Enabling Sub-nW RF circuits through subthreshold leakage management

Abstract

This paper presents subthreshold leakage management techniques to enable the design of a 2.4 GHz RF transmitter with ultra-low average power. Careful device size optimizations and judicious use of power gating devices shows that leakage power of the radio can be reduced by upwards of 4000X. When operating at a duty-cycled average data rate of 1 b/s, the implemented transmitter consumes 78 pW.