Intel Corporation

Rupinder K Bains

Binh N Ngo

Rajesh Sundaram

Mase J Taub

Raymond W Zeng

Owen W Jungroth

Daniel R Elmhurst

Bharat M Pathak

A circuit includes (i) an N-channel device having a gate, a source connected to low voltage, and a drain connected to a memory select gate, (ii) a P-channel device having a gate, a source, and a drain connected to the drain of the N-channel device, and (iii) a voltage supply connected to the source of the P-channel device, the voltage supply switching between a first high voltage and a first lower voltage. A gate driver supplies, to the gates of the N-channel and P-channel devices, a second high voltage, a second low voltage, or an intermediary voltage between the second high voltage and second low voltage. The gate driver supplies the intermediary voltage when the voltage supply switches between the first high voltage and first lower voltage.

Voltage driver for a memory

A regulator circuit to control the output of a charge pump circuit, to reduce the effects of operating temperature and process variations on available output current from the charge pump circuit. A predetermined fraction of the output voltage of the charge pump circuit is fed back to the input of a differential amplifier, which compares it to a reference voltage. The output of the differential amplifier feeds a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), which in turn generates a clock signal that is used to drive the charge pump circuit. The normal temperature characteristics of this configuration cause the output of the charge pump circuit to degrade with temperature changes. The regulator circuit can be placed between the differential amplifier and the VCO to adjust the voltage driving the VCO. In one embodiment, a biasing resistor with a negative temperature coefficient can be used in the regulator circuit to offset the normal effects of temperature on the circuit. In another embodiment, multiple such resistors can be selectable with programmable logic, so that process variations during manufacture can be compensated for by selecting the resistor value that most closely provides optimal biasing.

Degenerative load temperature correction for charge pumps

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Antelope, CA, United States of America

Rupinder K Bains