltage of the high logic value of phase signal C (supply voltage V DD ). Consequently, the charge transfer transistor 15 j switches on, and allows transfer of a charge package from the charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j ⁇ 1 to the charge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j.
- phase signals C and D switch once more respectively to the low state and the high state, and the charge transfer node 30 j is boosted, whereas the voltage of the precharge node 25 j drops; consequently, the first precharge transistor 20 j switches on, and allows discharge of the precharge node 25 j to the charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j ⁇ 1, and switching off of the charge transfer transistor 15 j.
- the first precharge transistor 20 j+ 1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j+ 1 is also on, and allows pre-charging of the node 25 j+ 1 (and thus of the boost capacitor 16 j+ 1), similarly to the process previously described for the voltage boosting stage 10 j in the step comprised between instants t0 and t1.
- the phase signals A and B switch respectively to the high state and to the low state.
- the first precharge transistor 20 j is on, and maintains the precharge condition of the precharge node 25 j ; the charge transfer transistor 15 j continues to be off. Simultaneously, the charge transfer transistor 15 +1 is on, and allows transfer of a charge quantum from the storage capacitor 14 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j to the storage capacitor 14 j+ 1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j+ 1.
- phase signal D switches from high to low, signals A and C are low, and signal B is high.
- the charge transfer nodes 30 j ⁇ 1 and 30 j are at a high voltage (with values dependent on the number of preceding voltage boosting stages 10 , with the charge transfer node 30 j at a potential which is lower than that of the charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1); consequently, the second precharge transistor 22 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j is on, and allows pre-charging of the precharge node 25 j (and thus of the boost capacitor 16 j ), to the voltage present at the charge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j . In addition, the charge transfer transistor 15 j is off.
- phase signal B switches to the low state (instant t1)
- the second precharge transistor 22 j switches off, and isolates the precharge node 25 j .
- phase signal C switches to the high state, thus pushing the gate terminal of the charge transfer transistor 15 j to a higher voltage than the charge transfer node 30 j .
- the charge transfer transistor 15 j switches on, and allows transfer of a charge quantum from the charge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j , to the charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j ⁇ 1. Thereby, a passage of charge has been obtained from the output 2 b to the input 2 a of the charge pump circuit 2 (FIG. 1).
- phase signal C switches to the low state, thus removing voltage boosting from the gate terminal of the charge transfer transistor 15 j .
- phase signal B switches to the high state, thus switching the second precharge transistor 22 j on, thus allowing discharge of the precharge node 25 j to the voltage present at the charge transfer node 30 j ; charge transfer transistor 15 j switches off, and separates the charge transfer node 30 j from the charge transfer node 30 j ⁇ 1.
- the second precharge transistor 22 j+ 1 is on, and allows pre-charging of the precharge node 25 j+ 1.
- phase signal D switches to the low state; consequently, the second precharge transistor 22 j+ 1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j+ 1 switches off, similarly to the process previously described for the second precharge transistor 22 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j , in the time interval t1-t2.
- phase signal A switches to the high state, thus pushing the precharge node 25 j+ 1 to a high voltage; then, the charge transfer transistor 15 j+ 1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j+ 1 switches on, and a charge quantum is transferred from the voltage boosting stage 10 j+ 1 to the storage capacitor 14 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j.
- Examples of duration and phasing of phase signals A, B, C and D are as follows: time intervals t0-t1, t1-t2, t3-t4, t4-t5 and t5-t6 are of 5 ns; time intervals t2-t3 and t6-t7 are of 60 ns.
- charge transfer transistors 15 are implemented as shown in FIG. 10, which shows a portion of a chip of semiconductor material.
- a substrate 30 of P type accommodates an isolated well 31 of N type, which in turn accommodates a body well 32 of P type.
- Source regions 33 and drain regions 34 of N type are formed in the body well 32 .
- a gate region 35 extends above the substrate 30 , and is isolated from the latter by a gate oxide region 36 .
