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A series–parallel switched capacitor step-up DC–DC converter and its gate-control circuits for over the supply rail switches

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Abstract

An efficient control of the gate voltage of switches that operate outside the supply range is a problem that occurs in circuits such as step-up DC/DC converters and stimulation circuits for implantable devices. This paper proposes solutions to this problem, using as case study a 3x, ultra low-power, step-up DC/DC converter with series–parallel architecture. The proposed gate control strategy minimizes the gate swing of the switches and recycles the gate charge in one of the cases, thus reducing the energy spent in driving the switch. The designed converter achieves an 81 % simulated efficiency (including all the required signal generation, except for the feedback loop) at \(V_{in}=400\) mV and \(5\;\upmu\)A load current and operates down to \(V_{in}=200\) mV.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the financial support of ANII (INI_X_2011_1_4088 and 4078), CSIC and CAP, Universidad de la República.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Pablo Pérez-Nicoli, Pablo Castro Lisboa, Francisco Veirano & Fernando Silveira

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  1. Pablo Pérez-Nicoli
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  2. Pablo Castro Lisboa
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  3. Francisco Veirano
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  4. Fernando Silveira
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Correspondence to Pablo Pérez-Nicoli.

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Pérez-Nicoli, P., Lisboa, P.C., Veirano, F. et al. A series–parallel switched capacitor step-up DC–DC converter and its gate-control circuits for over the supply rail switches. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 85, 37–45 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-015-0573-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-015-0573-4

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