Patent ID: 6420926
Filing Date: 2002-07-16
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
A voltage booster, comprising a plurality of charge-pump stages cascade connected together and driven by a plurality of phases, each charge-pump stage having a terminating input node and a terminating output node, with at least one pass transistor connected there between that has its control terminal connected to an internal circuit node of the same stage and applied to one of the phases, and further comprising a second transistor having its control terminal connected to a control terminal of said at least one pass transistor, a first terminal coupled to the input node and a second terminal coupled to an auxiliary capacitor that is coupled to another one of the phases, the second transistor configured to have a conductivity greater than a conductivity of the at least one pass transistor; each stage further comprising a third transistor coupled between the second terminal of the second transistor and to the one of the phases via a further capacitor and having a control terminal configured to be coupled to a succeeding stage.