Charge Pump Voltage Boost Circuit with Segmented Gate Drive
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrated circuit charge pump circuits face inefficiencies in generating boosted voltages, leading to higher power consumption and energy losses, particularly due to current shoot-through and charge loss issues in cross-coupled latch configurations.
Innovation Solution
A voltage boost circuit design that uses non-cross-coupled inverters with dedicated gate drive capacitors and actively-driven switches to minimize charge losses, reducing power consumption and improving efficiency by avoiding current shoot-through and optimizing capacitor sizing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If cross-coupled latch configurations are used in charge pump circuits, then voltage boosting functionality is achieved, but current shoot-through and charge loss occur leading to higher power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The charge pump circuit is divided into separate non-cross-coupled inverter stages, each with its own dedicated gate drive capacitor. This segmentation prevents the cross-coupling that causes shoot-through current, as each inverter operates independently with isolated gate drive paths.
Solution Approach 2:
Dedicated gate drive capacitors are introduced as intermediary elements between the clock signals and the inverter gates. These capacitors provide isolated charge storage for each inverter stage, preventing direct charge sharing paths that would cause shoot-through current and energy loss.
2Stability of the object's composition
If larger capacitors are used to reduce ripple, then output voltage stability improves, but circuit area and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The total capacitance requirement is segmented across multiple smaller dedicated gate drive capacitors distributed throughout the circuit, rather than using one large capacitor. This achieves the same ripple reduction effect while distributing the area burden across multiple small elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit uses periodic clocking signals to charge and discharge the capacitors in a controlled sequence. This periodic operation allows smaller capacitors to achieve stable output by accumulating charge over multiple cycles, rather than requiring large capacitance in a single element.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed voltage boost circuit reduces charge losses and power consumption, enhancing efficiency and allowing for multiple stages of voltage boosting with reduced energy losses, especially in later stages of cascaded circuits.
Implementation Method 1
a first charge transfer capacitor, configured to couple a first clock signal to the first inverter output, a second charge transfer capacitor, configured to couple a second clock signal to the second inverter output
Data Source
AI summary
This application discusses, among other things apparatus and methods for a voltage boost circuit. In an example, a voltage boost circuit can include first and second inverters, sharing a first supply node, and sharing a second supply node, a first charge transfer capacitor, configured to couple a first clock signal to the first inverter output, a second charge transfer capacitor, configured to couple a second clock signal to the second inverter output, the second clock signal being out-of-phase with the first clock signal, a first gate drive capacitor, configured to couple the first clock signal to the second inverter input, and a second gate drive capacitor, configured to couple the second clock signal to the first inverter input.