Summary
Modern system‐on‐chip (SoC) applications usually employ multiple voltage domains to save power consumption according to the required circuit performance. Typical multivoltage approaches use level shifters (LSs) to establish communication among voltage domains. The use of commercial standard‐cell and multiple gate oxide MOS LSs implies a nonoptimal place‐and‐route process. Here, we introduce a single gate oxide level shifter (SGOLS) that enables full integration into low‐voltage domains. We tested the proposed idea using a commercial digital‐flow tool for a two‐domain SoC integration, achieving an enhancement in the total integration area occupied by LSs of 54% regarding the conventional LS approaches. The proposed SGOLS was implemented in both 65‐ and 180‐nm CMOS nodes, handling voltage differences between the nominal and I/O domain supplies by using just single gate oxide devices. We validated the circuit performance through process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations for wide frequency and supply voltage ranges, disclosing an energy‐per‐transition of 416 fJ@180 nm and 93 fJ@65 nm. The introduced LS extends the integration of multiple voltage domains into denser SoCs.