Reducing system complexity by using a single-supply logic-level shifter

VLSI technology is enabling the realization of complex System on Chip (SoC) designs where different parts of a system, such as analog and digital circuits, as well as passive components, are integrated onto a single chip. In such SoCs, different parts of the chip run at different voltages to achieve optimum speed/power ratios, and it is very common to have two or more voltage domains in a single chip. For communication among the different parts of a chip having different supply voltages, level shifters are required to convert the logic signal from one voltage level to the other voltage level. Level shifters are also required at the pad-ring and chip-core interface, where low-voltage logic signals from chip core are shifted to the higher voltage levels at which the pad ring is operating.

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