- a contact region 37 of P+ type is formed in the body well 32 , and is connected to a body terminal B; a contact region 38 of N+ type is formed in the isolated well 31 , and is connected to a biasing terminal IS.
- the body terminal B and biasing terminal IS allow biasing of the body well 32 and of the isolated well to appropriate potentials, such as to fulfil the conditions 1 and 2, initially described; for example, they can be connected to one another, and biased to a positive or negative voltage, depending on the operation condition of the charge pump circuit 2 .
- the charge transfer transistors 15 j and 15 j+ 1 have separated body terminals Bj, Bj+1, connected respectively to a positive and to a negative biasing circuit, which are selectively enabled, according to the operation condition.
- FIGS. 11 and 12 show an embodiment of a positive biasing circuit 40 and of a negative biasing circuit 41 respectively, for a charge pump circuit 2 with four voltage boosting stages 10 .
- the positive biasing circuit 40 comprises a branch 42 , connected between the output 2 b of the charge pump circuit 2 and ground, and formed by an enabling transistor 43 of PMOS type, and five diode-connected transistors 44 of PMOS type.
- the enabling transistor 43 is connected to the output 2 b through its own source terminal, and to the chain of PMOS transistor 44 through its own drain terminal, and receives at its gate terminal an enabling signal, for example the first high-voltage signal REV;
- the diode-connected transistors 44 define intermediate nodes 45 , connected via a respective diode-connected PMOS transistor 46 to the bulk terminals B 1 , B 2 , B 3 and B 4 .
- Filter capacitors 47 are interposed between the bulk terminals B 1 , B 2 , B 3 and B 4 , and ground, in order to eliminate any voltage steps, caused by the discontinuous behavior of the output voltage V OUT .
- the biasing voltage supplied to the bulk terminals B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 has a value that is correlated dynamically to the voltage present at the adjacent charge transfer nodes 30 and satisfies the above-described conditions 1 and 2.
- the negative biasing circuit 41 comprises a branch 50 connected between the output 2 b of the charge pump circuit 2 and ground, and comprising an enabling transistor 51 of PMOS type, and five diode-connected transistors 52 of PMOS type.
- the enabling transistor 43 is connected to the output 2 b by its own drain terminal, and to the chain of diode-connected transistors 52 by its own source terminal, and receives at the gate terminal an enabling signal, for example the second high-voltage signal REVN; diode-connected PMOS transistors 54 connect intermediate nodes 53 to the bulk terminals B 1 , B 2 , B 3 and B 4 . Filter capacitors 55 are also present here.
- the voltage boosting device 1 has the following advantages. Firstly, it can operate in a bidirectional manner with a saving of surface area, since it is not necessary to have two separate voltage boosting devices for generating high voltages with a different sign.
- the voltage boosting device 1 also operates as a bidirectional pump in current, which can transfer large quantities of charge from the input 2 a to the output 2 b or vice versa, thus preventing flows of charge through the charge transfer transistors 15 in a direction opposite to that required.
- the described voltage boosting device has reduced current consumption, owing to the possibility of recovering the charge at the precharge node 25 during switching off of the charge transfer transistor 15 , and supplying it to the adjacent storage capacitor 14 (phases t2-t3 for positive operation, and t4-t5 for negative operation, for voltage boosting stage 10 j ).
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a high-efficient bidirectional voltage boosting device.
- As is known, inside single-supply non-volatile memories, use is made of both positive and negative voltage boosting devices, such as charge pumps, that generate internally the required voltages to carry out programming, reading, and erasing. The area provided for these charge pumps represents a significant fraction (typically approximately 10%) of the overall surface area of the integrated device. Normally, inside the device, the positive charge pumps are distinct from the negative ones, thus making the bulk problem even more serious.
- Both positive and negative charge pump architectures are known, including a certain number of stages, each comprising a (high-value) boosting capacity, and a switch which is closed or opened in counterphase with the adjacent stage. Charge is transferred from one stage to another (towards the output for positive pumps, towards the supply stage for negative pumps), as controlled by complementary phase signals. The switch is formed by diodes (for example MOS transistors, which have gate and drain terminals connected to one another), or by MOS transistors.
