A 6-GHz 16-kB L1 cache in a 100-nm dual-V/sub T/ technology using a bitline leakage reduction (BLR) technique

This work describes an aggressive SRAM cell configuration using dual-V/sub T/ and minimum channel length to achieve high performance. A bitline leakage reduction technique is incorporated into an L1 cache design using the new cell in a 100-nm dual-V/sub T/ technology to eliminate impacts of bitline leakage on performance and noise margin with minimal area overhead. Bitline delay is 23% better than the best conventional design, thus enabling 6-GHz operation at with 15% higher energy.