This paper presents a novel single-ended disturb-free 9T subthreshold SRAM cell with cross-point data-aware Write word-line structure. The disturb-free feature facilitates bit-interleaving architecture, which can reduce multiple-bit upsets in a single word and enhance soft error immunity by employing Error Checking and Correction (ECC) technique. The proposed 9T SRAM cell is demonstrated by a 72 Kb SRAM macro with a Negative Bit-Line (NBL) Write-assist and an adaptive Read operation timing tracing circuit implemented in 65 nm low-leakage CMOS technology. Measured full Read and Write functionality is error free with V down to 0.35 V ( 0.15 V lower than the threshold voltage) with 229 KHz frequency and 4.05 µW power. Data is held down to 0.275 V with 2.29 µW Standby power. The minimum energy per operation is 4.5 pJ at 0.5 V. The 72 Kb SRAM macro has wide operation range from 1.2 V down to 0.35 V, with operating frequency of around 200 MHz for V around/above 1.0 V. Index Terms-Low power, low voltage, negative bit-line (BL), subthreshold SRAM cell, timing tracing.
This paper presents an energy efficient bootstrapped CMOS driver to enhance the switching speed for driving large RC load for ultra-low-voltage CMOS VLSI. The proposed bootstrapped driver eliminates the leakage paths in the conventional bootstrapped driver to achieve and maintain more positive and negative boosted voltage levels of the boosted nodes, thus improving boosting efficiency and enhancing driver switching speed. Measured performance from test chips implemented with UMC 65 nm low-power CMOS technology (VTN ≈ VTP ≈ 0.5 V) indicates that the proposed driver provides a rising-delay improvement of 37%-50% and a falling-delay improvement of 25%-47% at 0.3 V for a loading ranging from a 0 to 24 mm long M6 metal line compared with the conventional bootstrapped driver. Although designed and optimized for subthreshold ultra low-voltage operation, the proposed bootstrapped driver is shown to be advantageous at higher nearly-threshold supply voltage as well. The proposed driver provides a rising delay improvement of 20% to 52% and a falling delay improvement of 23%-43% for VDD ranging from 0.3 V to 0.5 V, while consuming about 15% less average power than the conventional bootstrapped driver driving a 16 mm long M6 wire.
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