Patent ID: 7728652

Claim:
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising a booster circuit on a chip, wherein in the booster circuit, a first high-side switch for precharge and a first low-side switch for precharge are connected to one end and the other end of a capacitor, respectively, wherein a second high-side switch for driving output and a second low-side switch for driving output are connected to the other end and the one end of the capacitor, respectively, wherein an input voltage level detection circuit for detecting a level of an input voltage and a base voltage generating circuit for generating base voltages at a plurality of levels are included, one base voltage selected from the base voltages at the plurality of levels in response to an input voltage level detection result of the input voltage level detection circuit is supplied as an output of the base voltage generating circuit to the second high-side switch for driving output, wherein the first and second high-side switches and the first and second low-side switches are driven by a clock signal, a period of one of levels of the clock signal is a precharge period in which the booster circuit constructed by a charge pump circuit charges the capacitor by an input voltage, a period of the other level of the clock signal is an output drive period for outputting a boosted output voltage obtained by adding the charged voltage of the capacitor to the selected base voltage, wherein in the precharge period, in response to the clock signal, the first high-side switch for precharge connected between the input voltage and the one end of the capacitor is turned on, and the first low-side switch for precharge connected between a base potential and the other end of the capacitor is turned on, so that charging current flows from the input voltage to the base potential via the capacitor, and the charged voltage between the one end and the other end of the capacitor increases, wherein in the output drive period, in response to the clock signal, the second high-side switch for driving output connected between the selected one base voltage generated from the output of the base voltage generating circuit and the other end of the capacitor is turned on, the one end of the capacitor and the output terminal is turned on, so that the boosted output voltage obtained by adding the charged voltage of the capacitor to the selected one base voltage is output from the output terminal, and wherein the high level and the low level of a drive input signal for driving an input terminal of the first high-side switch for precharge and an input terminal of the second low-side switch for driving output in response to the clock signal are set to a level of the boosted output voltage from the output terminal and a level of the input voltage, respectively.