# US 12,009,816 B2 · Level-conversion circuits for signaling across voltage domains

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- Number: US 12,009,816 B2
- Document ID: US12009816B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/932,052
- Filed: 2022-09-14
- Published: 2024-01-25
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2022-07-25
- Assignees: NVIDIA Corporation
- Applicants: NVIDIA Corp.
- Inventors: Walker Joseph Turner; John Poulton; Sanquan Song
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009816B2

## CPC

- H03K 19/018521: {of complementary type, e.g. CMOS}
- H03K 3/037: Bistable circuits
- H03K 19/0013: {in field effect transistor circuits}
- H03K 19/018528: {with at least one differential stage}
- H03K 3/356165: {using additional transistors in the feedback circuit}
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The level-shifting circuit of claim 1, wherein the control drivers are coupled to receive the moving supply voltages from the storage nodes.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The level-shifting circuit of claim 2, wherein the storage nodes are coupled to a positive supply terminals of the control drivers, and negative supply terminals of the control drivers are grounded.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The level-shifting circuit of claim 1, further comprising a pair of output inverters.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The level-shifting circuit of claim 1, wherein the storage cell comprises a pair of cross-coupled inverters.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The level-shifting circuit of claim 1, wherein the storage cell comprises a pair of cross-coupled PFETs.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The level-shifting circuit of claim 1, wherein the common-source configured devices are NMOS pull-down devices.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The level-shifting circuit of claim 1, wherein the common-source configured devices are PMOS pull-up devices.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The level-shifting circuit of claim 1, wherein the common-source configured devices comprise both of NMOS pull-down devices and PMOS pull-up devices.

### Claim 10

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.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The circuit of claim 10, wherein the storage cell comprises a pair of cross-coupled PFETs.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The circuit of claim 10, wherein the storage cell comprises a pair of cross-coupled inverters.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The circuit of claim 10, wherein the first common-source configured device pair comprises a pair of pull-down NFETs.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The circuit of claim 10, wherein the first common-source configured device pair comprises a pair of pull-up PFETs.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The circuit of claim 10, further comprising:
a second common-source configured device pair coupled to the storage nodes.

### Claim 16

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.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the common-source configured devices comprises one or both of a pair of pull-down NFETs and a pair of pull-up PFETs.