Robust low voltage swing sense amplifier

An automated method of sizing data transistors in a symmetrical sense amplifier, the method comprising:

• determining expected manufacturing variations of circuit parameters based upon an initial size of the data transistors,
• based upon the expected manufacturing variations, calculating an offset potential that will cause the sense amplifier to evaluate,
• if the calculated offset potential exceeds an expected threshold potential for the sense amplifier:
• resizing the data transistors,
• determining expected manufacturing variations of circuit parameters based on
• the resized data transistors and
• repeating the calculating step.

A symmetrical sense amplifier, comprising:

• a pair of data transistors, each having an input terminal for a respective differential input signal,
• a pair of output terminals,
• a pair of clamping circuits, each coupled to a respective output terminal and having an input for the other output terminal, wherein each clamping circuit includes a loading transistor coupled to a respective data transistor in such a way to provide a selectively enable evaluation charging path,
• wherein sizes of the data transistors satisfy the relation:
• Vthresh2≦ΔVt1,22+a2ΔS1,22+b2ΔVt3,42+c2ΔCout2
• in which
• S1,2 represents the size of the data transistors,
• ΔV2t1,2 represents expected variation of the activation potential of the data transistors,
• a represents expected geometry mismatches among the data transistors,
• b represents expected threshold mismatches among the loading transistors,
• c represents expected loading mismatch at the output terminals, and
• ΔC2out represents expected capacitance mismatches at the output terminals.

A computer readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to size data transistors for a symmetrical sense amplifier according to the method of:

• determining expected manufacturing variations of circuit parameters based upon an initial size of the data transistors,
• based upon the expected manufacturing variations, calculating an offset potential that will cause the sense amplifier to evaluate,
• if the calculated offset potential exceeds an expected threshold potential for the sense amplifier:
• resizing the data transistors,
• determining expected manufacturing variations of circuit parameters based on
• the resized data transistors and
• repeating the calculating step.