Protected Level Shifter Circuit for Low-Power Voltage Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional level shifters in semiconductor integrated circuits occupy significant chip area and consume power, limiting gate length scaling and chip size reduction due to their complexity and power consumption, especially when interfacing logic blocks with different supply voltages.
Innovation Solution
A level shifter design incorporating a protective circuit that reduces input voltage levels to generate a stabilized signal, using inverters and transistors to invert and output signals at different voltage levels, with protective diode-connected transistors to prevent voltage surges and reduce potential damage to transistors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional level shifter is used to interface logic blocks with different supply voltages, then voltage level conversion is achieved, but chip area and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential voltage level conversion function from the complex conventional level shifter architecture, implementing only the necessary protective circuit and inverter components. This removes unnecessary circuitry while retaining the core functionality of interfacing logic blocks with different supply voltages, thereby reducing chip area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simplified inverter-based circuit that replicates the voltage level conversion function of the conventional level shifter. By copying only the essential operational characteristics rather than the full complex architecture, the design achieves voltage level conversion with significantly reduced area and power consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional level shifter is used to interface logic blocks with different supply voltages, then voltage level conversion is achieved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential voltage level conversion function from the conventional level shifter, removing power-consuming components such as complex latch circuits and additional transistors. This selective extraction maintains the core adaptability for voltage level conversion while significantly reducing overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a simple inverter-based circuit that consumes minimal power compared to the complex conventional level shifter. The simplified design uses basic transistor switches that can operate efficiently with lower power, effectively replacing the power-intensive conventional architecture while maintaining voltage level conversion capability.
3Speed
If additional transistors and latch circuits are added to adjust voltage level at higher frequency, then frequency response is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by using a simple inverter circuit rather than complex latch circuits to achieve voltage level conversion. This inverted approach maintains frequency response capability while dramatically reducing circuit complexity, as the inverter's inherent switching action naturally handles high-frequency operation without requiring additional complex control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows the inverter circuit to self-regulate the voltage level conversion process without requiring additional control circuits or latch mechanisms. The transistor switches within the inverter automatically respond to the input signal frequency, providing high-frequency performance through self-service operation rather than through complex externally-controlled mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A level shifter and method thereof. The level shifter may include a protective circuit configured to receive an input signal having an input voltage level, the input signal received on an input line, the protective circuit reducing the input voltage level to generate a stabilized input signal and a first inverter configured to invert the stabilized input signal and to output an inverted output signal at an inverted output voltage level to a first node. In an example method, an input signal may be received at an input voltage level, the input voltage level may be reduced to output a stabilized input signal, the stabilized input signal may be inverted to output an inverted output signal at an inverted output voltage level to a first node and the first node may be transitioned to a node voltage level based on the input signal. The level shifter and method thereof may reduce a power consumption and/or a chip size of a semiconductor device.