Electric power conversion systems – Current conversion – Using semiconductor-type converter
Patent
1998-07-28
2000-06-20
Berhano, Adolf Deneke
Electric power conversion systems
Current conversion
Using semiconductor-type converter
H02M 7217
Patent
active
060785128
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention may find an advantageous but nonlimiting application in the field of portable objects which are capable, during remote cooperation with a terminal, of recovering energy, for example from the magnetic field generated by the terminal, and to do so for frequencies which may range from about a hundred kHz to several tens of MHz.
2. Description of the Related Art
The statutory registration of invention in the United States No. H64 published on May 6, 1986 discloses a full-wave rectifier made using integrated technology having two N-channel insulated-gate field-effect transistors (NMOS transistor) and two diodes. However, such a rectifier exhibits operating problems when the frequency of the AC input voltage exceeds a few hundred kHz because of the poor switching characteristics of the diodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,172 describes a rectifier comprising four NMOS transistors, two of which are diode-connected. The major drawback of this rectifier lies in the magnitude of the drop voltage, that is to say the difference between the input voltage and the output voltage across the terminals of the rectifier.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention aims to afford a solution to these problems.
The invention is aimed in particular at solving the problem of the switching time of the diodes while minimizing the drop voltage, so as in particular to allow correct operation at high frequency.
In one embodiment a voltage rectifying device includes two input terminals for an AC voltage, rectifying means made using integrated technology within a semiconductor substrate, and two output terminals for a rectified voltage, one of these output terminals being taken out at substrate level.
In an embodiment, the rectifying means includes a pair of first insulated-gate field-effect transistors arranged so as to operate as rectifier elements, with one of their electrodes, drain or source, linked to the substrate, and a pair of second insulated-gate field-effect transistors arranged respectively in biased semiconductor wells with the gates linked and crossed over the two input terminals, the first and second transistors having channels of opposite types and a drain/source voltage when conducting which is below a predetermined voltage.
If the first transistors, for example NMOS transistors, exhibit a sufficient channel width for the gate/source voltage to remain below, when conducting, the said predetermined voltage, in this instance the threshold voltage of a diode, the rectifier-like arrangement of these transistors can be produced simply by diode-connecting these transistors, that is to say by linking the gate to one of their electrodes, for example the drain. In such an embodiment, providing for the first transistors to have their drains linked to the substrate and their gates linked to their respective drains, the diode-connected sources of these two first transistors are linked to the two input terminals of the voltage rectifying device respectively.
The fact that the drain/source voltage (or gate/source voltage since the gate is linked to the drain) is below, when conducting, the threshold voltage of the source/substrate stray diode, contributes to the proper operation of the rectifier by effectively shunting this diffusion diode, which in other words prevents some of the current from flowing through this stray diode.
If the technology used does not make it possible to obtain gate/source voltages while conducting which are small enough for a reasonable width of the transistors, the rectifier-like arrangement of the first transistors may be achieved by linking one of the electrodes, drain or source, of the first transistors to the substrate and by linking the gates of these first transistors to a chosen bias voltage which is advantageously below the intrinsic threshold voltage of each first transistor (that is to say the threshold voltage of the transistor for a source/substrate voltage of 0 volts) so that these remain sufficiently blocked during the periods of nonco
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patent: 4139880 (1979-02-01), Ulmer et al.
patent: 4875151 (1989-10-01), Ellsworth et al.
patent: 5173849 (1992-12-01), Brooks
patent: 5479172 (1995-12-01), Smith et al.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, Publication No. 63003655, published Jan. 8, 1988 (1 page).
Patent Abstracts of Japan, Publication No. 63064572, published Mar. 23, 1988 (1 page).
Maleis, United States Statutory Invention Registration No. H64, published May 6, 1986 (4 pages).
Berhano Adolf Deneke
France Telecom
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