Voltage blocking method and apparatus for a charge pump with diode connected pull-up and pull-down on boot nodes

A negative charge pump stage circuit, comprising:

• a switching transistor including a gate terminal, a drain terminal, and a source terminal;
• a first capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal
• electrically coupled to a first clock source and the second terminal
• electrically coupled to the source of the first transistor;
• a second capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal
• electrically coupled to a second clock source and the second terminal
• electrically coupled to the gate of the first transistor;
• a first diode having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal electrically coupled to the source of the first transistor, and the output
• terminal electrically coupled to the gate of the first transistor;
• a second diode having an input terminal and an output terminal;
• and
• a blocking transistor, the input terminal of the second diode
• coupled to a drain of the blocking transistor, the output terminal of the second diode electrically coupled to the source of the first transistor, a source of the blocking transistor coupled to the gate of the switching transistor, the gate of the blocking transistor to receive a positive voltage when a positive voltage is present at the gate of the switching transistor to prevent the positive voltage present at the gate of the switching transistor from conducting to the source of the switching transistor.