Patent ID: 8593213

Claim:
A method of operating a regulated charge pump circuit, wherein the regulated charge pump circuit comprises a clocked charge pump connected to one or more pump capacitors with two terminals each, an amplifier having an output, a feedback network, switches connecting one or more terminals of the pump capacitors to clock phases driven by alternating bi-level signals, switches connecting the output of the amplifier to said one or more terminals of the pump capacitors, the method comprising: performing charge pump operations, wherein a charge pump operation switches or drives one or more pump capacitor terminals, and switches connecting the output of the amplifier to said one or more terminals of the pump capacitors are open; and between charge pump operations, performing voltage regulating operations wherein: switches connecting one or more terminals of the pump capacitors to clock phases are open, at least one of the switches connecting the output of the amplifier to said one or more terminals of the pump capacitors is closed, whereby the amplifier drives a terminal of at least one pump capacitor, and the feedback network connects to the another terminal of a pump capacitor to create a desired output voltage with the feedback network providing negative feedback from the output voltage to the amplifier.