- The main problem with using diodes is associated with the threshold voltage of the diodes, which involves firstly dissipation, and secondly reduction of the maximum voltage at the output of the charge pump. In general, for a positive charge pump, if N is the number of stages and VDD is the supply voltage, the asymptotic value of the output voltage VOUT is equal to:
- V OUT=(N+1) (V DD)−NV T,
- where VT is the threshold voltage of the diodes.
- In the case of negative pumps, the asymptotic value of the output is:
- V OUT=(N+1) (V DD −V T).
- The solution which uses NMOS transistors is intended to solve the above-described problem, and requires the use of four phase signals, i.e., two driving signals for the high capacities, and two driving signals for the switches.
- However, this solution also is not free from problems. In fact, MOS transistors also have threshold voltage problems, and in addition the dependence of the threshold voltage on the source-body voltage drop (the so-called body effect) is detrimental in terms of conductivity of the switches, particularly at high voltages, and thus in particular for the stages that are closest to the output.
- The problem of the body effect has been solved by isolating the body region of the NMOS transistor through an isolated well (triple-well transistor), and biasing the body well to a voltage set by an appropriate circuit. In the case of NMOS switches, triple-well transistors are typically used.
- An embodiment of a positive pump with switches formed by NMOS transistors with four phases and good performance in terms of efficiency, is described in EP-A-0 836 268.
- Negative pumps which use the same technique have also been presented (see for example EP-A-0 843 402).
- In both cases, the biasing of the wells takes place through a divider, which, in a specific manner to each well, can generate biasing voltages comprised between ground and the output voltage VOUT of the charge pump, and can therefore meet the following two requirements:
- 1. The well of the NMOS transistor that operates as a switch must be biased to a voltage value that is no higher than the minimum potential present at the drain or source terminals, in order to prevent direct biasing of the bulk-source and bulk-drain junctions.
- 2. The body well of the NMOS transistor that operates as a switch may not be biased to a voltage value that is excessively low, such as to reduce the body effect as far as possible, and therefore maintain adequate conductivity of the NMOS transistor, even at high voltages.
- Finally, a two-phase bidirectional charge pump is known, which uses diodes as switches, as described for example in EP-A-0 822 556. In this known bidirectional charge pump, the input stage is provided with a first switch that, when operating as a positive charge pump, connects the input of the pump to the supply line, and otherwise is open; in addition, the output is provided with a second switch, which, when operating as a negative charge pump, connects the output to ground, and otherwise is open.
- Since this bidirectional charge pump uses diodes as switches, it is affected by the above-described problems.
- The object of the present invention is to provide a bidirectional voltage boosting device that uses NMOS transistors as switches, such as to obtain the above-described advantages relative to this solution.
- According to the present invention, a bidirectional voltage boosting device is provided, the device including a phase generator stage generating phase signals, a charge pump circuit having an input and an output with phase inputs receiving the phase signals, the charge pump circuit having a plurality of voltage boosting stages cascade connected between the input and the output, each voltage boosted stage defining a first and a second transfer node connected to a respective adjacent voltage boosting stage. Each voltage boosting stage includes a storage capacitor with a first and a second terminal, the first terminal of the storage capacitor receiving a first one of the phase signals, the second terminal of the storage capacitor being connected to the second transfer node; a switch element formed by an NMOS transistor having a first and a second conduction terminal and a control terminal, the first and second conduction terminals connected respectively to the first transfer node and to the second transfer node; a voltage boosting capacitor having a first terminal receiving a second one of the phase signals, and a second terminal connected to the control terminal of the switch element; a first precharge circuit connected between the first transfer node and the control terminal of the switch element to control charge transfer from the first node to the second node, the first precharge circuit having an activation terminal receiving a first activation signal; and a second precharge circuit connected between the second transfer node and the control terminal of the switch element to control charge transfer from the second transfer node to the first transfer node, the second precharge circuit having an activation terminal receiving a second activation signal. Ideally, the first and second activation signals are never active simultaneously.
- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a voltage boosting circuit is provided that includes a plurality of voltage boosting stages connected in cascade, each voltage boosting stage connected to adjacent stages by first and second transfer nodes. Each voltage boosting stage includes a switch element with a first terminal coupled to the first transfer node, a second terminal coupled to the second transfer node, and a control terminal; a first precharge circuit having a first terminal coupled to a first transfer node, a second terminal coupled to a control terminal of the switch element, and a control terminal coupled to a first activation signal source, the first precharge circuit configured to control charge transfer from the first transfer node to the second transfer node; and a second precharge circuit comprising a first terminal coupled to the second transfer node, a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the switch element, and a control terminal coupled to a second activation signal source, the second precharge circuit configured to control charge transfer from the second transfer node to the first transfer node.
- In order to assist understanding of the invention, an embodiment is now described, purely by way of non-limiting example, and with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
- FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a voltage boosting device according to the invention;
- FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified circuit diagram of a circuit in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 shows the equivalent circuit to FIG. 2, when operating as a positive voltage boosting device;
- FIG. 4 shows the plot of the phase signals used by the circuit in FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 shows the equivalent circuit to FIG. 2, when operating as a negative voltage boosting device;
- FIG. 6 shows the plot of the phase signals used by the circuit in FIG. 5;
- FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the plots respectively of the output voltage and the input current of the circuit of FIG. 5, in a first operation condition;
- FIG. 9 shows the plot of the output voltage of the circuit of FIG. 5, in a second operation condition;
- FIG. 10 shows a cross-section through a silicon chip, incorporating a detail of the circuit diagram of FIG. 2; and
- FIGS. 11 and 12 show simplified circuit diagrams of circuits used in the charge pump device of FIG. 1.
- In FIG. 1, a bidirectional
voltage boosting device 1 is shown having acharge pump circuit 2, aphase generator stage 3, and alevel translator 4. - In detail, the
charge pump circuit 2 has aninput 2 a, receiving an input voltage VIN and anoutput 2 b, supplying an output voltage VOUT. Theinput 2 a of thecharge pump circuit 2 is connected selectively to asupply line 7, set to a supply voltage VDD (for example 3 V) or to ground, via aselector 8 controlled by a control signal K. Thecharge pump circuit 2 is formed by a plurality N ofvoltage boosting stages 10, which are cascade-connected between theinput 2 a and theoutput 2 b of thecharge pump circuit 2, and each receive two of four phase signals A, B, C and D supplied by the phase-generator stage 3; in detail, the oddvoltage boosting stages 10 receive the phase signals A, B, and the evenvoltage boosting stages 10 receive the phase signals C, D. - The phase-
generator stage 3 is a logic circuit of a generally known type, with afirst input 3 a which receives a clock signal CK, asecond input 3 b which receives a logic signal LREV, indicative of the required functioning state (positive or negative) of thevoltage boosting device 1, and four outputs, which supply the phase signals A, B, C, D. The phase signals A, B, C, D are logic signals which switch between VDD and 0 V, and the behavior of which depends on the required functioning condition, as described in detail hereinafter. - The logic signal LREV is supplied from the outside, for example by a nonvolatile memory (not shown), which incorporates the
voltage boosting device 1, on the basis of the required functioning. - The
level translator 4, of a known type, and not illustrated in detail, is connected between theoutput 2 b of thecharge pump circuit 2 and ground, and has a signal input which receives the logic signal LREV, and two outputs, which supply first and second high-voltage signals REV and REVN, opposite to each other, the high or low value of which is determined by the high or low level of the logic signal LREV. In particular, when thecharge pump circuit 2 must operate as a positive voltage boosting device, the logic signal LREV has a first logic value (for example high), the first high-voltage signal REV is set to 0 V, and the second high-voltage signal REVN is equal to the output voltage VOUT; when thecharge pump circuit 2 must operate as a negative voltage boosting device, the logic signal LREV has a second logic value (for example low), the first high-voltage signal REV is equal to the output voltage VOUT, and the second high-voltage signal REVN is set to 0 V. - The first and second high-voltage signals REV and REVN are supplied to a first and a
