Level shifter speed, power, and reliability trade-offs across normal and reverse temperature dependences

In this paper, we study the impact of the normal and reverse temperature dependences on low-voltage level shifters, which are particularly interesting because they may have components that operate in both dependence regions. The speed, power, and delay variation trade-offs of two level shifter designs are examined for a range of voltage swings, drive strengths and process corners in a commercial 65 nm technology. The PG level shifter is found to provide better delay and power performance than the DCVSL level shifter; however, the limited range of functional operating conditions in the PG structure make the DCVSL unit a superior choice for reliable system designs.