Variable charge pump circuit with dynamic load

A variable charge pump circuit (300) uses a plurality of selectable loads (322, 326, 330; Figs. 5A-5B) to minimize the voltage ripples of the pumped output (334) by selecting the appropriate load for a preselected pump voltage (Vout). The charge pump circuit also compares the pump voltage to a reference voltage (Vref) to shut down the variable charge pump circuit if the pump 10 voltage is larger than the reference voltage. The charge pump circuit also compares the maximum voltage output to the reference voltage to monitor whether the maximum ripple on voltage output is larger than the reference voltage. The charge pump circuit comprises one or more stages (306, 310; 308, 312) operable to receive a supply voltage (Vcc) and generate one or more pump voltages, a plurality of loads (322, 326, 330) each associated with a specific pump voltage, and a load selector means (320, 324, 328) coupled to the output pump and to the plurality of loads for selecting a load associated with a specific pump voltage.