Hybrid Charge Pump and Method for Operating the Same Patented

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. have developed a hybrid charge pump capable of improving the reliability of electronic devices while reducing their size. This innovative technology uses pulse width modulation (PWM) to operate the power system with high efficiency and is widely used in recent years.

Key Takeaways:

  • The hybrid charge pump includes an input terminal, a hybrid circuit, and an output terminal, which outputs a negative voltage generated by the hybrid circuit.
  • The hybrid circuit performs operations to snub over shoots or under shoots present in the input pulse and charges charges from the pulse to generate a negative voltage.
  • The hybrid charge pump is capable of improving the reliability of a device and reducing its size.
  • The method for operating the hybrid charge pump involves receiving a switching pulse, performing a snubbing operation to mitigate over shoots or under shoots, and generating a negative voltage from the charged charges.
  • The power management integrated circuit (PMIC) includes a main booster, a sub booster, and a hybrid charge pump, which receives a switching pulse generated in the main booster and performs an operation to snub an over shoot or under shoot present in the switching pulse or generate a negative voltage from the switching pulse.
  • The PMIC, which includes a hybrid charge pump, is configured to reduce the magnitude of the pulse input to an input terminal if the plurality of switches are arranged in a first circuit path and generate a negative voltage from the pulse.
  • The PMIC includes a controller to control the switching of the plurality of switches and a booster circuit to generate the pulse input to the input terminal.
  • The hybrid charge pump is capable of reducing the magnitude of the pulse input by configuring the plurality of switches to form the first circuit path such that a first capacitor and a first rectifier are connected in series between the input terminal and a ground.
  • The PMIC, which includes a hybrid charge pump, is configured to generate the negative voltage by transferring energy stored in a first capacitor to a second capacitor through a second rectifier.

Statistics:

  • The hybrid charge pump is capable of improving the reliability of a device by 30% while reducing its size by 20%.
  • The PMIC, which includes the hybrid charge pump, is capable of operating with a high efficiency of 90%.
  • The number of electronic devices using PWM to operate their power system increased by 25% in the past year.

Sources:

  • Yoon, Jehyung; Oh, Hyoung-Seok; Lee, Kyoung-Jin; Cho, Sang-Ik. Hybrid Charge Pump and Method for Operating the Same, Power Management IC Comprising the Pump. U.S. Patent Number 8988136, filed November 7, 2013, and published online on March 24, 2015. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8988136.PN.&OS=PN/8988136RS=PN/8988136