A programmable capacitor array does not require separate switching
transistors because the capacitors themselves have a switchable
capacitance, which capacitors are made in the manner of regular N channel
transistors with their source/drains connected to each other. When a
logic low is applied to the gate, the capacitance is relatively low and
the capacitance is what is commonly called parasitic capacitance. The
capacitance increases significantly when a logic high is applied to the
gate because the logic high has the effect of inverting the channel.
Thus, the capacitor array is made of transistors that themselves have
switchable capacitance operated so that no separate switching transistors
are required. This allows for construction of an array of unit capacitors
to achieve monotonic operation and good linearity using conventional
manufacturing of N channel transistors while achieving significant area
savings and reduced power consumption.