second input terminal charge pump circuit 2. - The
output 2 b of thecharge pump circuit 2 is connected to aload capacitor 12. - FIG. 2 shows two voltage boosting stages of the
charge pump circuit 2, indicated respectively at 10 j and 10 j+1 , which have a same structure, but receive different phase signals, as previously described. For simplicity, only the voltage boosting stage 10 j will be described, the components of which are identified by a reference number and by the letter j; thevoltage boosting stage 10 j+1 has identical components, which are identified by the same reference number and by j+1. - In detail, the voltage boosting stage10 j comprises a storage capacitor 14 j; a charge transfer transistor 15 j; a boost capacitor 16 j; a first and a
second precharge transistor 20 j and 22 j; and a first and a second inverter 21 j, 23 j. - The storage capacitor14 j has a first terminal connected to a
charge transfer node 30 j, and a second terminal which receives the phase signal D. The charge transfer transistor 15 j is connected between thecharge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j, and acharge transfer node 30 j−1 of a voltage boosting stage 10 j−1, connected to the left of the voltage boosting stage 10 j, and has a gate terminal connected to aprecharge node 25 j. In addition, the charge transfer transistor 15 j is formed in triple well, as shown in FIG. 7, and has a bulk terminal Bj biased accordingly, as described hereinafter. The boost capacitor 16 j has a first terminal connected to theprecharge node 25 j, and a second terminal which receives the phase signal C. The first precharge transistor 20 j is connected between thecharge transfer node 30 j−1 of the voltage boosting stage 10j−1 and theprecharge node 25 j, and has a gate terminal connected to the output of the first inverter 21 j; in turn, the latter has a signal input connected to thefirst input terminal 27 of thecharge pump circuit 2 and receives the first high-voltage signal REV. The first inverter 21 j further has a supply input connected to thecharge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j. The secondprecharge transistor 22 j is connected between thecharge transfer node 30 j and theprecharge node 25 j, and has a gate terminal connected to the output of the second inverter 23 j; in turn, the latter has a signal input connected to thesecond input terminal 28 of thecharge pump circuit 2, and receives the second high-voltage signal REVN. Furthermore, the second inverter 23 j has a supply input connected to thecharge transfer node 30 j−1. - As already stated, the
voltage boosting stage 10 j+1 has the same structure, and differs from the voltage boosting device 10 j only in that thestorage capacitor 14 j+1 receives the phase signal B, and theboost capacitor 16 j+1 receives the signal A. Similarly, the voltage boosting stage 10 j−1 (of which only the storage capacitor 14 j−1 is shown) receives the signals A and B. - As indicated, when the
charge pump circuit 2 must operate as a positive voltage boosting device, the first high-voltage signal REV is low, and the second high-voltage signal REVN is high; consequently, a conductive path is present between thenode 30 j and the gate terminal of the first precharge transistor 20 j, which is thus on; on the other hand, the second inverter 23 j connects the gate terminal of the secondprecharge transistor 22 j to ground, and thus the secondprecharge transistor 22 j is off. Thevoltage boosting stages 10 j and 10 j+1 of thecharge pump circuit 2 can thus be represented as shown in FIG. 3. - On the other hand, when the
charge pump circuit 2 must operate as a negative voltage boosting device, the first high-voltage signal REV is high, and the second high-voltage signal REVN is low; consequently, the second inverter 23 j generates a conductive path between thecharge transfer node 30 j−1 and the gate terminal of the secondprecharge transistor 22 j, which is on, whereas the first precharge transistor 20 j is off. Thevoltage boosting stages 10 j and 10 j+1 of thecharge pump circuit 2 can thus be represented as shown in FIG. 5. - The operation of the
charge pump circuit 2 will thus be described with reference to FIG. 3 or 5, depending on the operation mode. - With reference to FIG. 3, operation with a positive voltage boosting device will now be described. At instant to, phase signal A switches from high to low, signal B switches from low to high, and signals C and D are low and high respectively.
