A Wide-Range Static Current-Free Current Mirror-Based LS With Logic Error Detection for Near-Threshold Operation

We have proposed a current mirror-based level shifter (LS) with a logic error detection (CMLS-LED), which is capable of converting a near-threshold signal to a super-threshold signal. The proposed CMLS-LED resolves the current contention problem observed in the conventional cross-coupled pFET-based LS (CPLS) by using the current mirror and removes the static current in the conventional current mirror LS with adopting the feedback pFET controlled by the output node. Compared with Wilson's current mirror-based LS (WCMLS), CMLS-LED offers an enhanced speed by avoiding the threshold voltage drop of the feedback pFET and is free from the stability issue due to an incomplete output swing. Measurement results obtained from the test chip fabricated with 14-nm finFET technology, in which CMLS-LED is implemented with WCMLS, CPLS, and Osaki's LS, shows that the proposed CMLS-LED can widen the operating voltage range by 200 mV compared wth the CPLS, along with a speed improvement of 80%, when compared to WCMLS.