Patent ID: 7847618

Claim:
A distributed charge pump system in an integrated circuit comprising: at least first and second charge pumps; a clock generator which provides a first clock signal, said clock generator including a variable-frequency clock source responsive to a division select signal, a frequency-tunable oscillator responsive to an enable signal and to a frequency control signal, and a multiplexer which selects between said variable-frequency clock source and said frequency-tunable oscillator to output the first clock signal; a delay element connected to said clock generator which creates a second clock signal that is out of phase with the first clock signal; a first clock divider which divides the first clock signal by two to generates a first lower-frequency signal that clocks said first charge pump, said first clock divider including a first input which receives the first clock signal, a second input which receives a complement of the first clock signal, a first transmission gate controlled by said first input, a first storage cell connected to an output of said first transmission gate, a first inverter having an input connected to said output of said first transmission gate, a second inverter having an input connected to an output of said first inverter, a second transmission gate having an input connected to an output of said second inverter, and controlled by said second input, a second storage cell connected to an output of said second transmission gate, a third inverter having an input connected to said output of said second transmission gate, and an output connected to an input of said first transmission gate, and a divider output connected to said output of said first inverter; and a second clock divider which divides the second clock signal by two to generate a second lower-frequency signal, out of phase with the first lower-frequency signal, that clocks said second charge pump.