Design of Voltage Level Shifter Using CNTFETs

Abstract

Level shifters (LSs) are used to interface with different voltage domains. In this work, a voltage LS is presented for different ranges of input–output voltage conversion. This design presents a high-speed, energy-efficient and robust dual-supply level converter based on multi-threshold carbon nanotube FETs (CNTFETs). The chirality of CNTs is suitably chosen to adjust the threshold voltage of CNTFETs. The proposed circuit is capable of shifting the input voltage level from the deep sub-threshold (0.25 V) to the above-threshold domain (0.45 V) and above-threshold (0.45 V) to nominal voltage domain (0.9 V). The results of the simulation are obtained based on the MOSFET-like CNTFET model at 32 nm technology node. The proposed circuit exhibits an average propagation delay of $$\sim$$ 63 ps and $$\sim$$ 32 ps, for two different voltage levels, respectively, and dissipates lesser static power than the existing circuits based on CNTFET.