Patent ID: 7477087

Claim:
A method, comprising steps of: (a) providing a circuit comprising at least first and second circuit stages and a first level-shift capacitor, each of the first and second circuit stages comprising at least one input, at least one output, and at least one signal processing element coupled therebetween; (b) receiving at least one signal that defines at least first and second phases; (c) providing a first circuit node having a first approximately constant voltage thereon at least during the first and second phases, wherein the first approximately constant voltage remains approximately constant when a significant amount of charge is transferred between the first circuit node and the first level shift capacitor during a first phase; (d) providing a second circuit node having a first reference voltage thereon at least during the first phases; (e) during each first phase, configuring the circuit such that respective plates of the first level-shift capacitor are connected to the first and second circuit nodes, thereby allowing the first level-shift capacitor to charge to a level-shift voltage equal to a difference between the first approximately constant voltage and the first reference voltage; and (f) during each second phase, configuring the circuit such that the respective plates of the first level-shift capacitor are connected to a first output of the first circuit stage and a first input of the second circuit stage, without causing the first level-shift capacitor to be connected in parallel with another capacitor with which it was not connected in parallel during a preceding first phase, thereby introducing the voltage across the first level-shift capacitor as an offset voltage between the first and second circuit stages.