- In this condition, the
charge transfer nodes 30 j−1 and 30 j are at a high voltage (with values which are dependent on the number of precedingvoltage boosting stages 10, with thetransfer node 30 j at a potential which is higher than that of thetransfer node 30 j−1), and theprecharge node 25 j is discharged, as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter; consequently, the first precharge transistor 20 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j is on, and allows pre-charging of theprecharge node 25 j (and thus of the boost capacitor 16 j), to the voltage present at thecharge transfer node 30 j−1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j−1. In addition, the charge transfer transistor 15 j is off. - As soon as phase signals C and D switch respectively to the high state and low state (instant t1), the first precharge transistor 20 j switches off, and allows the
precharge node 25 j to go to a high voltage, at a value resulting from the sum of the voltage previously reached, plus the voltage of the high logic value of phase signal C (supply voltage VDD). Consequently, the charge transfer transistor 15 j switches on, and allows transfer of a charge package from thecharge transfer node 30 j−1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j−1 to thecharge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j. - At instant t2, phase signals C and D switch once more respectively to the low state and the high state, and the
charge transfer node 30 j is boosted, whereas the voltage of theprecharge node 25 j drops; consequently, the first precharge transistor 20 j switches on, and allows discharge of theprecharge node 25 j to thecharge transfer node 30 j−1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j−1, and switching off of the charge transfer transistor 15 j. - In this phase, the first
precharge transistor 20 j+1 of thevoltage boosting stage 10 j+1 is also on, and allows pre-charging of thenode 25 j+1 (and thus of theboost capacitor 16 j+1), similarly to the process previously described for the voltage boosting stage 10 j in the step comprised between instants t0 and t1. - At the instant t3, the phase signals A and B switch respectively to the high state and to the low state. The first precharge transistor20 j is on, and maintains the precharge condition of the
precharge node 25 j; the charge transfer transistor 15 j continues to be off. Simultaneously, thecharge transfer transistor 15+1 is on, and allows transfer of a charge quantum from the storage capacitor 14 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j to thestorage capacitor 14 j+1 of thevoltage boosting stage 10 j+1. - Thereby, there is a gradual passage of charges from the
input 2 a to theoutput 2 b of the charge pump circuit 2 (FIG. 1). - With reference to FIG. 5, the operation of the
charge pump circuit 2 as a negative voltage boosting device will now be described. At instant t0, phase signal D switches from high to low, signals A and C are low, and signal B is high. - In this condition, the
charge transfer nodes 30 j−1 and 30 j are at a high voltage (with values dependent on the number of precedingvoltage boosting stages 10, with thecharge transfer node 30 j at a potential which is lower than that of thecharge transfer node 30 j−1); consequently, the secondprecharge transistor 22 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j is on, and allows pre-charging of theprecharge node 25 j (and thus of the boost capacitor 16 j), to the voltage present at thecharge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j. In addition, the charge transfer transistor 15 j is off. - As soon as phase signal B switches to the low state (instant t1), the second
precharge transistor 22 j switches off, and isolates theprecharge node 25 j. At instant t2, phase signal C switches to the high state, thus pushing the gate terminal of the charge transfer transistor 15 j to a higher voltage than thecharge transfer node 30 j. The charge transfer transistor 15 j switches on, and allows transfer of a charge quantum from thecharge transfer node 30 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j, to thecharge transfer node 30 j−1 of the voltage boosting stage 10 j−1. Thereby, a passage of charge has been obtained from theoutput 2 b to theinput 2 a of the charge pump circuit 2 (FIG. 1). - At the instant t3, phase signal C switches to the low state, thus removing voltage boosting from the gate terminal of the charge transfer transistor15 j. At instant t4, phase signal B switches to the high state, thus switching the second
