Session 18-2

LC²: Limited Contention Level Converter
for Robust Wide-Range Voltage Conversion

 

Abstract

We propose a robust single-stage static level converter called LC2 that uses a pulsed control strategy to avoid contention. It reliably converts from 0.3V to 2.5V across wide PVT ranges. Fabricated in 130nm CMOS, 80 measured converters have an average delay of 2.38FO4 and 229fJ switching energy, marking 3.0x and 7.4x improvements over the best prior work. It consumes 475pW static power.