Patent ID: 8737646

Claim:
An integrated circuit voltage pump comprising: an input terminal adapted to receive a DC input voltage; an output terminal supplying a DC output voltage derived from the DC input voltage; a pump stage disposed in-between the input terminal and the output terminal and comprising first and second semiconductor diodes electrically connected to first and second pump capacitors, respectively, each of first and second semiconductor diodes having a diode voltage drop with a predetermined temperature coefficient in conducting mode; a compensation circuit adapted to generate first and second non-overlapping voltages pulses of respective amplitudes based on first and second non-overlapping clock signals and apply the first and second voltage pulses to the first and second pump capacitors, respectively, the compensation circuit being adapted to adjust an amplitude of at least one of the first and second non-overlapping voltage pulses to compensate for temperature induced changes in at least one of the diode voltage drops, the compensation circuit configured to derive the respective amplitudes of first and second non-overlapping voltage pulses from a temperature sensitive DC voltage source having a temperature coefficient substantially identical to the temperature coefficient of the first or the second semiconductor diode; wherein the temperature sensitive DC voltage source comprises a forward biased diode of the same type as at least one of the first and second semiconductor diodes which is connected in-between a terminal of the temperature sensitive voltage source and a substantially temperature independent DC voltage source; and wherein the compensation circuit is supplied with power from the terminal of the temperature sensitive voltage source.