precharge transistor 22 j on, thus allowing discharge of theprecharge node 25 j to the voltage present at thecharge transfer node 30 j; charge transfer transistor 15 j switches off, and separates thecharge transfer node 30 j from thecharge transfer node 30 j−1. Simultaneously, the secondprecharge transistor 22 j+1 is on, and allows pre-charging of theprecharge node 25 j+1. - At instant t5, phase signal D switches to the low state; consequently, the second
precharge transistor 22 j+1 of thevoltage boosting stage 10 j+1 switches off, similarly to the process previously described for the secondprecharge transistor 22 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j, in the time interval t1-t2. At instant t6, phase signal A switches to the high state, thus pushing theprecharge node 25 j+1 to a high voltage; then, thecharge transfer transistor 15 j+1 of thevoltage boosting stage 10 j+1 switches on, and a charge quantum is transferred from thevoltage boosting stage 10 j+1 to the storage capacitor 14 j of the voltage boosting stage 10 j. - Thereby, there is a gradual passage of charges from the
output 2 b to theinput 2 a of the charge pump circuit 2 (FIG. 1). - Examples of duration and phasing of phase signals A, B, C and D are as follows: time intervals t0-t1, t1-t2, t3-t4, t4-t5 and t5-t6 are of 5 ns; time intervals t2-t3 and t6-t7 are of 60 ns.
- Consequently, with reference to FIG. 1, if the
input 2 a of thecharge pump circuit 2 is grounded via theselector 8, positive charge is subtracted from the armature of theload capacitor 12, and the output voltage VOUT goes to a negative potential, as shown in FIG. 7; in this case, at theinput 2 a of thecharge pump circuit 2, a passage of negative current is obtained (to ground) through charge quanta, as shown in FIG. 8. On the other hand, if theload capacitor 12 is loaded to a high voltage, and theinput 2 a of thecharge pump circuit 2 is connected via theselector 8 to the supply line 7 (in the hypothesis that the latter is of the bidirectional type), charge is transferred from the load capacitor 12 (which is completely discharged) to thesupply line 7, as shown in FIG. 9. - As previously stated, for obtaining a correct operation of the
charge pump circuit 2, and reducing the body effect (which reduces the efficiency of the charge pump circuit 2), it has already been suggested to provide triple-well transistors that act as switches (charge transfer transistors 15), with a bulk region appropriately biased. - Consequently,
charge transfer transistors 15 are implemented as shown in FIG. 10, which shows a portion of a chip of semiconductor material. In detail, in FIG. 10 asubstrate 30 of P type accommodates an isolated well 31 of N type, which in turn accommodates a body well 32 of P type.Source regions 33 anddrain regions 34 of N type are formed in the body well 32. Agate region 35, of polycrystalline silicon, extends above thesubstrate 30, and is isolated from the latter by agate oxide region 36. Acontact region 37 of P+ type is formed in the body well 32, and is connected to a body terminal B; acontact region 38 of N+ type is formed in the isolated well 31, and is connected to a biasing terminal IS. The body terminal B and biasing terminal IS allow biasing of the body well 32 and of the isolated well to appropriate potentials, such as to fulfil theconditions charge pump circuit 2. - In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the
charge transfer transistors 15 j and 15 j+1 have separated body terminals Bj, Bj+1, connected respectively to a positive and to a negative biasing circuit, which are selectively enabled, according to the operation condition. - FIGS. 11 and 12 show an embodiment of a
positive biasing circuit 40 and of anegative biasing circuit 41 respectively, for acharge pump circuit 2 with four voltage boosting stages 10. - In detail (FIG. 11), the
positive biasing circuit 40 comprises abranch 42, connected between theoutput 2 b of thecharge pump circuit 2 and ground, and formed by an enablingtransistor 43 of PMOS type, and five diode-connectedtransistors 44 of PMOS type. The enablingtransistor 43 is connected to theoutput 2 b through its own source terminal, and to the chain ofPMOS transistor 44 through its own drain terminal, and receives at its gate terminal an enabling signal, for example the first high-voltage signal REV; the diode-connectedtransistors 44 defineintermediate nodes 45, connected via a respective diode-connectedPMOS transistor 46 to the bulk terminals B1, B2, B3 and B4.Filter capacitors 47 are interposed between the bulk terminals B1, B2, B3 and B4, and ground, in order to eliminate any voltage steps, caused by the discontinuous behavior of the output voltage VOUT. - Thereby, the biasing voltage supplied to the bulk terminals B1, B2, B3, B4, has a value that is correlated dynamically to the voltage present at the adjacent
