Low-Voltage Transmitter and Receiver Circuits for DVFS I/O

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current semiconductor devices face challenges in reducing power consumption, particularly in transmitter and receiver circuits, as they operate at lower voltages, necessitating efficient designs to manage power consumption and performance while supporting various voltage levels.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of transmitter and receiver circuits using low-voltage transistors with threshold voltages equal to or lower than those in logic circuits, along with dedicated buffers operating different voltages, allows for efficient operation under dynamic voltage scaling frequency (DVFS) conditions, reducing power consumption and maintaining performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If the power supply voltage is decreased to reduce power consumption, then power consumption is reduced, but the performance and efficiency of transmitter and receiver circuits deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidtransmission and reception efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by using low-voltage transistors specifically in the transmitter and receiver circuits while other parts of the system can operate at different voltage levels. This allows the interface circuits to be optimized for low-voltage operation without compromising the overall system performance, as each component operates at its optimal voltage level.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the threshold voltage parameter of the transistors used in the transmitter and receiver circuits to be equal to or lower than those in the logic circuit. This parameter change enables the circuits to operate efficiently at lower supply voltages (1.0V or lower), directly addressing the contradiction by allowing low-voltage operation while maintaining transmission and reception efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of energy

If different voltage levels are used for logic circuit and interface circuit, then power consumption is reduced, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidvoltage management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by making the transmitter and receiver circuits compatible with both low-voltage and high-voltage operation through the use of low-voltage transistors. The same circuit design can adapt to different voltage levels without requiring separate dedicated circuits for each voltage domain, thereby reducing overall device complexity while enabling power consumption reduction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10523204B2Transmitter circuit and receiver circuit for operating under low voltage

Publication Date: 2019.12.31 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

A transmitter circuit including a pre-driver circuit configured to receive a logic signal from a logic circuit and to generate a first signal driven by a first voltage, the pre-driver circuit including a transistor having a threshold voltage equal to or lower than a threshold voltage of a transistor included in the logic circuit, and a main-driver circuit configured to receive the first signal and generate a second signal driven by a second voltage, the main-driver circuit configured to output the second signal to an input/output pad, the main-driver circuit including a transistor having a threshold voltage which is equal to or lower than the threshold voltage of the transistor included in the logic circuit may be provided.