Empower Semiconductor, Inc.

Parag Oak

David B Lidsky

Timothy Alan Phillips

Shrinivasan Jaganathan

Trey Roessig

Narendra Nath Gaddam

Peter Huang

A switched-mode power regulator circuit has four solid-state switches connected in series and a capacitor and an inductor that regulate power delivered to a load. The solid-state switches are operated such that a voltage at the load is regulated by repetitively (1) prefluxing the inductor then charging the capacitor causing an increased current to flow in the inductor and (2) prefluxing the inductor then discharging the capacitor causing increased current to flow in the inductor. The inductor prefluxing steps enable the circuit to provide increased output voltage and/or increased output current.

Inductor flux control circuits

A power conversion device includes: a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of controllers formed on the semiconductor substrate; two or more converter phases formed on the semiconductor substrate; two or more programmable components formed on the semiconductor substrate, each of the programmable components connected to a respective one of the two or more converter phases; and an interconnect circuit formed on the semiconductor substrate. The two or more programmable components are programmable to selectively couple the two or more converter phases to the plurality of controllers via the interconnect circuit.

Reconfigurable power converter having multiple power stages

A power circuit is disclosed. The power circuit includes an input node, a plurality of inductors each connected to an output node, a plurality of phases each configured to provide current to one of the inductors, and a control circuit configured to trigger the phases. The phases are configured to provide current to one of the inductors in response to being triggered by the control circuit, the control circuit is configured to determine a variable time difference between a first phase being triggered and a second phase being triggered, and the time difference is based at least in part on a voltage difference between an input voltage at the input node and an output voltage at the output node.

Power delivery control circuit

Boot-strapping systems and techniques for circuits are described. One or more solid-state switches of a switched regulation circuit may be implemented using core transistors and the boot-strapping systems, rather than I/O transistors.

Circuits and techniques for power regulation

Resonant rectified discontinuous switching regulator with inductor preflux

A configurable capacitance device includes a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of integrally formed capacitors; and a separate interconnect structure coupled to the semiconductor substrate, wherein the separate interconnect structure is configurable to electrically couple two or more of the plurality of integrally formed capacitors together in a parallel configuration.

Configurable capacitor

A voltage tolerant interface circuit includes an input terminal and one or more low-voltage transistors for generating an output from the voltage tolerant interface circuit based on a voltage received at the input terminal. The voltage tolerant interface circuit also includes a blocking transistor coupled between a control terminal of at least one low-voltage transistor and the input terminal. In some implementations, the blocking transistor is configured to protect the control terminal of the low-voltage transistor by blocking the voltage received at the input terminal when the voltage exceeds a voltage tolerance of the low-voltage transistor. In other implementations, the low-voltage transistor receives a supply voltage higher than the voltage tolerance of the low-voltage transistor. In that implementation, the blocking transistor is configured to protect the control terminal of the low-voltage transistor by blocking the voltage received at the input terminal when the voltage is below a predetermined threshold.

Voltage tolerant interface circuit

A circuit is disclosed. The circuit includes a power supply node and a system configured to receive current from the power supply node at a regulated voltage and to generate one or more control signals indicating an anticipated change in the current. The circuit also includes a voltage regulator configured to provide the current to the power supply node and to drive the power supply node with the regulated voltage, where the value of the regulated voltage is based at least in part on the one or more control signals.

Voltage regulator adapted for changing loads

Voltage tolerant circuit and system

Boot-strapping systems and techniques for circuits

A power conversion circuit includes a plurality of solid-state switches coupled between an input terminal and a ground. An output terminal is positioned between two of the plurality of solid-state switches and an inductor is coupled between the output terminal and a load. A capacitor is coupled in parallel with two of the serially connected solid-state switches. A controller controls the plurality of solid-state switches to generate a current in the inductor by repetitively (1) charging the capacitor causing a temporary increase in the current in the inductor, (2) entering a first wait state that configures the plurality of solid-state switches to maintain the capacitor in a charged state, (3) discharging the capacitor causing a temporary increase in the current in the inductor and (4) entering a second wait state that configures the plurality of solid-state switches to maintain the capacitor in a discharged state.

Resonant regulator for light load conditions

A switched-mode power regulator circuit has four solid-state switches connected in series and a capacitor and an inductor that regulate power delivered to a load. The solid-state switches are operated such that a voltage at the load is regulated by repetitively (1) charging the capacitor causing an increase in current flow in the inductor followed by a decrease in current flow in the inductor and before the current flow in the inductor stops, (2) discharging the capacitor causing an increase in current flow in the inductor followed by a decrease in current flow in the inductor and before the current flow in the inductor stops, repeating (1).

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Parag Oak