Fast and Energy-Efficient Level Shifter Using Split-Control Driver for Mixed-Signal Systems

The level shifters (LSs) are the most significant interfacing circuits in multi-supply mixed-signal systems. This letter presents a high-speed and energy-efficient voltage level shifter with wide-range conversion from sub-threshold to I/O voltage. The proposed level shifter with split-control output driver significantly enhances the speed, energy and static power performance. The proposed LS is implemented in 0.18 \(\upmu \)m CMOS technology, and simulation results confirm that it efficiently converts sub-threshold input voltage (240 mV) to nominal output voltage (1.8 V) without employing multi-threshold devices. The proposed LS exhibits delay of 6.43 ns and energy/transition of 38.39 fJ with significantly low switching current for 0.4 V/1 MHz input signal and 1.8 V output level.