Patent ID: 6952129
Filing Date: 2005-10-04
Classification: H02M

Abstract:
1. A method for operating a dual pumping circuit comprising at least one stage, each stage comprising a first pumping unit and a second pumping unit mirrored to the first pumping unit to provide a common output, the first pumping unit comprising: a main pass transistor with gate, source, and drain terminals and a body, each main pass transistor of each stage being connected in series with main pass transistors of a preceding and a subsequent stage, and the body of the main pass transistor being electrically coupled to a main pass transistor of the second pumping unit; a boosting transistor with gate, source, and drain terminals and a body, the drain terminal of the boosting transistor being electrically coupled to the gate terminal of the main pass transistor, the source of the boosting transistor being electrically coupled to the drain of the main pass transistor, and the gate of the boosting transistor being electrically coupled to the source of the main pass transistor; a substrate transistor with gate, source, and drain terminals and a body, the gate terminal of the substrate transistor being electrically coupled to the source terminal of the boosting transistor, the drain terminal of the main pass transistor, and the source of a substrate transistor of the second pumping unit, the drain terminal of the substrate transistor being electrically coupled to the body of each main pass transistor of the first and second pumping units and the boosting transistor, the source terminal of the substrate transistor being electrically coupled to a gate terminal of a substrate transistor and a drain terminal of a main pass transistor and a source terminal of a boosting transistor of the second pumping unit, and the body of the substrate transistor being electrically coupled to a main pass transistor in the subsequent stage; two small charge storing devices respectively electrically coupled to the gate of the main pass transistor of the first pumping unit and the second pumping unit; and two large charge storing devices respectively electrically coupled to the drains of the main pass transistors of the first pumping unit and the second pumping unit; the method comprising, for a first stage: supplying an input voltage to the source terminals of the main pass transistors of the first pumping unit and the second pumping unit; in interval one, rendering the main pass transistor of the second pumping unit, the substrate transistor of the second pumping unit, and the boosting transistors of the first pumping unit and the main pass transistor of the first pumping unit off, and the substrate transistor of the first pumping unit and the boosting transistor of the second pumping unit on; in interval two, rendering the main pass transistor of the first pumping unit, the substrate transistor of the first pumping unit, and the boosting transistor of the second pumping unit on, and the boosting transistor of the first pumping unit, the substrate transistor of the second pumping unit, and the main pass transistor of the second pumping unit off; in interval three, rendering the main pass transistor of the first pumping unit, the boosting transistor of the first pumping unit, the substrate transistor of the second pumping unit, and the main pass transistor of the second pumping unit off, the boosting transistor of the second pumping unit, and the substrate transistor of the first pumping unit on; in interval four, rendering the substrate transistor of first pumping unit, the main pass transistor of the first pumping unit, the main pass transistor of the second pumping unit, and the boosting transistor of the second pumping unit off, the boosting transistor of the first pumping unit and the substrate transistor of the second pumping unit on; in interval five, rendering the main pass transistor of the second pumping unit, the substrate transistor of the second pumping unit, and the boosting transistor of the first pumping unit on, and the substrate transistor of the first pumping unit, the main pass transistor of the first pumping unit, and the boosting transistor of the second pumping unit off; and in interval six, rendering the main pass transistor of the second pumping unit, the substrate transistor of the first pumping unit, the main pass transistor of the first pumping unit, and the boosting transistor of the second pumping unit off, and the substrate transistor of the second pumping unit and the boosting transistor of the first pumping unit on.