A Voltage Level Shifter with Fast Level Translation Speed

Abstract

In modern integrated circuit design, in order to pursue low power consumption, different circuits could be set to work in different operating voltages. In order to achieve correct signal transmission between different operating voltages, voltage level shifter circuit is needed. This paper proposes a new structure of voltage level shifter, by using edge fast response and current transient enhancement mechanism, which can achieve stable voltage conversion with fast conversion speed. The circuit is designed based on the SMIC 180 nm standard CMOS process. Based on simulation results, the voltage conversion from 1.8 V to 5 V with delay time of 1.51 ns can be achieved.