Subthreshold voltage to supply voltage level shifter using modified revised wilson current mirror

Abstract

In this paper, we present a Modified Revised Wilson Current Mirror Level Shifter (MRWCMLS) to convert subthreshold voltage to supply voltage with low leakage power. Increasing speed and complexity of today's designs resulted in increase in power consumption. System on Chip (SoC) may have few modules which are supplied with subthreshold voltage to achieve low power consumption and the remaining work with above threshold voltage supply. The level shifter which can convert subthreshold voltage level to supply voltage level is designed to minimize circuit leakage power with optimum number of transistors in the circuit. MRWCMLS has been implemented in 180 nm CMOS technology and is simulated using Cadence Virtuoso Simulator and the results are compared with the existing level shifters. In comparison with Revised Wilson Current Mirror Level Shifter (RWCMLS), the leakage power with normal transistors and with high Vth transistors type of implementation of the proposed MRWCMLS, is reduced by 34% and 43% respectively.