Patent ID: 8797090

Claim:
A charge pump circuit, comprising: a transfer capacitor receiving a first clock phase; a driving capacitor receiving a second clock phase, the second clock phase opposite to the first clock phase; a first switch coupling an input node to the transfer capacitor, the first switch controlled by the driving capacitor; a second switch coupling the input node to the driving capacitor, the second switch controlled by the transfer capacitor; a third switch coupling the transfer capacitor to an output node, the third switch controlled by the driving capacitor, the third switch operating in phase opposition to the first switch; a first diode coupled to the driving capacitor and the output node, the first diode clamping a voltage of the driving capacitor to the output node, thereby preventing the first, second and third switches from experiencing voltages in excess of their required voltage rating during discharge; and a charge storage capacitor coupled to the output node, wherein during steady state operation the first diode conducts no current and is in an off state.