charge transfer nodes 30 and satisfies the above-describedconditions - Similarly, in FIG. 12, the
negative biasing circuit 41 comprises abranch 50 connected between theoutput 2 b of thecharge pump circuit 2 and ground, and comprising an enablingtransistor 51 of PMOS type, and five diode-connectedtransistors 52 of PMOS type. The enablingtransistor 43 is connected to theoutput 2 b by its own drain terminal, and to the chain of diode-connectedtransistors 52 by its own source terminal, and receives at the gate terminal an enabling signal, for example the second high-voltage signal REVN; diode-connectedPMOS transistors 54 connectintermediate nodes 53 to the bulk terminals B1, B2, B3 and B4.Filter capacitors 55 are also present here. - The
voltage boosting device 1 has the following advantages. Firstly, it can operate in a bidirectional manner with a saving of surface area, since it is not necessary to have two separate voltage boosting devices for generating high voltages with a different sign. - Forming the switches through triple-well NMOS transistors and with symmetrical stages makes it possible to maintain the advantages of the architecture of a four-phase NMOS charge pump, in terms of efficiency and occupation of area.
- The
voltage boosting device 1 also operates as a bidirectional pump in current, which can transfer large quantities of charge from theinput 2 a to theoutput 2 b or vice versa, thus preventing flows of charge through thecharge transfer transistors 15 in a direction opposite to that required. - In addition, the described voltage boosting device has reduced current consumption, owing to the possibility of recovering the charge at the
precharge node 25 during switching off of thecharge transfer transistor 15, and supplying it to the adjacent storage capacitor 14 (phases t2-t3 for positive operation, and t4-t5 for negative operation, for voltage boosting stage 10 j). - Finally, it is apparent that modifications and variants can be made to the voltage boosting device, without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, using a simple logic circuit connected to the
level translator 4, and a two-bit control signal LREV, it is possible to implement three different functioning conditions, i.e., in addition to the operation as a positive and negative voltage boosting device, operation without increasing the voltage, which can be obtained by setting both the high-voltage signals REV and REVN to a high level, such as to switch off both the first and the secondprecharge transistors - From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims and the equivalents thereof.
Claims (19)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
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IT2000TO000146A IT1319841B1 (en) | 2000-02-15 | 2000-02-15 | HIGH EFFICIENCY BIDIRECTIONAL SURVOLATOR DEVICE. |
ITTO2000A000146 | 2000-02-15 | ||
ITTO20A0146 | 2000-02-15 |
Publications (2)
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US20010022735A1 true US20010022735A1 (en) | 2001-09-20 |
US6448842B2 US6448842B2 (en) | 2002-09-10 |
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US09/788,623 Expired - Lifetime US6448842B2 (en) | 2000-02-15 | 2001-02-13 | High-efficiency bidirectional voltage boosting device |
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IT (1) | IT1319841B1 (en) |
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US20040183114A1 (en) * | 2003-03-20 | 2004-09-23 | Tower Semiconductor Ltd. | Triple-well charge pump stage with no threshold voltage back-bias effect |
US20120223766A1 (en) * | 2011-03-02 | 2012-09-06 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Integrated circuits with bi-directional charge pumps |
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Also Published As
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IT1319841B1 (en) | 2003-11-03 |
ITTO20000146A1 (en) | 2001-08-15 |
US6448842B2 (en) | 2002-09-10 |
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