Patent ID: 6933768

Claim:
A method for increasing an input voltage of an integrated circuit, which comprises: providing a charge pump with a first, a second, and a third capacitor connected to one another via a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch; cyclically connecting the capacitors to an input voltage and to ground, as follows: in a first step, connecting the first capacitor and the second capacitor between the input voltage and ground, to precharge the first capacitor and the second capacitor to the input voltage; in a second step, connecting the first capacitor and the second capacitor to one another, to the input voltage and to ground, to charge the second capacitor to a charge voltage corresponding to a ratio of a capacitance of the first capacitor to a capacitance of the second capacitor; and in a third step, connecting the second capacitor and the third capacitor to one another, to the input voltage and to ground, to charge the third capacitor to an output voltage higher than the input voltage.