Level shifter

A level shifter, comprising:

• a cross-coupled pair, coupling a first power terminal to a first output terminal of the level shifter or a second output terminal of the level shifter;
• a pull-down pair, comprising a first transistor and a second transistor controlled by an input signal of the level shifter;
• a first control circuit, receiving the input signal and generating a first control signal to be coupled to a gate of the first transistor;
• and
• an inverter and a second control circuit, wherein the inverter receives the input signal and generates an inverted input signal, and the second control circuit receives the inverted input signal and generates a second control signal to be coupled to a gate of the second transistor;
• wherein:
• the first transistor is coupled between the second output terminal and a second power terminal, and the second transistor is coupled between the first output terminal and the second power terminal;
• a first voltage level coupled to the first power terminal is greater than a second voltage level coupled to the second power terminal, and the second voltage level is greater than a ground level;
• the first transistor is a p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, having a source coupled to the second output terminal, and a drain coupled to the second power terminal;
• the second transistor is a p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, having a source coupled to the first output terminal, and a drain coupled to the second power terminal;
• at least one of the first and second control circuits comprises two n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors and one p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor;
• when the first control circuit comprises the two n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors and the one p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, the two n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors are cascaded between the gate of the first transistor and a ground with a lower one of the two n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors controlled by the input signal, and the one p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor is coupled between the second output terminal of the level shifter and the gate of the first transistor, and
• when the second control circuit comprises the two n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors and the one p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, the two n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors are cascaded between the gate of the second transistor and the ground with a lower one of the two n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors controlled by the inverted input signal, and the one p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor is coupled between the first output terminal of the level shifter and the gate of the second transistor.