Signal Amplification by Means of a Dickson Charge Pump: Analysis and Experimental Validation

Recently, with the aim of extending the use of the CP in all those applications where a time-variant signal must be amplified with its DC component above the positive power supply rail, the signal amplification feature of a conventional Dickson charge pump (CP) has been investigated, introducing a small-signal model for each particular condition in which a CP can work. In this paper this idea is further investigated, especially under the slow switching limit (SSL) condition, and experimental validation has been carried out using a 65 nm CMOS technology for four different voltage gain values. Starting from an equivalent model of the CP, the main small- and large-signal parameters are analytically derived and discussed in depth. As a proof of concept, experimental measurements on four CPs with different numbers of stages confirm the validity of this unconventional application and the effectiveness of the CP when used as an amplifier.