Level-conversion circuits for signaling across voltage domains
AssigneeNVIDIA Corporation
InventorsWalker Joseph Turner, John Poulton, Sanquan Song
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A level-shifting circuits utilizing storage cells for shifting signals low-to-high or high-to-low include control drivers with moving supply voltages. The moving supply voltages may power positive or negative supply terminals of the control drivers. The control drivers drive gates of common-source configured devices coupled to storage nodes of the storage cell.
Claims17
A level-shifting circuit comprising:
- a storage cell;
- and
- control drivers with moving supply voltages, the control drivers coupled to drive gates of common-source configured devices coupled to storage nodes of the storage cell.
A circuit configured to shift an input signal at a first voltage level to an output signal at a second voltage level higher than the first voltage level, the circuit comprising:
- a storage cell configured to generate a pair of moving supply voltages at a pair of storage nodes in response to a change in the first voltage level;
- and
- a pair of control drivers coupled to receive the moving supply voltages, the control drivers coupled to drive gates of a first common-source configured device pair coupled to the storage nodes.
A method for shifting a signal from a first voltage level to a second voltage level, the method comprising:
- transitioning a pair of stored values at storage nodes of a storage cell;
- operating a pair of inverters with moving supply voltages generated from the values stored at the storage nodes;
- and
- driving gates of common-source configured devices coupled to the storage nodes with outputs of the inverters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.