Patent ID: 7135911

Claim:
A semiconductor integrated circuit having a high voltage generator for generating a boosted internal power supply potential, the high voltage generator comprising: a charge pump including a plurality of first capacitors, adjacent two first capacitors being driven by clocks with opposite timing and a transfer device for transferring charge stored in one first capacitor to the succeeding first capacitor; and a potential converter for supplying a boosted clock to at least one of the plurality of first capacitors, the potential converter including a second capacitor having a dielectric film thinner than a dielectric film of the first capacitor and having a high-level side terminal and a low-level side terminal; wherein the second capacitor is charged and coupled in series to the at least one of the plurality of first capacitors via the high-level side terminal while being supplied a given potential via the low-level side terminal when charge stored in the one first capacitor is transferred to the succeeding first capacitor.