Electric power conversion systems – Current conversion – With voltage multiplication means
Patent
1997-08-27
1999-11-02
Berhane, Adolf Denske
Electric power conversion systems
Current conversion
With voltage multiplication means
H02M 316
Patent
active
059782390
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL SCOPE
The present invention relates to an arrangement for performing voltage conversion in an inter circuit comprising a plurality of different circuit components, one or more of which requires a voltage which differs from the supply voltage of the integrated circuit.
The invention also relates to a process for performing voltage conversion in an integrated circuit according to the aforementioned.
PRIOR ART
More or less comprehensive integrated circuits are an important constituent element in the sphere of telecommunications. In the sphere of radio communications, in particular, it is desirable, wherever possible, to use low supply voltages for this type of circuit in order thereby to reduce the power consumption in the circuit.
Certain types of Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC's) contain components requiring second voltages, in some cases higher than he circuit supply voltage. The problem arises, inter alia, in LSI circuits which handle low-level radio signals. In the case of voltage controlled oscillators (VCO's), for example, a higher voltage is usually required for varactors incorporated in the circuit than that used in other parts of the circuit. In order that he supply voltage to the circuit does not have to be increased unnecessarily, a system is frequently used by means of which voltage conversion from a lower to a higher voltage is performed in the circuit by means of a voltage multiplier.
A common system for bringing about the said voltage multiplication is to use circuitry with capacitors integrated in the circuit or outside it. The said system is known, inter alia, from US-A-4 796 174, US-A-4 922 403 and US-A-4 982 317. A disadvantage to this known system is that the circuitry results in transients which are transmitted to other circuit elements and give rise to problems of interference in the latter.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to solve the problem of achieving high voltages for selected components in integrated circuits, such as varactors, field-effect transistors and HF switching diodes. The invention is preferably used in LSI and VLSI circuits and means that high voltages can be achieved without the need to increase the circuit's supply voltage.
This is achieved in that an arrangement for performing optical voltage conversion is inter into the integrated circuit. The arrangement comprises a first circuit, which converts the voltage to be transformed into an optical signal. The said optical signal is detected by a number of photosensitive elements in a second circuit in the arrangement, whereupon the detected optical signal is converted to a voltage at the output of the second circuit. The voltage which is obtained at the output of the second circuit may have a higher level than the voltage entering the first circuit and the supply voltage to the integrated circuit. The light transmission between the first and second circuit of the arrangement is well screened so that the power losses in the circuit remain small. The ratio between input and output voltage from the circuit is influenced by the number of photosensitive elements in the second circuit.
The present invention also relates to a process for performing voltage conversion in an integrated circuit. In the process according to the invention a first voltage is converted into an optical signal. The latter may be incident to a second circuit and converted to a voltage, the level of which differs from that of the incident feed voltage and varies as a flnction of the deed light intensity.
An advantage of the solution according to the invention compared to the known system is that the voltage conversion can be performed for certain components in the integrated circuit without interfering with the rest of the circuit.
DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
FIG. 1 shows a voltage multiplier for integration on a substrate in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a radio circuit in which the multiplier according to the invention can be appropriately used.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The inven
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Berhane Adolf Denske
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
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