N-stage exponential charge pumps, charging stages therefor and methods of operation thereof

A switch capacitor power converter, also known as a charge pump, is a component in the circuit that generates a high voltage using a low input voltage supply that provides power to a load using switches and capacitors. However, existing charge pumps involve too many capacitors and transistors and the conversion ratio (ratio of output voltage to supply voltage) is not high enough. The present invention discloses a new type of charge pumps that has a high conversion ratio which is two to the power of N times the supply voltage. As it bears an exponential increase in the output voltage, it is also called an exponential charge pump. This N-stage exponential charge pump also contains fewer switches or fewer capacitors or both than a linear charge pump implementation. The production cost is therefore reduced. This invention is particularly advantageous if applied in an electronic appliance, such as, but no limited to, an integrated circuit that uses a low voltage for part of the circuit but a much higher voltage for another part of the circuit