Charge pump

Abstract

A charge pump is disclosed for amplifying an input voltage received at an input end and outputting the amplified voltage at an output end as an output voltage. The charge pump includes a plurality of source/drain coupling transistors for serving as charging capacitors, and a plurality of cascode-connected transistors being symmetrically connected to between the input end and the output end. The charge pump further includes a plurality of diode-connected transistors to protect the source/drain coupling transistors against breakdown during the course of charge transfer and to speed up the charge transfer.